Hive beetle poop?

[BexGotBees]

Lately there has been moisture on the observation board, and I'm not sure if it's condensation mixed with the pollen, or if there's something else going on in the hive, but it looks to me like insect droppings..... I haven't opened the bottom box since last month because there's so much going on in there, and its been raining a lot. I wasn't sure what to do. I'm pretty sure my queen was replaced, and there are drone cells all over the frames in the super and those frames are attached to the frames in the brood box below. When I opened the super above the brood, I tore a bunch apart. I've since added another super because they were running out of room. I am concerned there might be hive beetles in there, and some varroa at this time. I had a huge Infestation of varroa mites last fall, but I mostly got it under control.

How can I tell if it's bee poop or moisture mixed with pollen? And is it possible that it's from the rain?

 

[oxnatbees]

Your subject line is alarming as thetre is a very nasty parasite called Small Hive Beetle we are on high alert for. It's native to Africa but is a big pest in Australia and America, and has been found in south Italy in the ladt few years where they are still trying to eradicate it. If you suspect actual Small Hive Beetle, you MUST report it IMMEDIATELY to a bee inspector. They're blavk, about 1/4 the sizecof a bee, your hive may smell lemony and their grubs infest (unusually) honey comb, which gets covered in slime.

I don't see any obvious evidence of such beetles in your photos. I see dropped pollen loads (large roubd yellow blobs), droppings from very small insects, probably lesser wax moth (tiny cylindrical brown rods) and wax.

 

[oxnatbees]

And varroa. And other stuff I'm not sure of. Healthy bee poo is yellow so I don't think there's any of that.

Condensatoon on a landing board is generally good, it means either lots of bees breathing out moisture (like us) or excess moisture being vented as they evaporate nectar to honey, which would tend to be accompanied by a load fanning sound. Or both.

Which specific bits of debris on the floor worry you?

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

and wax.

I think the translucent mother of pearl-like flakes are scales of wax, newly made. There are quite a number of these, which is interesting for me because I don't see them often on my boards (which is not to say they're not there) and also it shows that the bees are drawing comb now, quite early in the season.

Ah, I've just checked your location (which possibly has the best climate in the world). Not surprising then

 

[Wilco]

Your subject line is alarming as thetre is a very nasty parasite called Small Hive Beetle we are on high alert for. It's native to Africa but is a big pest in Australia and America, and has been found in south Italy in the ladt few years where they are still trying to eradicate it. If you suspect actual Small Hive Beetle, you MUST report it IMMEDIATELY to a bee inspector. They're blavk, about 1/4 the sizecof a bee, your hive may smell lemony and their grubs infest (unusually) honey comb, which gets covered in slime.

I don't see any obvious evidence of such beetles in your photos. I see dropped pollen loads (large roubd yellow blobs), droppings from very small insects, probably lesser wax moth (tiny cylindrical brown rods) and wax.

OP is in the USA.

Agree about wax moth poo like debris.

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

If you suspect actual Small Hive Beetle, you MUST report it IMMEDIATELY to a bee inspector.

The rules may be different in CA.

 

[oxnatbees]

The rules may be different in CA.

Good point, I didn't realise OP was outside UK.

 

[BexGotBees]

Thank you, your responses are very reassuring

 

[BexGotBees]

The strange looking "poo" turns out to be earwigs that keep taking up residence in the top cover