Disease or underdevelopment of the genital organs of the uterus, or its death, can lead to the appearance of so-called humpback brood in honey bees. At the same time, worker bees turn into polypores, which lay unfertilized eggs. This leads to the fact that drones begin to dominate in the hive, and worker bees are sorely lacking. If measures are not taken in time, the bee colony may die.
Signs of humpback brood
Polypores lay eggs chaotically, without following any system that exists during the normal functioning of a bee hive with a full-fledged queen and worker bees. It is quite easy for an experienced specialist to notice abnormal masonry because there is no order in their placement.
Healthy clutches are carried out in dense rows or groups, and the eggs of defective worker females are laid haphazardly, in the first available combs, which are not even suitable for these purposes.
The cells in the honeycombs are intended for bee larvae, not drones, so they do not correspond to them in size; moreover, degenerated workers can lay several eggs in one cell or do this in honeycombs filled with beebread. As a result, the cells are overcrowded and extremely cramped for the growing drones. They become dwarf.
Because the cells are cramped and overcrowded, bees cannot seal them properly with wax. They produce convex covers that rise like humps above the level of the honeycomb, which led to the appearance of the term “humpbacked brood” among bees. This is a clearly visible abnormality that helps beekeepers identify the absence or health problems of the queen.
Polypores are very prolific, thanks to which each can lay from 19 to 32 eggs per day. If urgent measures are not taken, within a short time there will be no worker bees - the main breadwinners of the family.
Causes of the problem
If the queen of a bee colony dies for any reason or develops a disease of the reproductive organs in which she is unable to reproduce worker bees, the composition of the hive begins to change very quickly.Already 12 days after changes in the sexual health of the uterus or its death, the first polypores appear, and after 28 days they lay defective eggs.
Humpback brood does not appear as a result of infection or foreign influence, but is a problem of disruption of family relationships in the hive, directly related to the health and life of the uterus. If this main connecting link falls out for some reason, the life of the family is destroyed.
What to do with humpback brood
Having discovered the death of the queen or her serious illness, as well as the appearance of polypores and humpback brood, you must take one of the following actions:
- Uniting a “defective” family with a healthy one. This can be a long and difficult process, as a hive with drones may simply kill off a strong, productive queen in order to continue producing drones.
- Inserting brood from healthy hives into a dysfunctional colony. This is done in stages so that the polypores get used to the changes and do not behave aggressively.
- The most effective way to deal with humpback brood is to replant a full-fledged swarm that has flown from a healthy colony. This needs to be done through the entrance, then the newcomers arrive gradually and assimilate with the natives without any problems. If you let the entire swarm in through the lid of the house, the process of merging families can be very violent.However, this method can only be used during the period when swarming occurs.
- Removing the honeycomb will cause the insects to scatter into surrounding hives.
Replanting the queen, even repeatedly, may not lead to the desired result, because aggressive drones and degenerate bees will not accept her and will try to expel her or kill her. But measures will still have to be taken, because humpback brood is a “black mark”, evidence that without urgent human intervention, the family is doomed to inevitable extinction.
Prevention measures
Since polypores do not appear as a result of external causes and are not associated with any noticeable manifestations, the only effective method of prevention is regular monitoring of the family’s condition.
To do this, a constant check of the functioning of the uterus and its presence is carried out. If she cannot cope with the activities prescribed to her for some reason, she must be replaced with a fertile healthy individual. This is only possible if the beekeeper makes sure in advance that he has a supply of full-fledged, strong queens.
