Bee Health

Fumidil® B – Details of Withdrawal

apiarymanager Nosema

Those of you who were at the AGM to hear Frank Gellatly or who have read this month’s edition of Bee Craft will be aware that Fumidil® B, which was the only recognised treatment for nosema, is being withdrawn from the UK following a decision by the Veterinary Medicines Directive (VMD).  This brings the UK in line with the rest of Europe.

Manufacturers have until June 30th to sell stock and retailers can sell the product up to its expiry date.  This document (Word format) on the VMD/DEFRA website quotes a shelf life as packaged as 2 years.  So, in theory at least, this could be on sale until the end of 2013 – although it is very doubtful that suppliers will have stocks at that date.

 

Ambrosia Bee Food

apiarymanager Feeding Bees and Starvation

With white granulated sugar becoming more expensive, many beekeepers are turning to specialist alternatives with Ambrosia Bee Food being very popular.  The product is specially formulated for bees by its manufacturers in Germany, the sugar used comes from sugar beet apparently but which has been processed using enzymes to produce a feed which is very close to nectar, will not ferment or otherwise degrade and is highly acceptable to the bees.

Unlike many products sold for bees this one seems to work.  Ricky Wilson uses it in his queen rearing colonies and reports good results with rapid colony buid up.  He is also planning to obtain a bulk supply for sale, in smaller quantities, to members – will let you know more about this when we have details. Frank Gellatly also reported good results when we were discussing this after our AGM.

You can read more about the product in this helpful brochure from the manufacturer.

Parasitic Fly Implicated in US Bee Losses

apiarymanager Bee Health

The New Scientist has this coverage of evidence that a small parasitic fly Apocephalus borealis may play a significant role in Colony Collapse Disorder in North America.  The parasitic fly causes the bee, in this case, to become disorientated and this in turn helps spread the parasite to other bees in the area.  Full report.

This reminded me of the effect Toxoplasma gondii has on the brains of rats which also has the effect of allowing the parasite to spread more rapidly.

Cool Idea

apiarymanager Bee Health

What is the temperature in in your hive?  Bees need it to be 35c (95f) to successfully raise brood and over winter a temperature of at least 20c (68f) is evidence that the cluster is alive.  Opening the hive is one way of checking but obviously at the expense of losing heat.

Cool Bees, a new venture dedicated to innovations in beekeeping has just been launched.  Look out for the full page advertorial in January’s edition of BeeCraft Magazine.

One of their (only two at the moment) offerings is a thermometer originally designed for use in an aquarium so the sensor and cable are waterproof and can be placed in the centre of the brood area with the lcd display protected from the elements on the outside of the hive fed by the cable running through the hive entrance.  Cool Bees price is £4.98 plus £1.00 p&p which is good value as we have looked for this product elsewhere and it is available from an Amazon reseller for £4.99 plus £1.98 shipping.

With a maximum temperature reading of 70c  This would also be useful for use in a warming cabinet when checking for a temperature of around 45c.

You can see the BeeTemp Digital Beehive Thermometer by following this link.