Bee brood: what it looks like and varieties, diseases and prevention

The brood of bees is called the offspring represented by eggs, larvae and pupae. They have not yet had time to hatch and become full members of the bee family. Beekeepers distinguish a large number of varieties of brood, each of which has certain characteristics. Therefore, a novice beekeeper can easily get confused in these terms. To understand this issue, you should study the characteristics of each of the species.

What is brood in bees

This term refers to the totality of the offspring of bees, which has not yet become a full-fledged member of the family.This group includes eggs, pupae and larvae. In appearance, bee brood looks like wax cells with bee babies at various stages of growth. Depending on the stages, it can be open and closed.

Varieties

Beekeepers know a large number of varieties of brood, each of which has certain characteristics.

One day

One-day called bee brood, in which the bee is at the initial stage of formation - in the structure of the egg. It is very important for getting a uterus.

To achieve an equal age of the larvae, it is necessary to install honeycombs in the central part of the bee nest, from which a generation of bees has already emerged. They need to be examined every day until it is clear when the uterus will bring offspring. After 4 days after laying eggs, the age of older larvae will be approximately 1 day.They are required to be used to remove the uterus.

Open

If the structure of the brood consists exclusively of eggs, it is called seeding. If it includes exclusively larvae, then it is called a worm. Open brood contains eggs and larvae. It got its name because the cells of the honeycomb are not sealed with wax.

This brood is considered the most vulnerable. Seeding and worms often suffer from pathologies, which is why it is so important to carefully monitor their condition. This will enable timely action to be taken.

Printed

The brood is called closed or printed if the cells from the combs are covered with wax. An adult bee develops inside. First, the insect develops eyes, limbs and wings, after which it acquires a darker shade.It is this sign that indicates that the individual will hatch soon. For the normal formation of insects in sealed cells, a temperature of at least +35 degrees is required.

Early

This type of brood is a feature of only some breeds. In such a situation, individuals are formed much faster. Such brood is typical for bees that live in warm areas. In cold regions, the hives need to be taken out of the winter quarters early - this will help speed up the development of the brood. It is also permissible to use special feed formulations to activate the uterus.

Late

The late brood needs special conditions. Otherwise, the probability of his death is high. Precautions include the following:

• use only young queens;
• warming hives before wintering;
• supply bees with enough food and cells.

Precautions are required if the queen herself begins to prepare for late brood. It is not worth creating such a situation artificially.

Drone

All drones are male. They are born from eggs that have not been fertilized. The full formation of such individuals takes about 24 days. Cells in which drones grow are sealed with larger caps.

Beekeepers often cut such brood from frames. This is required to reduce the number of males in the apiary.

Diseases of brood and how to treat it

With improper care, a bee swarm can suffer from various pathologies. The most common types of pathological broods include:

1. Saccular is a viral infection that affects three-day-old larvae. The virus enters the hives from wild bees and pests or spreads through contaminated tools. The signs include clouding of the shade of the children and their gradual darkening, which begins with the head. Subsequently, the larvae completely blacken and dry. In this case, the infected babies are destroyed along with the combs, and the queen is removed from the bee colony for a week.
2. Lime - this infectious disease is also called ascospherosis. It is provoked by mold spores. During the development of pathology, the body of bee babies becomes covered with mold and becomes shiny. It also acquires a dirty white color and hardens. Then the fungus infects all honeycombs and mummifies the larvae. If symptoms of the disease are detected, cells must be sent to the laboratory.For treatment, drugs based on nystatin and griseofulvin are used.
3. Stone - also called aspergillosis. This infection affects not only children, but also adults. It is provoked by mold fungi - black and yellow. When the honeycomb is infected, the larvae and bees become moldy. It is necessary to treat the disease in the same way as ascospherosis.

Besides this, the bees suffer from lattice and humpback brood. They do not refer to diseases, but to violations of the vital activity of individual hives. This is quite manageable with the right approach.

The appearance of lattice brood is associated with a number of factors. However, the most common cause is considered to be the presence of an old or diseased uterus, which does not sow honeycombs so densely with eggs.This entails an uneven arrangement of empty cells. Changing the uterus to a younger one will help solve the problem.

Humpback brood occurs due to the death or severe weakening of the uterus. This leads to the fact that ordinary bees begin to absorb her food and can soon reproduce offspring. However, differences in the genitals lead to the appearance of only male individuals.

Prevention measures

To avoid the development of diseases, it is worth taking the following measures:

• feed the bees properly;
• ensure high quality feed;
• eliminate weak bee colonies;
• replace weakened and painful queens;
• change water and food in time;
• maintain normal temperature and humidity parameters in the hive;
• remelting old honeycomb and wax;
• clean beehives;
• carry out preventive treatments.

Proper development of the brood is very important for the full formation of the bee colony. Therefore, beekeepers need to be attentive to this issue and deal with the treatment and prevention of diseases in time.

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