LavenderSophie · Provence, FR · Pests & Disease · Oct 2, 2026

Black, shiny, hairless bees trembling at the entrance — chronic bee paralysis virus, or just robbing damage?

Eight years in Provence and this is a first for me. One of my eight colonies — one of the strongest, three deep boxes of bees — has, over the last week, started producing shiny black hairless bees. Dozens on the landing board, trembling, some with wings held out at odd angles, unable to fly, crawling up grass stems in front of the hive. The guards seem to treat them as strangers and hustle them off the board. There is a growing pile of dead in front each morning. The other seven are fine. August washes were 2 per 300 on this colony, so I don't think it's a varroa-virus picture. My first thought was chronic bee paralysis, but I also know that robbing fights leave bees hairless and black, and the wasps are relentless right now. How do I tell CBPV from robbing damage with confidence? And if it is CBPV, given there's no treatment, what actually helps — requeening, thinning the colony, cleaning the front? Does it burn out on its own?

#cbpv#paralysis-virus#hairless-bees#diagnosis

▲ 1 votes 💬 1 replies

1 reply

muglabalci · Oct 2, 2026

This sounds like paralysis virus, not robbing. Robbed or robbing bees lose hair from fighting but walk and fly normally and do not tremble. CBPV bees shake, have bloated abdomens, crawl and cannot fly, and their own guards evict them because they smell wrong — exactly what you describe. It shows up in strong, crowded colonies, often after weather that keeps them confined. What helps: clear the dead from in front every morning, since it spreads through faeces and contact between bees with broken hairs; give them space; requeen from other stock in spring.

Join 12,000+ beekeepers logging hives, asking questions, and mapping forage.

Get the Beekeeping Community app

Black, shiny, hairless bees trembling at the entrance — chronic bee paralysis virus, or just robbing damage?

How do I know the colony is truly broodless before an oxalic treatment — cluster check, tray debris, or the calendar?

Found a mouse nest under the frames already in September — what do I do with the chewed comb and the nest?

What mite count is actually acceptable going into winter — is 3 per 300 in late September good enough, or is 5 too many?

European hornets (Vespa crabro) picking bees off my hive entrances — real threat, or leave them alone?

K-wing bees at the entrance — are tracheal mites still a thing, and how would I even check?

Bees with deformed wings crawling in the grass in front of the hive in late September — too late to save them?