The document discusses examining bee combs to determine the condition of bee colonies. It notes that the brood nest is where signs of trouble are often first found, and outlines functions of combs like reproduction, food storage, and orientation points. It emphasizes the importance of proper comb arrangement and discusses signs that can be read from brood patterns like queen quality, food stores, and diseases. It provides examples of damaged and abnormal combs and explains how combs can serve as disease reservoirs.

1. Examining Combs-
What Do They Tell
You?
Clarence H. Collison
Entomologist
Mississippi State University

2. Why Ever Look In The
Brood Chamber(s)?
Are You One Of Those People
Who Never Go Below The
Queen Excluder; Never Look
At The Brood Nest; Assume
Everything Is Well??

3. Managing The Brood Nest Is Important

4. The Brood Nest
Where the first signs of trouble in
the hive can most often be found!
If you know your brood stuff!

5. Combs Are The Basic Structural Unit Of The Hive

7. Functions Of The Comb
 Reproduction Of The Colony
 Storage Of Nectar And Pollen
 Foundation For Establishing The Winter
Cluster
 Orientation Point For Communicative Dances

16. Adequate Supplies of Drawn
Comb Is A Limiting Factor In
Most Beekeeping Operations

17. Proper Arrangement Of
Combs
 Bee Space 1/4- 3/8 Inches
 Burr Comb

19. Damaged Combs
 Loss Of Brood Area
 Increase In Drone Brood
 Increased Difficulty In Uncapping Honey

22. Why Examine Brood
Patterns?
 Overall Condition Of The Colony
 Presence Or Absence Of A Queen
 Quality Of A Queen
 Availability of Fresh Nectar And Food Stores
 Checking For Bee Diseases/Varroa Mites
 Colony Strength
 Inclination To Swarm
 Population Balance

24. QUEENLESSNESS!
• How to Recognize it?
– First, Look for Lack of Eggs and/or Young
Brood!
– Look for signs of laying workers!
– Look for virgin Queen!
– Listen to the sound of the bees!
– Look at Pollen!
• Is there fresh pollen in the combs?
• Is the pollen old and has a glossy appearance?

27. Quality Of The Queen
 Cannot Determine By Queen’s
Appearance
 Examine The Brood Pattern
Solid Brood Pattern
Spotty Brood Pattern

31. Drone Layer

32. Laying Workers

34. Combs Can Serve As A
Disease Reservoir
 Cappings
 Color Changes In Larvae/Pupae
 Scale
 Mummies

45. American Foulbrood Scales

48. Check For
Varroa Mites

49. Larvae of some sort crawling over the Comb!!!

50. Silk Webs in Tunnels in Combs!!!

51. What’s Wrong with these Bees??

57. When Additional
Honey Supers Are
Needed

59. Population Balance

60. Amount Of Brood
What Is Normal?
Can There Be Too Much?
Can There Be Too Little?

61. Egg Larva Pupa Total
Queen 3 5½ 7½ 16
Worker 3 6 12 21
Drone 3 6½ 14 ½ 24

62. Worker Development
Eggs
Larvae 2x
Pupae 4x

64. How Can You Tell If
The Brood Cycle Has
Been Broken?

65. Once A Queen Has Laid For 3
Weeks Uninterrupted, The Healthy
Hive Should Have:
Brood Of All Stages/Ages
12-15% Eggs
30-35 % Uncapped (Larvae)
50-60% Capped (Pupae)
Any Deviation From This Indicates A Break
In The Brood Cycle/Pattern

66. What Causes A Disruption
Of The Brood Cycle?
Anything That Causes The
Queen To Stop Laying Or
That Destroys The Brood

67. Break In Brood Rearing Cycle
 PesticideKill Or Sudden Die-Off
Of Adult Workers
 Death Of A Queen
 Lack Of Nectar Flow Or Food
Stores
 Diseases And Parasitic Mites
 Weather

68. What’s Wrong Here??

69. Hatched Queen Cell
Scattered Pollen In Cells
What Might This Situation Indicate?

70. Emergency
Supersedure
Swarming

74. What Should You Do
Upon Finding A Large
Drone Population?

75. Prosperity!
Doom!

76. How Many Pounds Of Honey?