A Trap to Quantitatively Recover Dead and Abnormal Honey Bees from the Hive

Abstract

A device is described which efficiently traps dead and abnormal honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) from the hive under field conditions. The device is designed to utilize normal housecleaning activities of bees to automatically collect dead and abnormal bees in glass jars which may be removed at desired intervals for tabulation of data. Almost 100% of queens and drones are recovered while approximately 80% to 90% of worker bees are recovered. Data are given which establish the normal range of mortality in populous colonies. New methods for intrahive testing of insecticide toxicity to honey bees and evaluation of adult bee diseases are made possible by the use of the trap.