Monday 2 November 2009 Graeme Sharpe
“The way to healthy bees in an area of foul brood.”
Graham began by showing us old brood comb and would talk about replacing and apiary quarantine and hygiene because we are in an area of statutory notifiable diseases European Foul Brood and American Foul Brood. Showing us handouts that can keep us up-to-date with what is going on. Signs were suspected in June this year.
Signs in the hives and how to look for disease how he uses routine management and husbandry it are easier for a hobbyist beekeepers to contain much harder for the commercial beekeeper to control. We have around 6,000 commercial hives plus hobbyist beekeepers.
Basic beekeeping: Graeme started 20 years ago and now he has 50 hives, he was told to remember these 5 points:
Is queen present?
Is there enough food to sustain the colony? This time of year 6 full frames, spring 2 frames as a minimum.
Is there enough room for the queen to expand?
Do they need honey supers on?
Signs of disease?
Start and recognise what healthy brood look like, if not normal look in literature could be chalk brood. Healthy brood unsealed pearly white, sealed nice biscuit colour. Recognise what you are seeing. AFB bacterium disease, larva dies after the cell is sealed, melts down to a hard brown sac. Light infestation will only show a few sunken cells, but we were shown to insert a matchstick into a cell and slowly withdrawn shows a ropy brown thread stuck to it is a reliable test for the AFB. He showed us pictures of infected brood with the very dark brown stage and the pupal tongue stuck to the side of the cell. Notifiable disease in Scotland and destruction of hives and colonies by burning.
EFB harder to spot as it can come and go. The larva dies on the fourth day before the cell is sealed over on the eighth day. The cells give off an unhealthy smell. It is a stress disorder and the bees will clear out the signs of the disorder. Cause is a lack of good food, poor forage after rape seed gone the beekeeper has to feed. Therefore good husbandry is needed. EFB begins by entering into the hive with adult bees or the beekeeper, spread by food exchange with bees (or moving hives to another area). Larva fed brood food royal jelly, infected by mouth parts and dies the bees clean out cell and cycle starts again. Graeme show picture of infected frame and explained what the cells showed. Larva bloated changing to a yellow colour dies and melts down. Hard for beekeepers to identify as bees are constantly cleaning.
Spread to adjacent hives by bees and beekeepers - buying in infected bees, transferring combs and feeding honey. Notifiable disease in Scotland, light infestation can be treated more that 50% infestation has to be destroyed. Bee Inspectors have used OTC antibiotic to blanket treat about 5,000 colonies surveys shows 20% will be re-infected. The OTC placed on the bars of the hive, the bees with their mouth parts will clean it up and with clean mouths feed the larva. Treatment given in September/October is a once only application. Good feeding to relieve stress, Varroa management, we will be looking at the spring of 2010 to inspect for EFB and replace old comb and do shook swarms. Husbandry techniques, shake bees onto fresh foundation, leave for a day then feed, we will be bringing the reinfection down to 8%. Bringing the outbreak down to some kind of control.
Things you can be doing to prevent disease. Reduce stress factors.
EFB is a stress; do not leave bees hungry at any time during the year.
Siting of apiary very important. Pollen in area? Reduce drifting, control robbing.
Small colonies join them together or keep them warm by putting a dummy board in to reduce the area to keep warm. Sugar bag on top.
Enjoy your hobby, choose good tempered bees. Cleanliness, get into the habit of removing old comb. Clean bee suits especially if you are visiting another beekeeper. Clean tools, smoker.
The shook swarm is only for an infestation of EFB because you loose a lot of the brood. EFB is a build up of the bacteria, remove old comb, you can sterilise last years comb with ascetic acid so you know it is clean. Methods for changing comb shown in handouts, Bailey Comb Change. Change comb every two to three years it gets rid of Chalk brood and Nosema as well.
Quarantine practises: Level 1 Check for signs, change 2 brood combs, clean equipment and bee-suits, mark supers to colony and apiary.
We are at level 3 that is 3 times a year check for EFB, change all combs every 2 years, quarantine supers and excluders, number or colour codes. Strict apiary hygiene. If EFB found shook swam colony. Notify the bee inspectorate.
Work together as an association to get bees for the beginners have a good selection of stocks. Stop bringing in bees from another area, use good management, bees are livestock, days of leave alone beekeeping are over. Beekeepers are conservationists of bees. Manage your bees to be strong healthy and vigorous and not stressed, have a good feeding regime.
“The way to healthy bees in an area of foul brood.”
Graham began by showing us old brood comb and would talk about replacing and apiary quarantine and hygiene because we are in an area of statutory notifiable diseases European Foul Brood and American Foul Brood. Showing us handouts that can keep us up-to-date with what is going on. Signs were suspected in June this year.
Signs in the hives and how to look for disease how he uses routine management and husbandry it are easier for a hobbyist beekeepers to contain much harder for the commercial beekeeper to control. We have around 6,000 commercial hives plus hobbyist beekeepers.
Basic beekeeping: Graeme started 20 years ago and now he has 50 hives, he was told to remember these 5 points:
Is queen present?
Is there enough food to sustain the colony? This time of year 6 full frames, spring 2 frames as a minimum.
Is there enough room for the queen to expand?
Do they need honey supers on?
Signs of disease?
Start and recognise what healthy brood look like, if not normal look in literature could be chalk brood. Healthy brood unsealed pearly white, sealed nice biscuit colour. Recognise what you are seeing. AFB bacterium disease, larva dies after the cell is sealed, melts down to a hard brown sac. Light infestation will only show a few sunken cells, but we were shown to insert a matchstick into a cell and slowly withdrawn shows a ropy brown thread stuck to it is a reliable test for the AFB. He showed us pictures of infected brood with the very dark brown stage and the pupal tongue stuck to the side of the cell. Notifiable disease in Scotland and destruction of hives and colonies by burning.
EFB harder to spot as it can come and go. The larva dies on the fourth day before the cell is sealed over on the eighth day. The cells give off an unhealthy smell. It is a stress disorder and the bees will clear out the signs of the disorder. Cause is a lack of good food, poor forage after rape seed gone the beekeeper has to feed. Therefore good husbandry is needed. EFB begins by entering into the hive with adult bees or the beekeeper, spread by food exchange with bees (or moving hives to another area). Larva fed brood food royal jelly, infected by mouth parts and dies the bees clean out cell and cycle starts again. Graeme show picture of infected frame and explained what the cells showed. Larva bloated changing to a yellow colour dies and melts down. Hard for beekeepers to identify as bees are constantly cleaning.
Spread to adjacent hives by bees and beekeepers - buying in infected bees, transferring combs and feeding honey. Notifiable disease in Scotland, light infestation can be treated more that 50% infestation has to be destroyed. Bee Inspectors have used OTC antibiotic to blanket treat about 5,000 colonies surveys shows 20% will be re-infected. The OTC placed on the bars of the hive, the bees with their mouth parts will clean it up and with clean mouths feed the larva. Treatment given in September/October is a once only application. Good feeding to relieve stress, Varroa management, we will be looking at the spring of 2010 to inspect for EFB and replace old comb and do shook swarms. Husbandry techniques, shake bees onto fresh foundation, leave for a day then feed, we will be bringing the reinfection down to 8%. Bringing the outbreak down to some kind of control.
Things you can be doing to prevent disease. Reduce stress factors.
EFB is a stress; do not leave bees hungry at any time during the year.
Siting of apiary very important. Pollen in area? Reduce drifting, control robbing.
Small colonies join them together or keep them warm by putting a dummy board in to reduce the area to keep warm. Sugar bag on top.
Enjoy your hobby, choose good tempered bees. Cleanliness, get into the habit of removing old comb. Clean bee suits especially if you are visiting another beekeeper. Clean tools, smoker.
The shook swarm is only for an infestation of EFB because you loose a lot of the brood. EFB is a build up of the bacteria, remove old comb, you can sterilise last years comb with ascetic acid so you know it is clean. Methods for changing comb shown in handouts, Bailey Comb Change. Change comb every two to three years it gets rid of Chalk brood and Nosema as well.
Quarantine practises: Level 1 Check for signs, change 2 brood combs, clean equipment and bee-suits, mark supers to colony and apiary.
We are at level 3 that is 3 times a year check for EFB, change all combs every 2 years, quarantine supers and excluders, number or colour codes. Strict apiary hygiene. If EFB found shook swam colony. Notify the bee inspectorate.
Work together as an association to get bees for the beginners have a good selection of stocks. Stop bringing in bees from another area, use good management, bees are livestock, days of leave alone beekeeping are over. Beekeepers are conservationists of bees. Manage your bees to be strong healthy and vigorous and not stressed, have a good feeding regime.
Designed by GOEMO.de
Join the association and learn about a fascinating hobby that the whole family can share.
Notes: East of Scotland Beekeepers
