# Bees all over the ground



## garlicbee (Jun 3, 2010)

not sure about what the bees are doing, but do you know what that geranium type leaf weed is? we have it... it smells really bad when you cut it


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## garlicbee (Jun 3, 2010)

are they drones?


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## Birdiewi (Jan 21, 2010)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00uOUUNbnx0


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## Birdiewi (Jan 21, 2010)

garlicbee said:


> are they drones?


Nope


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## Birdiewi (Jan 21, 2010)

garlicbee said:


> not sure about what the bees are doing, but do you know what that geranium type leaf weed is? we have it... it smells really bad when you cut it


We call it Creeping Charlie. It has purple flowers in the spring that the bumble bees love. I like the smell of it


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## waynesgarden (Jan 3, 2009)

I don't see the tons of bees. I see too few to worry about.

Maybe they were picking up early morning dew off the leaves?

Wayne


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## Walt B (Jul 14, 2009)

My first thought was maybe it was "throw a drone out day"; then I thought they may be drinking. Is there dew?

I think the weed is "creeping Charlie" or "ground ivy".

Walt


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## Birdiewi (Jan 21, 2010)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiFDJnXDfGE

I know it is hard to see with the video on my point and shoot. But there are bees everywhere for about 10 or 12 feet out from the hive. My guess would be a couple hundred maybe. The yellow jackets are all over taking advantage of the situation. The entrance to the hive seems different also. I reduced the entrance with some grass because the yellow jackets are sniffing around and there just aren't as many bees hanging out at the entrance as there normally is. 

I am going to post some pics too. Some of the bees are very dark and look like they have been on the ground for a while.


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## Birdiewi (Jan 21, 2010)

Walt B said:


> My first thought was maybe it was "throw a drone out day"; then I thought they may be drinking. Is there dew?
> 
> I think the weed is "creeping Charlie" or "ground ivy".
> 
> Walt


There was dew but it is mostly gone now. It looks like they are trying to take flight by climbing up the grass blades but they just keep falling back to the ground.


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## Beeslave (Feb 6, 2009)

Crawlers-I seen that when I had high nosema spore counts in my hives. I think tracheal mites may cause that to but I'm not sure.


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## Birdiewi (Jan 21, 2010)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjPyMVel7Uw

I guess that last link was no good.


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## Birdiewi (Jan 21, 2010)

http://picasaweb.google.com/Birdiewi/BeeProblems?feat=directlink

Some of the bees on the ground look really strange... turning black.


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## Beeslave (Feb 6, 2009)

Did you by chance break some comb in the hive or something that caused honey to run down on the bees. Did it rain and the bees got wet while returning to the hive.


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## Birdiewi (Jan 21, 2010)

Beeslave said:


> Did you by chance break some comb in the hive or something that caused honey to run down on the bees. Did it rain and the bees got wet while returning to the hive.



Not since yesterday morning... yesterday afternoon there weren't bees on the ground.


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## beecrazy101 (Jul 6, 2010)

I do believe if remember right it is treachel mites. It causes the bees to not be able to get the oxygen and then not have enough energy to fly. Let me see if I can find the bible and look it up, but I remember reading it and I do believe that it is treachel.


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## beecrazy101 (Jul 6, 2010)

You have tracheal mites. Symptoms. 
1. You see many weak bees stumbling around on the ground in front of the hive.
2. YOu spot some bees climbing up a stalk of grass to fly, but instread they just fall to the ground.
3. You notice bees with K-wings (wings extended to odd angles-not folded in the normal position.)
4. Bees abandon the hive (abscond) in early spring despit the ample honey supply.


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## bamindy (Apr 14, 2009)

Not sure about the bees but the plant might be henbit (purple flowers). You will know it is henbit if in the Spring the bees come back with red pollen on their heads. It is a good nectar source in early Spring for my area and when the bees collect it the pollen rubs off on their heads.


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## beecrazy101 (Jul 6, 2010)

Also you can take a sample of the bees that are on the ground and ship the m to the Bee Research Laboratory for a inspection. They are located in MD.

Bee Research Laboratory
10300 Baltimore Blvd.
Building 476, Room 100
Beltsville, MD 20705
Telephone: 301-504-8205
Fax: 301-504-8736
email: [email protected],usda.gov 

It is payed for by tax dollars and shouldn't cost you anything to get them to inspect the sick bees. Hopefully this helps.


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## Birdiewi (Jan 21, 2010)

beecrazy101 said:


> You have tracheal mites. Symptoms.
> 1. You see many weak bees stumbling around on the ground in front of the hive.
> 2. YOu spot some bees climbing up a stalk of grass to fly, but instread they just fall to the ground.
> 3. You notice bees with K-wings (wings extended to odd angles-not folded in the normal position.)
> 4. Bees abandon the hive (abscond) in early spring despit the ample honey supply.


That is what I was afraid of


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## Birdiewi (Jan 21, 2010)

Spent a little more time watching the hive this afternoon. They are bringing out sick bees and I even saw a couple of larvae that they are taking off. I collected as many as I could before it started raining. Will go back in a bit and watch some more. I noticed a couple have mishapened wings. The adults on the ground right in front of the hive look totally normal except they can't fly. No k-wings, no shaking... just can't fly. 

Until today, I thought this hive was extremely strong. 3 deeps full of bees. 

I do plan to send what I collect to the Bee Research Laboratory.


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## ssrt3 (Aug 26, 2010)

please let us know what the docs say when you get them there. minds want to know.


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## Birdiewi (Jan 21, 2010)

I certainly will.

BTW, when you do varroa counts, about where is the point where they are worrisome??


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## rwells (May 12, 2010)

Birdiewi I had the same problem with bees crawling on the ground. Since I am a novice beekeeper. I was not sure what was causing the problem. I called Dadant and they said to medicate with Fumagilin-B for Nosema ceranae . It worked with in two days for me.. I did not want to medicate but I did not want to lose the hive either.


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## AR Beekeeper (Sep 25, 2008)

Crawling bees can be caused by insecticides, tracheal mites and virus infections. Nosema can also cause crawling bees but usually you would see signs of dysentery. High varroa populations would increase the probability that the crawling is virus related. 

The varroa count that will cause damage to a colony varies from area to area. If you do a natural mite fall count 3 days in a row and then average the count you will be more accurate than just doing a one day count. I find that when the count here reaches 100 or more for a 24 hour average the colony is in danger of collapse.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Birdiewi said:


> We call it Creeping Charlie. It has purple flowers in the spring that the bumble bees love. I like the smell of it


Creeping Charlie...same common name here. Good spring bee plant.

Look up Gill, or Gill Over The Ground


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## Lauren (Jun 10, 2010)

This is exactly what mine have been doing off and on. no miss-shapen wings, no mote count (really! 0 ) I will post pics of them. They are on a deck and it is a lot of them. I thought that it was fermented fig, but the fig is over. They quit for a while, and now it is back. :scratch:

Just curious, are your bees Russian, too?


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## Birdiewi (Jan 21, 2010)

Lauren said:


> Just curious, are your bees Russian, too?


Supposed to be Italian, but I believe some of them look a little dark to be Italian.


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## mignolan (Nov 19, 2009)

I noticed some bees on the ground in front of my hive this weekend, too, but it was ... like ... three. I'm assuming this is fairly normal? Anyone think this is cause for concern? (One of them was being eaten by a yellow jacket, which seem to have a real taste for they honeybees.)

Merci!

Mig


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## Birdiewi (Jan 21, 2010)

I have been watching them closely. If nothing else, I hope to learn a little about bee behavior. I closed the upper entrance and reduced the lower entrance because the yellow jackets were hovering like mad. I occasionally see a worker bring a carcass out and fly away with it. Occasionally a bee comes out and walks off the end of the entrance and hits the ground. 

I have decided not to treat. Either they will make it or I will buy packages next spring from more resistant stock that has wintered over in the north. Any suggestions???


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## Birdiewi (Jan 21, 2010)

Oldtimer said:


> Were the mis shaped wings like the 2 bees in the middle of this pic?


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v509/waspwing/5winglessinhive.jpg

Very similar.


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## tmk (Aug 20, 2010)

My experience: strong hive, about 2-5 crawlers most times of day. Did a mite count and collected 37 mites in 24 hrs. No funny wings. Wasps eating the dead most times. 

medication threshhold for fall is like 50-60 in 24 hrs

so I'm letting them be. I have a frame of drone comb on order and will try that.

Next year I may make some (walk away) splits and that should help


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## Birdiewi (Jan 21, 2010)

It was Varroa. The sample I sent to the Bee Research Laboratory came back negative for tracheal mites, negative for Nosema and 105 mites in the sample I sent them.  Amazing.

I am definitely going to search for hygienic bees next year. We will try for 2 hives again. We learned a ton and look forward to continuing in the spring


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## Birdiewi (Jan 21, 2010)

They were too far gone. I witnessed them absconding last week.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Oldtimer said:


> OK well wings like that are caused by a virus called "no wing disease", and it is spread by varroa mites.


Oldtimer, we call that "Deformed Wing Virus" (DWV) over here.


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## Omie (Nov 10, 2009)

Birdiewi said:


> I am definitely going to search for hygienic bees next year. We will try for 2 hives again. We learned a ton and look forward to continuing in the spring


Sounds like a good plan.


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