# Found This Red Stuff On A Few Frames



## Barry Digman (May 21, 2003)

I'm assuming that the damage to the comb is from having been poked and prodded by a hive tool, otherwise there's a problem with how that comb looks regardless of the color. 

If the comb looked normal other than the red color, I'd say it's just hummingbird feed or some other man-made sugar based liquid that your bees found useful.


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## Honey-4-All (Dec 19, 2008)

Looks like propolis or some synthetic replacement which the bees often use when available. Had some stealing all the caulking off a trailer 20 years back. Took a while to figure out what was going on as grey propolis is very unusual especial in the yard they where gathering it in. BTW look like them bees need a good dose of syrup or three.......


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## Becky Jackson (Jun 7, 2013)

It's definitely propolis. Why they feel the need to propolize by the entrance is anyone's guess. Maybe because many bees hate to use the plastic comb shown in the photos.
Becky


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Propolis from some poplar trees is red. Propolis from cottonwoods and other poplar trees can be green or even gray. I would guess propolis mixed with wax or just propolis.


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## Pete O (Jul 13, 2013)

Looks like they all went out for a pizza and got sick.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

"Before the city." Propolis.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Sometimes the propolis foragers set up a staging area to put the propolis for the propolis workers who are reinforcing cells, stopping cracks etc. ...


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

You got any worker brood in that hive? Even the frame I can see in the box looks almost all drone brood.


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## Honey-4-All (Dec 19, 2008)

JRG13 said:


> You got any worker brood in that hive? Even the frame I can see in the box looks almost all drone brood.


Or worse.... Not looking very good. My bet is that hive is toast in a month or less.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

Red propolis. We get lots of it. Streams down the outside of boxes below holes on the boxes the bees are trying to plug. I have seen red propolis inside split eucalyptus logs.


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