Daniel D. Dempsey wrote: > > I have a single deep hive that was treated with Apistan, Grease Patty, 1 > treatment of T25 and sugar and also received a gal. of 2:to1: syrup with > wintergreen last Fall. > > I checked it 2 weeks ago and it was building slow, today it is in decline > with patches of sealed brood that did not look rite when you open them they > have a thick light brown gob that was the larvae. It will pull out to about > 1/2 Inch, There is NO smell like AFB. We had 2 cold mornings down to 28F > last week. There are eggs in open cells among the brood patches. Before I > put the match to it does any one have any idea what this may be? Hi Daniel, As Joel said, don't burn it yet. However, AFB may be the cause even though there is no odor. Usually only real bad infections of that disease have much odor, especially if you have not smelled it before. I don't know how it works but the more you are around it (as when working as inspector) the more sensitive your sniffer gets to it. Any way "thick light brown gob that was the larvae" isn't enough info for a diagnosis. I would like you to get back in there again and: 1) Take a sample of the dead larvae. With a toothpick, scoop some of the remains of several typical dead larvae and wipe them onto a paper. Fold the paper and send to the Beltsville lab for examination. 2) Make some more detailed observations. Are there scales (dried larval remains) present? If so, can you remove them without damaging the cell? Are the patches of dead larvae on the same frames as the cluster? Are they within the cluster area or just outside? Are there signs of disentary? Describe the dead larvae that are not yet brown. Are they complete or just pieces? Is sac brood a possibility?