Bee Health & Troubleshooting – Full Guide to Hive Problems | Little Larue Apiary
⭐ BEE HEALTH & TROUBLESHOOTING — FULL GUIDE (ONE PAGE)
🐝 Bee Health & Troubleshooting
Your go-to guide for keeping strong, healthy colonies all year long.
🔍 Early Warning Signs of a Sick Hive (FULL GUIDE)
Not every hive crash starts big — most problems start small. Here’s what to watch for:
🚪 Reduced or strange entrance activity
• Hardly any bees coming/going during daylight
• Bees circling like they’re confused
• Bees “drifting” to other hives
🐜 Bees crawling instead of flying
This often indicates:
• Varroa mite damage
• Deformed Wing Virus
• Pesticide exposure
👃 Strange odors
• “Gym socks” smell = chalkbrood
• “Rotting meat” smell = AFB (VERY SERIOUS)
• Strong vinegar/slime smell = small hive beetle slime-out
If you smell something off, investigate immediately.
🐝 Bees acting drunk, twitchy, or shaking
Possible causes:
• Pesticide exposure
• Heat stress
• Varroa overload
📉 Sudden population drop
Often caused by:
• Queen failure
• Heavy mite load
• Starvation
• Robbing
🔥 Brood pattern warnings
• Spotty brood pattern
• Irregular “shotgun” pattern
• Mixed ages of larvae
• Empty cells between brood
Healthy queens lay tight, even brood.
👑 Queen-related problems
• No eggs or young larvae
• Only drone brood
• Colony louder than normal
• Bees seem restless or agitated
🔥 Major Hive Issues You MUST Know
These are the problems that kill colonies the fastest. Learn the signs early and you’ll save most hives beginners lose.
🕷 VARROA MITES (THE #1 KILLER OF BEES)
Varroa mites spread viruses that destroy colonies. Every beekeeper must monitor and treat mites regularly — no exceptions.
🕵️♂️ Signs of Varroa
• Deformed wings
• Crawling bees that cannot fly
• Spotty or weak brood pattern
• Sudden population crash
• Mites visible on bees or drone brood
🧪 How to Test for Varroa
• Sugar roll test (quick, harmless)
• Alcohol wash (most accurate)
• Cutting drone brood to check mite levels
🚨 Virus problems caused by Varroa
• Deformed Wing Virus
• Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus
• Shorter bee lifespan
• Sudden colony collapse
🚑 Emergency Varroa Treatments
• Oxalic acid (vaporization or drip)
• Apivar (when brood is present)
• Formic Pro (strong but effective)
• HopGuard (natural option)
🪲 SMALL HIVE BEETLES (SHB)
Signs of beetle trouble
• Slimy, fermented frames
• Larvae tunneling through comb
• Strong vinegar smell
• Bees clustering away from certain boxes
Quick actions
• Add beetle traps
• Reduce excess space in hive
• Remove slime-out frames immediately
🐛 WAX MOTHS
Signs of wax moth infestation
• Webbing throughout frames
• Tunnels chewed inside comb
• Dark pellets (frass) everywhere
Wax moths usually only take over weak colonies.
🍯 STARVATION (COMMON KILLER)
Starvation symptoms
• Bees with heads stuck inside cells
• Little to no stored nectar
• Queen slowing down brood production
If you see these signs — FEED ASAP.
🌡 HEAT STRESS
Heat issues show up as:
• Heavy bearding outside the hive
• Moisture buildup inside lid
• Hot, overheated brood box
• Larvae dying from temperature spikes
Provide shade and ventilation immediately.
🧊 COLD STRESS
Cold-related hive problems
• Dead cluster still holding brood
• Moisture dripping inside hive
• Bees unable to break cluster to reach food
Winter preparation prevents this.
👑 QUEENLESS HIVES
Signs your hive has lost its queen
• Loud, constant “queenless roar”
• Emergency queen cells
• Spotty or no brood
• No fresh eggs
A hive without a queen collapses quickly — act immediately.
⚔️ ROBBING BEHAVIOR
Signs of robbing
• Bees fighting at the entrance
• Torn/wrecked wax cappings
• Honey disappearing fast
• Aggressive, darting bees
What to do
• Install robbing screens
• Close entrances
•Cover syrup feeders
🏚 HIVE STRUCTURE PROBLEMS
Common structural issues
• Too much empty space → pests move in
• Leaky lids → moisture kills colonies
• Broken boxes → drafts and heat loss
Fix structural problems quickly to prevent bigger issues.
🛠 QUICK TROUBLESHOOTING CHECKLIST
When a hive looks “off,” check this list:
✓ Entrance activity normal?
✓ Any strange odors?
✓ Brood tight and even?
✓ Bees flying normally?
✓ Queen presence confirmed?
✓ No slime, beetles, or webbing?
✓ Adequate food stores?
✓ Mite levels tested recently?