Advanced Beeginners - Bee diseases

Beekeeping in your 2nd Year

© É R I C T O U R N E R E T

Session 1 - Basic Bee Husbandry1Thursday, 28 February 13

How doth the little busy beeImprove each shining hourAnd gather honey all the dayFrom every opening flower!Issac Watts

Session 1 - Basic Bee Husbandry1Thursday, 28 February 13

How doth the little busy beeImprove each shining hourAnd gather honey all the dayFrom every opening flower!Issac Watts

Our ObjectiveTo turn you from someone who has bees into a Bee-keeper.

Re-enforce key skills and knowledge

Cover more advanced subjects

Prepare you for the BBKA Basic Assessment

2Thursday, 28 February 13

Novice Beekeeping AgendaWeek 1

Basic Bee Husbandry & IPM

Week 2

Swarm Management & Collection

Week 3

Queen Rearing for Beeginners


Basic Bee Husbandry


The Rule of 3Eggs take 3 days from laying to hatching

5Thursday, 28 February 13These are details that every beekeeper should know by heart - When inspecting brood in a hive, the beekeeper should be able to judge not only what is happening now, but what will happen over the next few days.


Worker larvae take 6 days to pupate

Drone +1 days

Queen – 1 days




Drone +1 days

Queen – 1 days

Sealed worker brood takes 12 days to hatch

Drone +2 days

Queen -4 days




Drone +1 days

Queen – 1 days


Drone +2 days

Queen -4 days

Workers live 3 weeks in Hive and 3 weeks foraging (in summer)




Drone +1 days

Queen – 1 days


Drone +2 days

Queen -4 days


Workers live 6 months (in winter)




Drone +1 days

Queen – 1 days


Drone +2 days

Queen -4 days



Queens live ~3 years




Drone +1 days

Queen – 1 days


Drone +2 days

Queen -4 days



Queens live ~3 years

Drones live ~3 months


Larval Development

6Thursday, 28 February 13This is probably the most important slide in the entire course - Understanding the timescales of larval development goes a long way to making you a competent beekeeper.

All eggs are laid vertically in the cell on day one. By day 3-4 to egg will be on it’s side and will hatch into a larva.

Worker Bees - Fed royal jelly from hatching for three days and then fed bee bread until day 9 when it is sealed in its cell until it emerges on Day 21.

Drone Bees - Fed royal jelly from hatching for three days and then fed bee bread until day 10 and then sealed in its cell until it emerges on day 24.

Queen Bees - Fed on royal jelly until day 8 when sealed in their cell until emerging on day 16.

Reading Combs - Your key skill!This is the most important skill for any beekeeper

7Thursday, 28 February 13At each inspection, you need to understand the state of the brood comb and any changes or developments from the last visit. You first need to understand what a “normal” comb looks like at through the year so that you can pick up on any differences.


Looking at brood comb and the bees on it, tells you exactly what is going on inside the hive




Is the queen present?(even if you can’t find her)





Are the bees healthy? Any diseases present?






Are there enough stores? Should I harvest?







Is there enough space currently in the hive?








Will they swarm soon?









Are they trying to replace the Queen? (supercedure)










How bad are the current varroa levels?










How bad are the current varroa levels?

Any other pests getting inside the hive? (wasps, wax moth etc)


Healthy CombUniform cells on nice, clean wax

Sealed brood, arranged in an oval in centre of comb

Also some “C” shaped, pearly white larvae in cells

Honey and pollen may be stored around the outside of frame

8Thursday, 28 February 13This is good and near perfect clean comb, probably less than a year old. Comb like this is the ideal and gradually darkens as the cells are reused over and over again to raise generations of bees. Brood comb should be regularly changed every 2-3 years to keep the colony healthy and as free from disease as possible.

Bee Diseases & Pests

Clean bee suits and other clothing

Clean gloves

Clean hive tools etc between colonies

Clean & well ventilated hives

Replace brood comb regularly

Disease is caused by pathogens and stress!!

Not so Good!

Good

9Thursday, 28 February 13You as the beekeeper could easily become the vector for any pest or disease moving from one hive to another. You need to be clean and so does your equipment. You should clean your hive-tool between hives and certainly between apiaries. You should also either have vinyl/nitrile gloves that you can dispose of after each visit, or marigold/rubber gloves that can be washed once your work is complete in that apiary. Bare hands should be cleaned used an alcohol hand wash.

Main Bee PathogensViruses

Bacterial diseases

Fungal diseases

Protozoa

Parasitic Mites

Pests and Predators

Other Colony Abnormalities

What's New - Exotic Pests

10Thursday, 28 February 13The diseases and pests are listed in size order from the smallest (the virus) to the largest ( the predators)

It is important you remember that to some extent, it’s bees normal behaviour which spreads the disease. They are constantly passing food from mouth to mouth, cleaning out cells (with their mouths), and feeding the young. The adult bees rob other colonies, and drifting workers and drones from other colonies are allowed into the hive. This gives many of the diseases and parasites an ideal opportunity to multiply and spread.

VirusesVirus infections are difficult to detect and impossible to treat.

Often associated with other problems – particularly parasitic mites (Varroa).

Chronic bee paralysis virus

Acute bee paralysis virus

Kashmir bee virus

Black queen cell virus

Deformed wing virus

Sacbrood

11Thursday, 28 February 13Virus infections are difficult to detect and impossible to treat, but they are of great importance to us all, as they are often associated with other problems – particularly parasitic mites.

CBPV. Most commonly associated with Acarine. It does have two forms, so there may in fact be two sorts! The adult bees can be seen trembling, or partial paralysis resulting in crawling and with limited flight capacity. They may have bloated abdomens or appear dark and shiny with no body hair. They are sometimes seen with dislocated wings (the so called K wing).

ABPV. This is more virulent than CBPV and spreads apparently by salivary gland secretions. It is possibly the major cause of colony death for colonies affected by Varroa. Once in the blood of the bee death occurs with 3 to 5 days.

KASHMIR BEE VIRUS. Hopefully we do not have this virus in UK although this may well change with the importation of bees and queens from other countries. It appears to be associated with Nosema and EFB.

BLACK QUEEN CELL VIRUS. This affects the developing queen pupae in the capped stage. Initially the pupae are pale yellow and have a tough skin, similar to sacbrood. The infected pupae rapidly darken following death and eventually the walls of the queen cell become dark brown to black in colour. This disease seems to be associated with Nosema and also with Varroa.

DEFORMED WING VIRUS. This affects pupae in the white eyed stage of development, and the bees hatch with poorly developed or deformed wings. It is common with high levels of varroa infestations.

SACBROOD. This is uncommon, but does occur. The larvae are affected, and they have a sack like appearance, often referred to as “Chinese Slipper”. The initial spread of sacbrood within a colony occurs when nurse bees become contaminated while removing larvae killed by the virus from their cells. The virus particles are ingested by the nurse bees and the virus collects in the hypopharngial glands (the brood food glands) and is then fed to the 1 to 2 day old larvae. There is no chemical cure for a virus, but the prevalence of the disease may be genetic, and good management can alleviate the problem. Varroa may also be a vector of the virus.

Bacterial DiseasesAmerican Foul Brood (paenibacilus larvae larvae)

Affects sealed brood

Sunken, dark, wet looking cappings

Perforated cappings

Roping of cell contents

Scales

Smell ! Pepperbox brood

Larvae die of toxaemia

European Foul Brood (melissococus pluton)

Affects unsealed brood

Yellow or brownish discoloured larvae

Larvae lie in unnatural positions in the cells

“Melted” appearance

White gut may be seen

Smell ! Pepperbox brood

Larvae die of starvation

12Thursday, 28 February 13The main difference between AFB and EFB is that EFB affects the unsealed brood. In EFB the bacterium multiply in the mid gut and the larvae die of starvation prior to the cell being sealed. The bees are easily able to remove the dead larvae and in its early stages the disease remains undetected.

EFB USED TO BE TREATED BY THE SBI WITH THE ANTIBIOTIC – TERRAMYCIN. THE PREFERRED TREATMENT IS NOW “SHOOK SWARM”

In AFB the bacterium is ingested by the larvae and multiplies in the gut prior to invading the body. The developing pupae then dies from septicaemia (blood poisoning). Death occurs after the cell is sealed and the contents rot. It turns a brown colour and eventually deteriorates to a dark brown or black scale. This scale is the remains of the immature bee and contains 5 to 10 million spores. The house cleaning bees will attempt to remove the scales and will become infected and pass the disease on to more larvae. Collapsing colonies may be robbed, particularly at the end of the season, by other colonies, thus spreading the disease.The classic test for AFB is the ROPE TEST.

THERE IS NO TREATMENT IN UK FOR AFB EXCEPT DESTRUCTION.

American Foul Brood

Note: Scales on inside of cells


American Foul Brood

Note: Sunken or chewed cappings


American Foul Brood

AFB “Roping” Test


Treatment for AFBTHERE IS NO TREATMENT!

Brood and frames must be destroyed, typically by burning

Sterilise brood box and supers with flame or chemical treatment

Must notify local Bee Inspector who will visit to confirm diagnosis and destruction

Can then claim on BBKA insurance


European Foul Brood

Note: Discoloured and “melted” dead larvae.

17Thursday, 28 February 13In EFB the bacterium multiply in the mid gut and the larvae die of starvation prior to the cell being sealed. The bees are easily able to remove the dead larvae and in its early stages the disease remains undetected.

EFB USED TO BE TREATED BY THE SBI WITH THE ANTIBIOTIC – TERRAMYCIN. THE PREFERRED TREATMENT IS NOW “SHOOK SWARM”

Treatment for EFBOnly treatment is a shook swarm

Use new foundation in a clean hive or Nuc

Old comb and brood must be destroyed

Flame/sterilise old hive

Must notify local Bee Inspector who will visit to confirm diagnosis

Can claim on BBKA insurance

18Thursday, 28 February 13Again, we have a few test kits within the association that can be used to test for EFB. When in doubt please contact either your mentor or a tutor to check out your bees. You can also contact the Seasonal Bee Inspector directly if you want to. EFB is quite common throughout Southern England and tends to appear when the colony is under stress for some other reason.

Lets have a break...


Fungal DiseasesChalkbrood –(ascophaera apis)

Larvae appear “mummified”

Is stress related and is noted when the following conditions occur :-

Cool wet weather with poor forage

Weak colonies

Poor management

Control:- re-queen, use varroa floor , conduct a shook swarm

20Thursday, 28 February 13Chalkbrood is endemic, and will be seen to a greater or lesser extent in most colonies. It is believed that the infection is from the ingestion of spores. The larvae become mummified with fluffy white or grey colour (the darker colouration, which is sometimes black, is caused by a secondary black spore forming body on the surface of the mummy).

Studies would indicate that this is stress related and is particularly noticeable in cool wet weather when there is poor forage conditions. It is more often associated with small colonies (Nucs). It may be alleviated by increased ventilation, as it appears to be dependent on relative humidity and CO2 levels in the hive; so open mesh floors will help!

Control. The books say re-queen with a more vigorous strain. It is also suggested that colonies treated with thymol are less susceptible. Treatment with “shook swarm” may also be an effective treatment.

NosemaNosema Apis & Nosema Cerana

Invades gut of adult bee

Creates dysentery

Large amount of bee “poo” appears on frames and on outside of hive

Tends to happen in spring

Diagnosis - 30 bees crushed - examine under x400 microscope

Treatment: Shook swarm or comb change

21Thursday, 28 February 13Nosema is an infestation of the protozoa nosema apis.

The protozoa is ingested by the adult bee where the spore germinate in the ventriculus (mid gut). They form long tube or polar filaments which penetrate the gut lining (or epithium) and subsequently grow and multiply. The organism completing its growth releases spores which are subsequently void with the faeces. The bee normally defecates outside the hive, and thus the disease does not take over the colony. Often affected colonies will recover during summer. Should the infection occur with Dysentery during the winter, then infected faeces will be left inside the hive and the bees will re-infect whilst trying to clean the hive.

The bees that have nosema are unable to properly digest their food and thus have shortened life spans. Also due to their under nourishment they are unable to produce brood food. An infected colony will show slow build up in the Spring (or possibly suffer population decrease).

Firm diagnosis is by microscopic examination using a 400 times magnification, we have these type of microscopes available within the association and occasionally run courses

Amoeba is caused by Malpighamoeba Mellifera.Its life cycle is not dissimilar to the Nosema, except that it affects the malphigian tubuals (the bees equivalent to our kidneys). There are no clear symptoms and no treatment.Diagnosis is as for Nosema.

AcarineMite - Acarapis woodii

Infests 1st thoracic trachea and breeds there

blocks with debris

Mites move to young bees

Associated with viruses

Diagnosis - Take single bees, remove head and examine thorax under x40 microscope

Look for darkened trachea

Possible treatment with thymol

Infected Trachea Clear Trachea

Aorta

22Thursday, 28 February 13Acarine is quite uncommon and seems to be kept in check by the greater use of Thymol and other Varroa treatments that seem to also inhibit the Acarine mite. It can only be diagnosed with a suitable microscope using one bee at a time and is therefore difficult to identify in a particular colony.

Enemy No 1!Varroa (Varroa Destructor)

Signs:-

Mites visible on bees, larvae and floor debris

Deformed bees (particularly deformed wings)

May be largely responsible for Colony Collapse Disorder in USA

Treatment: Apiguard etc in Autumn, and Oxalic Acid in winter

Also open-mesh floors and drone brood culling


Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Open mesh floors

Queen trapping

Drone brood removal

Icing sugar

ApiGuard etc

Oxalic Acid

OMF Drone Dust Api Oxalic Kramer guar acid plate

Feb

March

April

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Varroa can’t be eliminated so IPM controls numbers



Monitor Mite LevelsNeed to try to keep mite pop <1000

Use hive tray to measure daily mite drop

A bad infestation needs treatment ASAP

MonthCritical daily mite drop

(N)Number of mites in

colony

Winter / Spring ~ 0.5 N x 400

May / June / July ~ 10 N x 50

August / September ~ 25 N x 40

26Thursday, 28 February 13Place the tray under the hive (most hive floors have special slots for the purpose) and cover in a thin coat of vaseline so that any dropped mites stick where they fall.

TreatmentDecember / January

Treat bees with oxalic acid and feed candy

August / September

Treat with two doses of Apiguard etc


Prevention is Better...You never see photos of disease on clean comb...

Replace it every 3 years

Mark frames with date

Don’t move comb between hives

Use disposable gloves

Initially place vinyl/latex over leather gloves. Use nitrile or double latex gloves later

Sterilise your hive tools with blow torch between hives

Dispose of hive detritus away from the apiary


Statutory Requirements

AFB and EFB are notifiable diseases. You MUST inform the local Bee Inspector

Bee Inspectors have the right to enter property and inspect bees

The Regional Bee Inspector is;

Nigel Semmence: 01264 338694

email: [email protected]

He is supported by a team of local Seasonal Inspectors

Register your hives on BeeBase

https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/beebase/index.cfm


mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]





Links for more informationhttp://www.mbbka.org.uk/Varroa-Control.html

http://www.bbka.org.uk/learn/general_information/pests__diseases







http://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/features/plants-for-bees/




Summary

Reading comb will quickly tell you the state of your colonies

Good hygiene can prevent almost all diseases

Replace comb after 2-3 years

Clean tools and replace gloves as you move from hive to hive

Keep your hives and the apiary area clean and tidy

If in doubt of AFB or EFB, call your mentor or the local Bee Inspector


Documents

Advanced Beeginners - Bee diseases