# White spots on bees



## jimsteelejr (Sep 21, 2012)

Could be paint. We had neighbor using a spray gun to paint and had bees coming in with red speckles. I have seen parasitic fungus on caterpillars so it might be something like that.
I would try to isolate one or two bees and put them under a microscope and see if you can tell more. Your bee inspector is a great source of knowledge so you might contact them.
Let us know what you find.


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## Lost Possom (Jul 17, 2013)

Thanks Jim I try to get a pic next time in hive.


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## Lburou (May 13, 2012)

Anything is possible, but with a guess I'd say pollen.


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## Hartz (Sep 4, 2010)

Do you have Jewel Weed close by? Bees that are working it will have white pollen on their backs because they have to climb inside the flower to get to the nectar. Happens every year here although our Jewel Weed is about over for this year.

Hartz


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## kmalik (Aug 17, 2013)

we have bees covered with white pollen from the blue curl which is in bloom here. kent


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## beeMT (Jul 4, 2013)

funny - i just opened a post about this
i am observing just the same

how did you solve this?


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## Stephenpbird (May 22, 2011)

I am with Hartz, Jewel Weed/Himalayan balsam pollen. Big white spot on the Bees back. Have a look at this video on youtube to see what it looks like. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLe7K0wbmCk

Stephen


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## beeMT (Jul 4, 2013)

Stephenpbird said:


> I am with Hartz, Jewel Weed/Himalayan balsam pollen. Big white spot on the Bees back. Have a look at this video on youtube to see what it looks like.
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLe7K0wbmCk
> 
> Stephen


thanks for the link - that looks very mild compared to what I am seeing
many of them look like they have their wings clumped with this and others seems that this white stuff has permanently stained their abdomen 
I will try to take pictures


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## beeMT (Jul 4, 2013)

here i am attaching a picture of what i am seeing
can someone experienced tell me if this is a disease or just white pollen stuck to the bee?


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## beeMT (Jul 4, 2013)




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## mountainbeek (Oct 5, 2013)

This beekeeper found white patches on the backs of bees. This is a blog post of exploding Himalayan Balsam. At 0:16sec to 0:17sec of this video, one can see it explode and some sort of white fluid lands on the leaf. This may be one possible explanation.


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## WWW (Feb 6, 2011)

Don't worry, it's just a little sugar syrup, I have seen it on my bees at times.


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## beeMT (Jul 4, 2013)

beeMT said:


> here i am attaching a picture of what i am seeing
> can someone experienced tell me if this is a disease or just white pollen stuck to the bee?
> View attachment 7877
> 
> View attachment 7878


today i checked this hive and i found no bees :-( they swarmed and took all the honey and pollen with them


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## Virginiaisforbees (May 12, 2015)

Did you find out what made them swarm? I doubt they took the honey and pollen with them.
Your comb looks awfully dark and the capped brood looks sunken which might mean AFB?
I had one bee that had a white spot on it yesterday in a new hive but it didn't look like yours.
This white spot was perfectly round on closer to the bees head. and a brighter white color.


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## beeMT (Jul 4, 2013)

Virginiaisforbees said:


> Did you find out what made them swarm? I doubt they took the honey and pollen with them.
> Your comb looks awfully dark and the capped brood looks sunken which might mean AFB?
> I had one bee that had a white spot on it yesterday in a new hive but it didn't look like yours.
> This white spot was perfectly round on closer to the bees head. and a brighter white color.


yes! back then i was still a new beekeeper
that was a new nucleus and i was feeding it sugar syrup .... the problem was the holes in the can were too big and thus it was dripping on the bees ... probably they got irritated by this and back then i had no idea that it was this that was making the spots so i kept feeding them using the same container..


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## FlowerPlanter (Aug 3, 2011)

>Your comb looks awfully dark and the capped brood looks sunken which might mean AFB?
I did not see any capped brood, looks like encapsulated wax and maybe pollen. 

beeMT
What does your brood pattern look like? Did they leave open and capped larva behind?


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## beeMT (Jul 4, 2013)

FlowerPlanter said:


> >Your comb looks awfully dark and the capped brood looks sunken which might mean AFB?
> I did not see any capped brood, looks like encapsulated wax and maybe pollen.
> 
> beeMT
> What does your brood pattern look like? Did they leave open and capped larva behind?


if i remember well yes, they left open and capped larva behind (this was almost 2 years ago) they just took all the honey


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