Some advice please - cbpv?

[LeaBees]

Just an update:
Have been keeping eye on the dead-fall on the hive and general activity around it and things have improved. After pretty much leaving alone for 3 weeks in it's new format I dismantled the open-bottom setup today, back into a regular format. I wasn't noticing many dead bees (drones aside) beneath/around the hive, and also wasps were beginning to cause them trouble.

Took the opportunity to have the 1st good look in over 2 weeks. Had given an extra BBox for space and they had drawn out a few frames and Q had begun laying in there, so I now have a double-brood colony which may end up too small for that configuration going into winter. Good signs of laying and BIAS though. Didn't try to find Q as didn't see it as necessary after evidence of her activities. Bees in general look a LOT better, still one or two with "open" wings ( mind you I now worry about any bee whose wings aren't tucked tight!!) but didn't notice any shaking on this inspection.

In summary, fingers crossed the colony has come through this CBPV episode - or at least the worst of it - and more than likely the advice of extra space and separation from infected deadfall was instrumental. Huge relief as this was my strongest colony. A big thank you to @Erichalfbee & @jenkinsbrynmair principally for the pointers. Hugely appreciated.

As a side note; I was concerned there was almost no stores on any of the brood frames, but they do have about 1 and quarter laden supers above. Weather has been a bit rubbish over the past 10 days or so and forage around here has been declining. Is this a problem, or just a function of the not so frugal buckfast type bees I have?

Thanks again Dani / JBM.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Just an update:
Have been keeping eye on the dead-fall on the hive and general activity around it and things have improved. After pretty much leaving alone for 3 weeks in it's new format I dismantled the open-bottom setup today, back into a regular format. I wasn't noticing many dead bees (drones aside) beneath/around the hive, and also wasps were beginning to cause them trouble.

Took the opportunity to have the 1st good look in over 2 weeks. Had given an extra BBox for space and they had drawn out a few frames and Q had begun laying in there, so I now have a double-brood colony which may end up too small for that configuration going into winter. Good signs of laying and BIAS though. Didn't try to find Q as didn't see it as necessary after evidence of her activities. Bees in general look a LOT better, still one or two with "open" wings ( mind you I now worry about any bee whose wings aren't tucked tight!!) but didn't notice any shaking on this inspection.

In summary, fingers crossed the colony has come through this CBPV episode - or at least the worst of it - and more than likely the advice of extra space and separation from infected deadfall was instrumental. Huge relief as this was my strongest colony. A big thank you to @Erichalfbee & @jenkinsbrynmair principally for the pointers. Hugely appreciated.

As a side note; I was concerned there was almost no stores on any of the brood frames, but they do have about 1 and quarter laden supers above. Weather has been a bit rubbish over the past 10 days or so and forage around here has been declining. Is this a problem, or just a function of the not so frugal buckfast type bees I have?

Thanks again Dani / JBM.

Such good news.
if they can reach the stores they will be fine.

 

[Erichalfbee]

This afternoon here’s the colony that had the floor removed last year
View attachment trim.E2560C31-D0DD-40D4-9254-71DF88CD5AFB.MOV

 

[Cuckmere couple]

This afternoon here’s the colony that had the floor removed last year
[/QUOTE

thats good to see

my garden hives are going crazy today....including the 3-4 that pretty sure had CBPV

however, the one that had pretty much died out (was already weak and i didnt remove floor on this one) had a small cluster inside when i trickle treated a few weeks back and now has some activity at the front

I left it in situ and probably should have closed up/removed as am anxious in case its robbing and may spread CPBV

remove?

 

[Cuckmere couple]

thats good to see

my garden hives are going crazy today....including the 3-4 that pretty sure had CBPV

however, the one that had pretty much died out (was already weak and i didnt remove floor on this one) had a small cluster inside when i trickle treated a few weeks back and now has some activity at the front

I left it in situ and probably should have closed up/removed as am anxious in case its robbing and may spread CPBV

remove?

 

[Erichalfbee]

I’d look in. Might as well do I it now if it’s still sunny.

 

[Patrick1]

On a day when the bees are flying I believe it is always preferable to open if you are worried, you may be able to help in some way

 

[Cuckmere couple]

looked in yesterday

large mound of dead bees on floor of hive and a small cluster with marked queen

this is the colony i thought had died out because was very small and i removed the floor for a week and then wasps robbing in large numbers..think i just replaced the floor and now as i say, just a few hundred with q

i will remove the floor again i think

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

looked in yesterday

large mound of dead bees on floor of hive and a small cluster with marked queen

You would expect that with a healthy hive at this time of year - winter bees die off and bees in a cluster don't waste any time on housekeeping. I'd leave them alone for a spell until the spring to reassess.
Time to ease off the fiddling.

 

[Cuckmere couple]

You would expect that with a healthy hive at this time of year - winter bees die off and bees in a cluster don't waste any time on housekeeping. I'd leave them alone for a spell until the spring to reassess.
Time to ease off the fiddling.

yup...havent been fiddling....i noticed there was a cluster when i trickle treated a while back

went in yesterday as was going to remove the hive if it was being robbed

 

[Boston Bees]

looked in yesterday

large mound of dead bees on floor of hive and a small cluster with marked queen

this is the colony i thought had died out because was very small and i removed the floor for a week and then wasps robbing in large numbers..think i just replaced the floor and now as i say, just a few hundred with q

i will remove the floor again i think

Agree with above - just leave them alone, don't do anything with the floor, on Jan 31st.

 

[gbrowne]

Further to this discussion, I was wondering if anyone had read any guidance on how to sterilise a hive where the bees died of CBPV, before being brought back into use?
Or does the virus die away from a host (like Covid does after a few days)

 

[Boston Bees]

Further to this discussion, I was wondering if anyone had read any guidance on how to sterilise a hive where the bees died of CBPV, before being brought back into use?
Or does the virus die away from a host (like Covid does after a few days)

Just sterilise it using the usual methods (torch for wood, bleach for poly) and nothing nasty will live.

EDIT Sorry, I'm just talking about the boxes. Maybe you are talking about combs.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Further to this discussion, I was wondering if anyone had read any guidance on how to sterilise a hive where the bees died of CBPV, before being brought back into use?
Or does the virus die away from a host (like Covid does after a few days)

Torch a wooden hive thoroughly...take the runners out and clean those or replace
Hypochlorite for poly
Throw the frames. Some people keep the frames but the science is against it.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

does the virus die away from a host (like Covid does after a few days)

it doesn't, that's why virologists like Professor David Evans who have studied the disease advise to destroy the comb/frames etc and sterilise the boxes as per NBU guidelines.

 

[gbrowne]

Thanks folks.
Has anyone ever read an estimate of how long it can live outside of a host ?

 

[Erichalfbee]

I haven’t seen any
David Evans has a thread running in the comments section of this post.
https://www.theapiarist.org/aristotles-hairless-black-thieves/
You could ask him there or send him an email. He’s very good at answering questions

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Further to this discussion, I was wondering if anyone had read any guidance on how to sterilise a hive where the bees died of CBPV, before being brought back into use?
Or does the virus die away from a host (like Covid does after a few days)

Some viruses can survive extended periods outside a host. I don't know about cbpv.

 

[Mabee]

I can forsee an opportunity here (albeit somewhat limited) for a treatment hive floor. No floor mesh, an extra deep underspace box perhaps with mesh side panels for ventilation and a deep, slide out collection tray for corpse collection and removal. Long term use would risk comb building on the bottom of brood frames but for use instead of simply leaving the under brood space open to access by robbers, wasps and other invaders during the critical period could be handy to have available?

I currently have a hive with CBPV, i’ve added a super under the bb and a super on top. I know the no floor approach seems to work well from others experiences, but i’m still a little reluctant as the area where my hives are have an abundance of other opportunist insects just waiting for an easy way in. So I have removed the mesh from the OMF and popped the tray in, plan is to open the tray every day to remove corpses without disturbing the colony and replace. Will see if it achieves the same results.

 

[Cuckmere couple]

i have another large colony showing signs...black bees and many at the front quivering and stumbling around