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"Disease is not a dirty word
in the bee world - it is a fact of life. Left unchecked,
however, your bees will die"
There are many sources of information
on how to manage bee disease,
including
fera
and the
National Bee Unit.
Useful contacts that will provide you with up to date,
detailed advice include:
Regional Bee Inspector
covering Essex
Keith Morgan
01485 520152 keith.morgan@fera.gsi.gov.uk
Seasonal Bee Inspectors
covering
Essex Peter Heath 01279 843177
The Chelmsford Disease
Liaison Delegate Jean Smye
07731856361
We are all
now well aware of
varroa:
a serious asian parasitic mite of the honey bee, which feeds
on both adult bees and brood, weakening them and
spreading harmful pathogens such as bee viruses.
Infested colonies eventually die out unless control
measures are applied.
The development of
more resistant strains of Varroa mites
means that treatments like 'Apistan' and 'Bayvarol' may
no longer be effective. In 2006, the
NBU advised that there was
a
50% chance that Essex
Bees would have resistance.
Bees should
be tested for Varroa at least twice a year and treated
accordingly. Where there is evidence
of mite resistance, the use of pyrethroid treatments ('Apistan'
& 'Bayvarol') should be halted: they will no longer provide effective
control of Varroa and their use will only worsen the resistance
problem.
Instead, a non-pyrethroid varroacide (such as 'Apiguard')
should be used. Ideally, this should be in conjunction with biotechnical methods as part
of an Integrated Pest Management programme, including:
-
Use of
mesh floors. Try either of these designs:
Plan 1,
Plan 2.
-
Monitoring Varroa
levels with floor screen
-
Drone removal
-
Comb trapping
-
Use of artificial swarm
The Chelmsford
Division Disease
Tour is an annual event in June where you can have your bees inspected
by professionals.
The use of organic
acids to control Varroa is becoming increasingly common.
Andy Wattam has provided an number of documents on the
subject including the use of Oxalic acid:
Varroa control using Organic acids
International
safety data sheet for Oxalic acid
Organic acid suppliers
The following advisory leaflets
are available from the National Bee Unit (NBU) at
BeeBase
Managing Varroa leaflet
Foul brood disease of honey bees
Small Hive Beetle fact sheet
Tropilaelaps: Parasitic mites of honey bees
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