For information on diseases and pests of the Honey Bee, please see this very handy bilingual booklet produced by the WBKA.
Nosema
‘Beekeeper Advice Surgery’ today!
Just to remind all beekeepers that we will be hosting the National Bee Unit’s, ‘Beekeeper Advice Surgery’, on Saturday July 15th from 2pm until 5pm at the Picton Centre, Freemens Way, Haverfordwest, SA61 1TP, which will cover bee diseases etc. Details on this can be obtained NBU Advice Surgeries Flyer 2017.
We strongly recommend that you make every effort to attend for the sake of your bees!
All beekeepers and would be beekeepers are welcome!!
Refreshments available!!
National Bee Unit’s Disease and Comb Workshop
Carmarthenshire Beekeepers’ Association (CBKA) is one of the associations hosting the National Bee Unit’s Disease and Comb workshops this season. We have received an invitation from the CBKA for PBKA members to come along to their venue and take part in the workshop.
The workshops will give detailed insights on the notifiable diseases, American Foul Brood and European Foul Brood, as well as looking at the overall disease situation in Wales and updated approaches to its control. Beekeepers will learn about other pests and diseases, in particular Varroa and its associated viruses, that can pose a risk to their colonies.
The Inspectors are licensed to bring with them examples of diseased comb. Participants will have the chance to examine these live examples of disease and put their learning into practice, on the day.
Date: Saturday 27th June
Venue: Newchurch Community Hall, SA33 6AF
Time: 2 to 5 pm
There is plenty of parking, no charge for the workshop and refreshments will be provided.
Please advise the PBKA secretary, Lesley Williams asap, if you wish to attend in order that we can advise the CBKA of numbers.
VMD Approve MAQS Beehive Strip
Press Release – February 27th 2013,
MAQS® Beehive Strip has received registration in the United Kingdom for beekeeper’s use. It has received approval by VMD (Veterinary Medical Department).
The beekeepers of the United Kingdom now have a new tool to combat the most serious threat to its honeybees, the Varroa destructor parasitic mite. Left untreated, Varroa mites will transmit viruses that weaken a honeybee colony. Millions of colonies across Europe have died in recent years from this parasitic mite.
MAQS® is a saccharide gel strip formulation of formic acid, an effective active ingredient that is naturally occurring in honey. Because the Varroa mites reproduce on the developing baby bee, transmitting viruses that deform the bee, their control is being approached as a brood disease. The saccharide gel formic acid vapours released from the saccharide gel strip penetrate the brood cap, stopping the mite where it reproduces. The initial target was the male mite, which never leaves the brood cell. However, trials show that it is also very effective on all stages of the female mite. It is the first mite treatment to successfully target Varroa mite reproduction.
The concept of MAQS® Beehive Strip was first developed in Canada, by NOD Apiary Products Ltd. operating in the UK as NOD Europe. NOD’s personnel worked with BASF’s scientists to overcome technical barriers, the solution to which was BASF’s biodegradable and compostable film Ecoflex®. The resulting treatment is just 7 days.
The physical product will be available in the UK from early April 2013.
End of press release
Webmaster Notes:
- MAQS® stands for Mite-Away-Quick Strips®.
- NOD stands for Natures Own Design the developers of the product.
- VMD is the Veterinary Medicines Directorate an executive agency of DEFRA (Note that MAQS is not appearing on their database as of 1 March 2013)
Further information
You can find out more on the NOD website here.
Randy Oliver has carried out an early summer test in 2011 and the results of this are published on his excellent Scientific Beekeeping website.
Nosema Testing Results
On Sunday April 15th ten of us got together to carry out testing for nosema. 19 samples of bees were brought along and, after prepartion, were examined using the compound microscope were recently obtained with the grant from the Trustees of the John Hall legacy.
To see the full report and images of testing results click here.
Pembrokeshire Beekeepers' Association 