Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Cleansing flights

photo by John Fetrow
Note the brown spots. This is normal. This is NOT nosema.

This time of year when we have some of the first warm weather the bees will storm out of the hive on cleansing flights. If that happens to coincide with your trip to the beeyard then your bee suit may be a little stained.
Nosema is defecation in the colony all over the frames and running down the front of the hive's top entrance hole.