# HELP - Unknown brood problem



## cobutterfly (Jun 2, 2011)

Hi all. I have a brood problem and can't identify it with information I have seen via utube and other pictures. Unfortunately, I don't have a way to send a my pictures unless it is via phone #....so I'll try to explain it. Brood is capped, but obviously dead...inside the cell it almost looks like very fine sugar graulars...whitish in color with darker seal coat. No signs of "roping" that is found in AFB. No odor. Larvae pattern is good but all look the same. Bees seem to be healthy with no signs of stress. I the thought of destroying a hive (like AFB) but sure don't want this spreading to other hives. If anyone knows what it might be and how to handle it, I would sure appreciate any advice.

Thanks!


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

i had some capped cells once that looked just like brood, but turned out to be honey. is it possible that you have some granulated syrup in those cells?


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## cobutterfly (Jun 2, 2011)

squarepeg said:


> i had some capped cells once that looked just like brood, but turned out to be honey. is it possible that you have some granulated syrup in those cells?


No, I don't believe so, although the cells look like "crystalized brood"... my queen is laying but I have had no new hatch and all brood appears to look the same....


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## cobutterfly (Jun 2, 2011)

Someone else just mentioned to me that perhaps the larvae "froze"....we have had very nice warm weather...queen was laying...then we had a cold snap with 18 degree weather for 3-4 days...could my larvae have frozen??


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## JD's Bees (Nov 25, 2011)

I don't know any brood disease that resembles your discription.
Chilled brood will be a grey/brown color and larvae will look a lot like sacbrood. Usually as the temps drop the bees form a tighter cluster leaving the outside brood frames unprotected from the cold. Where the cluster formed the brood would not be affected. If you are seeing problems on all frames I wouldn't think it was chilled brood.


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## virginiawolf (Feb 18, 2011)

We just learned about a brood problem called chalkbrood in our bee class. Is this what it looks like? http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~msbain/elbka/Diseases/Chalk Brood.htm
If so I think get rid of those frames and requeen is the solution the instructor suggested but he was covering alot of ground in the class. I've never had it and don't know much more than like the article says but thought this might be it. Trying to help.
Good Luck!!


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## virginiawolf (Feb 18, 2011)

http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?256271-Chalk-brood-Question&highlight=chalkbrood

Here's a beesource thread on chalkbrood. It's a Fungal Infection. Hope this helps if this is whats up. VW


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## Bonnie Botkins (Sep 13, 2011)

Hi, I'm a newbee too, but one of my first experiences was with chilled brood, a bear knocked my hive over and a cold spring rain drenched them before I could reassemble the hive. The bees will clean the dead larvae out of the cells, they look like little larvae mummies, they don't appear crystallized. I was told chalk brood looks exactly the same. You will find them on the elighting board, it took several weeks for them to appear. I was told the bees clean out the cells as they need them. Both problems, chilled brood and chalk brood, will be fixed by the bees. So you do nothing about it. I know I'm not answering your questions, but mabey knowing it's not chalk or chilled brood will narrow thing down for you.


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## iowastan (Jan 12, 2010)

Hello,
I have something like that and its not brood, it is honey that granulated I guess. I took my pocket knife & took some out & tasted it. It is sugar. I will post a photo. I never fed any sugar syrup last year so I am at a loss as to how or what caused it. Can someone tell me what is going on here? Thanks!


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## fish_stix (May 17, 2009)

Honey contains sugars! Crystallized honey is sugar! If it granulates it's granulated sugar from crystallized honey! You don't need to feed sugar syrup to get sugar!


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## iowastan (Jan 12, 2010)

I don't mean to be rude but if you think I have bees & don't know that honey can crystallize, I don't know what to tell you! All that I am saying is that in the midwest; I have never seen honey do this before. I tried to download a photo but I guess the file is too large.When you first look at it it looks like many eggs in a honey cell.


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

Cobutterfly I'm picking that as you have not responded for a while the problem has resolved?

If not, you are going to have to post a pic. I think most here have their suspicions what is happening but a pic will be the only way to confirm it.


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## iowastan (Jan 12, 2010)

Hello,
I tried to post a photo but it wouldn't load because it was "too large" can someone tell me how to make the file smaller? I am a 70 year old rookie on some of this computer stuff.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

There are a variety of ways to resize photos. Many people will use a photo editor installed on their local computer. Here is a free one that works well for me:
http://www.irfanview.com/
However, this program can do lots of things, so there is a learning curve.

But, if _*all you want to do is resize photos*_, you may find it easier to just use an online tool such as this one:
http://www.shrinkpictures.com/

A third option is to get a free account at http://photobucket.com/, upload your photos to that site, then link to them here. Photobucket will provide you the link to copy and paste once you have uploaded the photo.


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## iowastan (Jan 12, 2010)

Thank You very much!! I will try these out tomorrow & send some photos. Again THANKS!


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