Keeping
Healthy Bees
The goal at Mann Lake is to help the
beekeeper. We are on the forefront of research
and development in the beekeeping industry; our information
is backed up by scientific and field research in real
hives just like yours. It can be detrimental to a beekeeper
and the hive to use illegal treatments. These
treatments have not been thoroughly tested for effectiveness
and safety and have not been assigned a proper application
to prevent resistance to or death from that product. Mann
Lake Ltd. only recommends treatments that have been
approved by the EPA, for your safety as well as the
bees.
European
Foulbrood:
* Larvae die in a coiled, twisted, or irregular
position in their
cells. Cells are usually uncapped.
* Larvae color may change from light cream
to grayish
brown, darkening as the dead larvae dry
up.
* Sour odor may be present.
* Dead larvae are not ropy as in American
Foulbrood.
Recommended treatment:
Treat with Terramycin, available in Terra-Patties® or
Terra-Pro in spring and fall.
Additional information see page 50 and 51
American
Foulbrood:
* Brood pattern is irregular rather than
compact.
* Healthy larvae are glistening white color;
diseased ones
lose this appearance, and turn from
light brown to dark
brown and are upright, not twisted
in cells.
* Larvae long dead develop the consistency
of glue and are
difficult for bees to remove
*Cappings become concave and some will be
punctured by
bees attempting to remove the dead brood.
* Surface of cappings will be moist or wet
rather than dry.
* Some dead pupae, shrunken into scales,
have their
tongues protruding at right angle
to their
scale or straight
up. This may be the only recognizable characteristic.
Recommended Treatment:
Treat with Terramycin, available in Terra-Patties® or
Terra-Pro in spring and fall. Additional
information see page 50 and 51
Tracheal
Mite:
*
Very hard to detect without dissection.
If you notice bees
disappearing from your hive
you may want your State
Inspector to test your
bees for this mite.
Recommended Treatment:
Is best to treat this on a preventative
measure by using
Mite-a-Thol®, one bag per hive
in spring and fall before and after
honey flow.
Additional
information see page 46 & 49
Varroa
Mites:
* Infested capped drone brood.
* Disfigured adult bees, deformed legs or wings.
* Bees discarding larvae and pupae.
* Pale or dark reddish brown spots on other wise
white pupae.
* Visible on the outside of bee.
* Spotty brood pattern.
Recommended Treatment:
Treat with either CheckMite+™ or Apistan® strips.
Follow your states label instructions.
Additional information see page 45-48
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Nosema
Disease:
* Bees unable to fly or able to fly only short
distances.
* Bees seen trembling and quivering, colony
restless.
* Feces on combs, bottom boards, and outside
walls
of hive.
* Bees seen crawling aimlessly on bottom board,
near
entrance, or on ground; some dragging
along as if
their legs are paralyzed
* Wings positioned at various angles from body – not
folded in normal position over abdomen.
* Abdomen distended (swollen).
* When bee is dissected, midgut is swollen, dull,
grayish white color and circular constructions of
gut
are no longer evident; normal gut color
is brownish
red or yellowish, with many circular constructions.
Recommended Treatment:
Treat with a mixture of Fumagilin®-B and
sugar syrup in the spring and fall.
Additional
information see page 49
Wax
Moths:
* Tunnels in combs.
* Silk trails, crisscrossing one another over combs.
* Small dark objects (excrement of wax moth larvae)
in the silk trails in a hive.
* Silk cocoons attached to wooden parts.
* Destroyed comb, piles of debris on bottom board.
* A strong hive usually controls moths without
assistance. Remove any unnecessary supers or
brood boxes so they have less area to defend.
Recommended Treatment:
Treat with Para-Moth®.
Only use in stored supers.
Additional information see page 48
Chalkbrood:
* Mummified bodies of brood can often be seen in
cells, on bottom boards, or at the hive entrance.
* Very rare.
Recommended Treatment:
Recommended Treatment: There is no
registered control agent for use against chalkbrood
disease in Canada or the U.S. Although most reports indicate
that chalkbrood doese not cause serious econmomic losses,
diseased colonies can have reduced populations and reduced
honey production. Since adult bees can remove chalkbrood
mummies, the disease often disappears as colonies increase
in population and/or nectar flow
commences.
Hive Beetle:
* White egg masses deposited by the adult female
into
crevices within the hive.
* Larvae tunnel through the combs, killing brood
and
ruining newly drawn comb.
* Cream-colored larvae feed on pollen and honey
for
10-16 days before exiting the hive to pupate
in the
soil around the hive.
* Pupae are light tan to blueish tan in color.
* Winged adults emerge from the soil in 2-3 weeks,
re-enter the hive to feed and reproduce.
* Life span is up to 6 months.
Recommended Treatment:
Treat with one Checkmite+™ strip per hive ( in
approved states only). Also treat with ground drench
Gard Star® to kill larvae that enter the soil.
Additional information see page 47 and 50 |
For
more information about honeybee pests
and diseases see our book selection on
pages
97-100 and
check out our website at www.mannlakeltd.com |
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Suggested Reading on Disease and Treatment
This
is a terrific reference book for pests and diseases.
Concisely written with full color photographs,
this is an excellent diagnostic tool. Ship
wt. 1 lbs.
Soft Cover 25 pages.
BM-125.......$6.95 |
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For more information regarding common pests and diseases,
please see the following Websites:
http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/ |
