On 5/23/2016 9:20 PM, John Caldeira wrote:
> Hello Bee-L,
> A local beekeeper presented photos of unusual looking sealed brood that I'd never seen before.  It looks somewhat like an extreme case of 'bald brood' caused by wax moth, but the beekeeper tells me the colony is strong and he has seen no sign of wax moth.   Some cells are completely open, while others are partially sealed, and the surface of the sealed brood is irregular.     Would appreciate Bee-L suggestions to diagnose this condition.  What's going on here?
>

Those are fascinating pictures and I am hoping someone can explain the 
phenomenon.  I am afraid I can't help a lot but I notice that the cells 
closest to the edge of the frame (presumably the younger ones) have a 
better chance of appearing normal than the ones in the centre.  This 
suggests to me that the bees are sealing them properly initially and 
then opening them subsequently.  The perforated ones near the edge look 
like cells just starting to be opened by bees sensing varroa.  The ones 
that have been opened further have been fitted with a "lip" to make the 
hole more permanent.  Could the bees be sensing a problem with the 
pupae, such as AFB, then removing the worst and leaving others open so 
they can be monitored?

Steve Rose
North Wales

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