Sustainable Beekeeping

1. Sustainable Beekeeping Presenter: Bill Theiss Tuesday/Thursday 6 - 8 PM (October 1,3,8,10) Gypsy Hill Park

2. Syllabus • Tuesday, October 8 • Honeybee disease identification, prevention & treatment • Most common bacterial, viral, and fungal diseases • Predators • Pests • Pesticides • Poisons • Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

3. Honey Bee Diseases • Bacterial • Fungal • Protozoan • Viral • Parasitic • Pest • Environmental

4. Honey Bee Diseases • Bacterial Brood Diseases • American Foulbrood (AFB) • Paenibacillus larvae • Characteristic foul odor • Pin hole in capped cells • Spores viable for 40 years • Treatment options • Burn hive including bees • Tetramycin (will not kill spores) • Shaking method • Quarantine bees in dark 3 days • Relocate bees to new hive

5. Honey Bee Diseases • Bacterial Brood Diseases • European Foulbrood (EFB) • Melissococcus plutonius • No spores like AFB but bacteria can overwinter on comb • Affects mostly young larvae, so cells are rarely capped • Scales are soft and remove easily • Dead curled brown or yellow larvae (rubbery) • Treatment options • Tetracycline • Reduce stress • Replace frames containing significant infection • Re-queening

6. Honey Bee Diseases • Fungal Diseases • Chalkbrood • Ascosphaera apis • White chalky larvae that look like mummies • Spread mostly by beekeepers • Occurs during spring buildup • Treatment • Increase hive ventilation • Remove infected brood • Reduce hive size • Re-queen with hygenic queens • No chemical control available

7. Honey Bee Diseases • Fungal Diseases • Stonebrood • Aspergillus flavus • Rare • Mummified hard black larvae • Treatment • Increase hive ventilation • Reduce hive stress

8. Honey Bee Diseases • Protozoan Diseases • NosemaApis • Spore formers • Diagnosis • Swollen shiny abdomen • Yellow spotting on landing board and in hive • Treatment • Fumagillin (Fumadil-B) • Reduce stress • Replace old combs • NosemaCeranae • No recognizable signs of infection • No treatment known

9. Honey Bee Diseases • Viral Diseases • SacBrood Virus (SBV) • Larvae change from white to grey to black • No odor • Removed larvae appear as a sack of liquid • Cells are not capped • Acute Bee Paralysis Virus (ABPV) • KashmirBee Virus (KBV) • Israel Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) • Black Queen Cell Virus (BQCV) • Queen larvae turn black and die • Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) • Invertebrate Iridescent Virus (IIV) • Likely agent of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) when bees are also infected with Nosemaceranae. • This newly discovered IIV virus prefers damp conditions at 70 F. Above 86 F, virus does not replicate. Varroa may be a vector. • IIV-24 strain is commonly found in Apisceranae, the Asian honeybee.

10. Honey Bee Diseases • Environmental Diseases • Dysentery • Inspect water source • Chilled brood • Avoid chilling brood frames during hive inspection • Shaken brood • Handle frames gently • Maintain queen cells in their original orientation • Moisture • Ensure adequate ventilation to avoid condensation • Prevent rain from entering hive • Setup hive above ground

11. Honey Bee Diseases • Parasites • Varroa Destructor • Diagnosis • Count mite drop in 24 hour period on bottom board below screen • Chemical treatment not recommended for < 12 mites in Feb or < 100 in August per 24 hour period • Treatment • Apistan/Checkmite • Screened bottom boards • Powered sugar • Drone comb

12. Honey Bee Diseases • Parasites • Varroa Destructor on drone pupa and worker

13. Honey Bee Diseases • Parasites • Acarine (Trachael) Mites • Acarapis woodi • Diagnosis • Disjointed clumps of bees on comb • Bees walking in grass unable to fly • Empty hive • Only adults are affected • Dissection • Treatment • Grease patties (1 part shortening to 4 parts powdered sugar) • Methanol crystals • Mite-Away formic acid

14. Honey Bee Pests • Parasites • Small Hive Beetle (Arthina tumida) • Larvae slime frames • Diagnosis • Smaller larva than wax moth • Don’t spin silk webs • Start infestation at frame periphery • Control • Chickens in apiary • Diatomaceous earth • Cooking oil bottom board traps • Genetic resistance

15. Honey Bee Pests • Parasites • Wax Moth • Larva feed on wax and protein from brood cell cleanings • Infestation is often a result of another problem • Diagnosis • Trails of silk through comb caused by burrowing larva • Control & Prevention • Maintain strong hives • Store frames exposed to air and daylight • Avoid rapid hive expansion • Freezing infected frames • Bacillus thuringgiensis (Bt)

16. Honey Bee Pests • Bears • Electric fence • Skunks, raccoons, mice • Cover entrance with ½” wire mesh screen • Sharp objects near entrance • Raise hive higher off ground • Wasps & Hornets • Reduce entrance • Relocate hive • Ants • Sprinkle corn meal around hive. Safe for bees and causes ants to explode when they take it back to the colony to consume. • Humans • Practice theft avoidance. Avoid placing hive in sight of road traffic

17. Poisonous Flowers for Humans • Nectar toxic to humans; not bees • Bog-rosemary (Andromeda sp.) • lowers blood pressure, respiratory problems, dizziness, vomiting and diarrhea • Mountain Laurel (Kalmia sp.) • Poisoning produces anorexia, repeated swallowing, profuse salivation, depression, uncoordination, vomiting, frequent defecation, watering of the eyes, irregular or difficulty breathing, weakness, cardiac distress, convulsions, coma, and eventually death in Virginia

18. Pesticides and Honey Bees • Relatively non-toxic pesticides for honey bees • Temik • Pirimicarb • Coumaphos (Checkmite) • Trichlorphon • Dicophol • Petroleum Oils • 2,4 D Herbicide • Consider all other pesticides toxic unless tested

19. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) IPM: To significantly reduce or eliminate the use of pesticides while at the same time managing pest populations at an acceptable level. IPM is performed in three stages: • Prevention • Observation • Intervention

20. IPM Examples • Screened bottom boards for Varroa trapping and monitoring • Powdered sugar dusting to control Varroa • Drone comb freezing method of Varroa control • Chickens in apiary to control small hive beetle • Proper location and orientation of hives • Provide clean and consistently available water source • Hive entrance reduction when appropriate • Frame/Comb replacement schedule • Clean/sterilized tools and equipment • Proper storage of frames and combs • Use of physical barriers, traps and deterrents • Maximize distance between hives when possible or practical • Genetic resistance and selection • Locating hives out of sight from road traffic • Hives raised off ground • Vented cover for increased hive ventilation • Feed sugar water and pollen patties when appropriate to reduce stress • Use enclosed feeders to reduce robbing

21. Questions?