Fighting on the landing board, dead bees, frantic traffic at a weak hive. Robbing. How to recognize it, the fastest ways to shut it down, and why the hive being robbed is probably handing its mites to every colony you own.
No eggs, a loud roar, cranky bees. Maybe queenless. Maybe not. The signs, the timeline, the test frame that settles it, how to fix laying workers, and the mite collapse that gets misdiagnosed as a bad queen every fall.
Neither one is a death sentence, and neither one has a magic cure. EFB and chalkbrood show up when a colony is stressed. Here is how to tell them apart from each other (and from AFB), and how to remove the stress.
American Foulbrood: Signs, the Ropiness Test, and What to Do (Including the New Vaccine)
Sunken greasy cappings, a foul smell, and larvae that rope out an inch on a matchstick. American foulbrood is the one disease you cannot manage your way out of. How to confirm it, what the law says, and what the new vaccine does and doesn't do.
Wax Moths in Beehives: Identification, Life Cycle, and How to Protect Your Comb
Webbing, tunnels and frass across your comb. Wax moths didn't kill the colony; they moved in after something else did. How to identify them, protect stored comb, and fix the real cause.
How to Do a Mite Wash: The 5-Minute Test That Saves Colonies
Half a cup of nurse bees, 60 seconds of shaking, one number that tells you whether to treat. The alcohol wash step by step, with thresholds by season.
Why Did My Bees Abscond? How to Tell If They Left or If Mites Killed Them
An empty hive with no pile of dead bees looks like they left. Usually they didn't. How to tell true absconding from a varroa collapse, and what to do next.
Varroa Mites on Bees: What They Look Like, How They Live, and the Signs You'll Miss
A reddish-brown dot the size of a pinhead, hiding where you can't see it. What varroa mites look like, how their life cycle works, and why the only early warning is a wash.
Deformed Wing Virus in Honey Bees: What It Is, What Causes It, and How to Stop It
Bees with crumpled wings are the most visible sign of varroa. Here's what deformed wing virus is, why it's really a mite problem, what the newest research says, and the steps that stop it.