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Enemies of the Hive
• First Lessons in Beekeeping
• by Keith S. Delaplane
• Chapter 8
• Honey Bee Disorders, Parasites, Predators
and Nest Invaders
This Powerpoint Presentation prepared by Charles Heatherly
US Honey Bee Losses 2006-2017
Source: American Bee Journal Mar 15
U.S. Honey Bee Losses
• Average Losses 2006-2011 33%
• 2012 30% Estimated losses 2013 > 45%
• 2014 24%
• 2015 42%
• 2016 45%
• 2017 33%
• U.S. 10 year average loss < 33%
Honey Bee Disorders Diseases
Parasites
Nest Invaders
Predators
Pesticides
Incompetent Beekeeper
Integrated Pest Management
• The use of a variety of pest treatments such as
genetic host resistance, cultural practices,
beneficial organisms, and a minimum of toxic
chemicals. As long as pest levels stay below
the treatment or economic threshold,
it is not necessary to use toxic pesticides.
Treatment Threshold
• For a given pest or crop system, the
treatment threshold is the specific
number, - a pest number, density or
level of damage – that is acceptable p 106
Diseases of Brood
American Foulbrood
European Foulbrood
Chalkbrood
Sacbrood
Adult Diseases
Nosema apis
Nosema ceranae
Viruses
Parasitic Mites
Varroa destructor
Tracheal Acarapis woodi
Scavengers
• Wax Moth
• Small Hive Beetle
• (Know how to distinguish between larva)
Wax Moth Damage
Predators
• Bears
• Skunks
• Ants
• Hornets
• Birds
• Mice
American Foulbrood
• Spore forming Bacterium Paenibacillus
• Highly infectious
• Highly destructive
• AFB spores almost indestructible
• No economic threshold
• Zero tolerance
American Foulbrood
Treatment
• Burning the hive and bees is most common
remedy
• NC has fumigation chamber
• See your area bee inspector
• Treatment – Terramycin
• Only suppresses growth of spores,
• no cure - There is no cure
American Foulbrood
Best way to distinguish AFB from EFB - ropy dead larva
American Foulbrood
Irregular brood pattern
European Foulbrood
• Bacterium Melissococcus plutonius
• Symptoms similar to AFB
• Less virulent
Chalkbrood
• Pathogenic fungus Asocophaera apis
• Dead white, chalky “Mummies”
• No treatment except IPM
• Keep hive dry and
well ventilated
• Prevented through
good management
• Hygenic Queens
Sacbrood
• Relatively minor and rare disease
• Caused by virus
• No remedial medication
• Dead larvae are flaccid, watery
• Look like a Chinese
slipper
Adult Diseases
• Nosema apis – most serious
• Single celled protozoan Nosema apis
• Rarely kills but triggers morbities
• Reduced lifespan
• Reduce productivity
• Increased queen supercedure
• Low population
• Sluggish Spring buildup
Nosema apis
• Treatment - antibotic Fumagilin B
• Nosema ceranae
• More of a recent problem in Europe
Viruses
• Kasmir bee virus
• Deformed wing virus
• Symptoms - bees lose body hair,
• Movement is disorganized
• Trembling
• No known treatment
• Cull damaged brood comb
• Requeen
• Control varroa to reduce potential infection
Parasitic Mites
• Varroa destructor
Tracheal Acarapis woodi
Varroa Mites
• Most damaging pest of US honey bee
• Introduced in US in 1987
– First found in NC in 1990
• Visible to human eye
• Cycle begins with female mite in open brood cell, preferably drone
• She lays eggs – one male, several daughters
• They mate, emerge
Varroa Mites
• Effected bees suffer physical injury
• Reduced blood volume
• Reduced longevity
• Reduced productivity
• Typical infection occurs in late season
(Fall)
Hive weakened by varroa succumbs to other pests
Detection of Varroa Mites
• Sticky Sheet
• Powdered Sugar Shake
Treatment of Varroa Mite
• Apistan (fluvinate) –
• Check Mite (coumoflous)
• Api-life var (thymol)
• Formic Acid
• Apivar (Amitraz)
• Oxalic Acid
• Integrated Pest Management
Screened bottom boards
Hygenic Queen
Various Treatments Mites
American Foulbrood Nosema Wax Moths
Also for Small Hive Beetle Oxalic Acid
Oxalic Acid This
Not This!
Oxalic Acid
• An Article by Jennfer Berry
• http://www.beeculture.com/oxalic-acid-
effective-easy-on-bees-but/
• Randy Oliver, Scientific Beekeeping
• http://scientificbeekeeping.com/oxalic-acid-
questions-answers-and-more-questions-part-
1-of-2-parts/
Tracheal Mite Acarapis woodi
• Long history of troubling the honey bee
• Has been around for more than a century
• First detected in NC in 1980
• Honey bee Act of 1922, a response
closed importation for 83 years
Characteristics of Tracheal Mite
• Lives and reproduces in breathing tube
• Young bees are preferred
• Microscopic
• Infestation occurs in late winter
• Or early spring
• 25% infestation is very damaging
Symptoms of Tracheal Mites
• Bees will crawl in grass near hive entrance
• Cannot form an effective winter cluster
• Most common symptom is an empty hive
• K-wing syndrome
Treatment of Tracheal Mite
• Menthol crystals
• Mite – Away II, an absorbent pad with formic
acid -
• Extender patty - vegetable oil and powders
sugar – disrupts mite and is harmless to
environment, or bee keeper
Nest Scavengers
Wax Moth
Small Hive Beetle
Wax Moth Galleria mellonella
• An old foe
• And strangely, a friend, too
• Cleans out abandoned nests, spores rendering
them clean for future use
• Problem occurs when wax
moths take over weak hive
and destroy it
Damage by Wax Moth
Wax Moth
• Female enters hive,
usually at night
• Lays eggs
• Larvae emerge, eat protein litter
• Seeks a protected spot
• Chews cavity in wood
• Spins silken cocoon and pupates
Characteristics of Wax Moth
• Moth activity in living colonies
• Moth activity in stored equipment
• Moths are secondary problem, not a primary
problem
• Moth Problem usually traced to queenless
colony or varroa mites
Treatment for Moths
• Paradichlorobenzene in stored equip.
• Stack stored hives cross ways to allow light
and ventilation (see p 128)
• Requeen
• Control Varroa mites
• Use 9 frames in supers rather than 10
Wax Moth Larva
Compared with SHB Larva
Wax Moth Larva
SHB Larva
Small Hive Beetle
• Most recent pest
• Scavenger
• Not a major threat to strong colony
• Can quickly wipe out a weak colony
• Has become a major problem in SE US
• First found in NC in 1998
Small Hive Beetle
• Adult female lays
• eggs in cavity
• Larvae emerge to eat
• honey, brood, protein litter and grow
• Larval is most damaging stage
• Frames become slimy
• Larvae exits hive to pupate in soil
Small Hive Beetle
• Treatment threshold is 300 beetles according
to Delaplane
• Personally,
I think it is
much less!
Treatment of Small Hive Beetle
• Integrated Pest Management
• Hygenic Bees
• SHB traps
• Hive tool smash
Predators
• Bear
• Skunk
• Ants
• Hornets
• Birds
• Pesticides
• Mice
Non-infectious Disorders
• Queenlessness
• Robbing
• Agricultural Pesticides
• Incompetent Beekeeper
Good, Disease Free Brood Pattern
Thought of an old beekeeper
“We are all born ignorant,
but one must work hard to
remain stupid.” Benjamin Franklin
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