Bee Health

Starvation Risk – Advice from the National Bee Unit

apiarymanager Bee Health, Feeding Bees and Starvation

With the on-going poor weather, there is a real risk of bee colonies starving. “Please check for stores in the colony and if in any doubt feed your bees. You should feed with either a fondant or a thin syrup [PBKA feed mix ready reckoner].

Further information on feeding bees can be found in Best Practice Guideline No. 7, on the Advisory Leaflets page of BeeBase (click here).”

This is a good opportunity to reminder to register on Beebase to get emailed with the latest updates on bee health[webmaster].

Do your bees have enough stores?

apiarymanager Feeding Bees and Starvation

Given the relatively cool weather we are having at the moment which is limiting foraging activity and the increasing size of our colonies, lack of stores is a serious threat. It is advised therefore, that you check your colonies for stores and feed if required. Do not assume however, that you can gauge the level of stores simply by hefting alone, as the increased brood also adds significant weight to the hive. Better safe than sorry!

Nosema Testing Workshop April 15 2012

apiarymanager Bee Health, Nosema

Nosema can build up in overwintering colonies and to cause early death of bees.

Members are reminded to bring along a sample of bees from each hive to the Picton Community Centre, Haverfordwest on Sunday April 15th between 2.00 pm and 5.00 pm to test them for nosema.  The Association’s new microscopes will be on display and the high powered one will be used for testing.

Click here to find out how to collect the sample.

To find out more about nosema click here to visit the Beebase website (but note that Fumidil B is no longer the recommended treatment although it can be used if you are able to obtain, or have, a supply).  The Vita website also has a page on nosema, Vita Feed Gold has, in trials, been shown to helpful in reducing nosema spore levels.

Neoticotinoid Insecticide Poisoning – The Evidence Grows

apiarymanager Bee Health, Neonicotinoids

About 30 per cent of British cropland – 3.14 million acres – was being treated with neonicotinoid chemicals in 2010.

Reports published in the journal Science on March 29th from British and French scientists, and extensively reported in the UK press today, confirm that both honey bees and bumble bees are seriously harmed by exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides, even by tiny doses not sufficient to kill them outright.

The British study led by Stirling’s Professor David Goulson looked at the impact on  bumble bees and found that queen production was 85% lower in bees exposed to when exposed to “field-realistic levels” of imidacloprid than control nests not exposed to the chemical.

Mikaël Henry from France’s National Institute for Agronomic Research in Avignon led a study of honey bees exposed to another neonicotinoid product, thiamethoxam. The study found that at sub-lethal doses, “Non-lethal exposure… causes high mortality due to homing failure, at levels that could put a colony at risk of collapse,” by seriously affecting the bees’ homing abilities to the extent that they proved to be two to three times more likely to die while away from their nests than unexposed bees.

Spring Checks Best Practice

apiarymanager Bee Health

As the season starts and the bees become active again it is important for beekeepers to carry out their first spring checks to assess how the colonies have overwintered and to prepare them for the coming season.

The ‘Spring Checks‘ leaflet provides best practice guidance for beekeepers carrying out these checks.

For further Advisory Leaflets and Best Practice Guidelines click here

From Beebase