Enemies of the Hive

• First Lessons in Beekeeping

• by Keith S. Delaplane

• Chapter 8

• Honey Bee Disorders, Parasites, Predators

and Nest Invaders

This Powerpoint Presentation prepared by Charles Heatherly

US Honey Bee Losses 2006-2017

Source: American Bee Journal Mar 15

U.S. Honey Bee Losses

• Average Losses 2006-2011 33%

• 2012 30% Estimated losses 2013 > 45%

• 2014 24%

• 2015 42%

• 2016 45%

• 2017 33%

• U.S. 10 year average loss < 33%

Honey Bee Disorders Diseases

Parasites

Nest Invaders

Predators

Pesticides

Incompetent Beekeeper

Integrated Pest Management

• The use of a variety of pest treatments such as

genetic host resistance, cultural practices,

beneficial organisms, and a minimum of toxic

chemicals. As long as pest levels stay below

the treatment or economic threshold,

it is not necessary to use toxic pesticides.

Treatment Threshold

• For a given pest or crop system, the

treatment threshold is the specific

number, - a pest number, density or

level of damage – that is acceptable p 106

Diseases of Brood

American Foulbrood

European Foulbrood

Chalkbrood

Sacbrood

Adult Diseases

Nosema apis

Nosema ceranae

Viruses

Parasitic Mites

Varroa destructor

Tracheal Acarapis woodi

Scavengers

• Wax Moth

• Small Hive Beetle

• (Know how to distinguish between larva)

Wax Moth Damage

Predators

• Bears

• Skunks

• Ants

• Hornets

• Birds

• Mice

American Foulbrood

• Spore forming Bacterium Paenibacillus

• Highly infectious

• Highly destructive

• AFB spores almost indestructible

• No economic threshold

• Zero tolerance

American Foulbrood

Treatment

• Burning the hive and bees is most common

remedy

• NC has fumigation chamber

• See your area bee inspector

• Treatment – Terramycin

• Only suppresses growth of spores,

• no cure - There is no cure

American Foulbrood

Best way to distinguish AFB from EFB - ropy dead larva

American Foulbrood

Irregular brood pattern

European Foulbrood

• Bacterium Melissococcus plutonius

• Symptoms similar to AFB

• Less virulent

Chalkbrood

• Pathogenic fungus Asocophaera apis

• Dead white, chalky “Mummies”

• No treatment except IPM

• Keep hive dry and

well ventilated

• Prevented through

good management

• Hygenic Queens

Sacbrood

• Relatively minor and rare disease

• Caused by virus

• No remedial medication

• Dead larvae are flaccid, watery

• Look like a Chinese

slipper

Adult Diseases

• Nosema apis – most serious

• Single celled protozoan Nosema apis

• Rarely kills but triggers morbities

• Reduced lifespan

• Reduce productivity

• Increased queen supercedure

• Low population

• Sluggish Spring buildup

Nosema apis

• Treatment - antibotic Fumagilin B

• Nosema ceranae

• More of a recent problem in Europe

Viruses

• Kasmir bee virus

• Deformed wing virus

• Symptoms - bees lose body hair,

• Movement is disorganized

• Trembling

• No known treatment

• Cull damaged brood comb

• Requeen

• Control varroa to reduce potential infection

Parasitic Mites

• Varroa destructor

Tracheal Acarapis woodi

Varroa Mites

• Most damaging pest of US honey bee

• Introduced in US in 1987

– First found in NC in 1990

• Visible to human eye

• Cycle begins with female mite in open brood cell, preferably drone

• She lays eggs – one male, several daughters

• They mate, emerge

Varroa Mites

• Effected bees suffer physical injury

• Reduced blood volume

• Reduced longevity

• Reduced productivity

• Typical infection occurs in late season

(Fall)

Hive weakened by varroa succumbs to other pests

Detection of Varroa Mites

• Sticky Sheet

• Powdered Sugar Shake

Treatment of Varroa Mite

• Apistan (fluvinate) –

• Check Mite (coumoflous)

• Api-life var (thymol)

• Formic Acid

• Apivar (Amitraz)

• Oxalic Acid

• Integrated Pest Management

Screened bottom boards

Hygenic Queen

Various Treatments Mites

American Foulbrood Nosema Wax Moths

Also for Small Hive Beetle Oxalic Acid

Oxalic Acid This

Not This!

Oxalic Acid

• An Article by Jennfer Berry

• http://www.beeculture.com/oxalic-acid-

effective-easy-on-bees-but/

• Randy Oliver, Scientific Beekeeping

• http://scientificbeekeeping.com/oxalic-acid-

questions-answers-and-more-questions-part-

1-of-2-parts/

Tracheal Mite Acarapis woodi

• Long history of troubling the honey bee

• Has been around for more than a century

• First detected in NC in 1980

• Honey bee Act of 1922, a response

closed importation for 83 years

Characteristics of Tracheal Mite

• Lives and reproduces in breathing tube

• Young bees are preferred

• Microscopic

• Infestation occurs in late winter

• Or early spring

• 25% infestation is very damaging

Symptoms of Tracheal Mites

• Bees will crawl in grass near hive entrance

• Cannot form an effective winter cluster

• Most common symptom is an empty hive

• K-wing syndrome

Treatment of Tracheal Mite

• Menthol crystals

• Mite – Away II, an absorbent pad with formic

acid -

• Extender patty - vegetable oil and powders

sugar – disrupts mite and is harmless to

environment, or bee keeper

Nest Scavengers

Wax Moth

Small Hive Beetle

Wax Moth Galleria mellonella

• An old foe

• And strangely, a friend, too

• Cleans out abandoned nests, spores rendering

them clean for future use

• Problem occurs when wax

moths take over weak hive

and destroy it

Damage by Wax Moth

Wax Moth

• Female enters hive,

usually at night

• Lays eggs

• Larvae emerge, eat protein litter

• Seeks a protected spot

• Chews cavity in wood

• Spins silken cocoon and pupates

Characteristics of Wax Moth

• Moth activity in living colonies

• Moth activity in stored equipment

• Moths are secondary problem, not a primary

problem

• Moth Problem usually traced to queenless

colony or varroa mites

Treatment for Moths

• Paradichlorobenzene in stored equip.

• Stack stored hives cross ways to allow light

and ventilation (see p 128)

• Requeen

• Control Varroa mites

• Use 9 frames in supers rather than 10

Wax Moth Larva

Compared with SHB Larva

Wax Moth Larva

SHB Larva

Small Hive Beetle

• Most recent pest

• Scavenger

• Not a major threat to strong colony

• Can quickly wipe out a weak colony

• Has become a major problem in SE US

• First found in NC in 1998

Small Hive Beetle

• Adult female lays

• eggs in cavity

• Larvae emerge to eat

• honey, brood, protein litter and grow

• Larval is most damaging stage

• Frames become slimy

• Larvae exits hive to pupate in soil

Small Hive Beetle

• Treatment threshold is 300 beetles according

to Delaplane

• Personally,

I think it is

much less!

Treatment of Small Hive Beetle

• Integrated Pest Management

• Hygenic Bees

• SHB traps

• Hive tool smash

Predators

• Bear

• Skunk

• Ants

• Hornets

• Birds

• Pesticides

• Mice

Non-infectious Disorders

• Queenlessness

• Robbing

• Agricultural Pesticides

• Incompetent Beekeeper

Good, Disease Free Brood Pattern

Thought of an old beekeeper

“We are all born ignorant,

but one must work hard to

remain stupid.” Benjamin Franklin