Worldwide Beekeeping

Beekeeping => Pests and Diseases => Topic started by: rober on March 22, 2019, 09:35:21 am

Title: usda reports
Post by: rober on March 22, 2019, 09:35:21 am

lost 4 of 33 hives this winter. sent the corpses to the USDA lab in Beltsville.

1-23 million Nosema spores per bee & 28 mites per 100. these counts are off the charts. as Jim Tew likes to say, 'this hive was dead. they just didn't know it yet.'

2-3 million Nosema spores per bee & 0 mites good numbers so why did they die?

3-6.7 mites & no Nosema

4-18 million spores & 3.5 mites. another dead hive walking.

Title: Re: usda reports
Post by: Lburou on March 22, 2019, 08:51:22 pm

Someday, they may be able to report virus information too. Expensive but useful.     :)

Title: Re: usda reports
Post by: Bakersdozen on March 23, 2019, 08:25:54 am

Is there a threshold for nozema spores?  The threshold on varroa is 3 mites per 100 bees.
rober, what about your existing colonies?  Do you think you should be concerned about the nosema?

Title: Re: usda reports
Post by: rober on March 23, 2019, 08:55:11 am

I've tried for a couple years to get a definitive answer to that question. I recently heard Kim Flottum speak & he said that under 5 million is okay. a million sounds like a lot but have you ever kicked a puffball?

Title: Re: usda reports
Post by: Lburou on March 24, 2019, 11:36:41 pm

Did the report say which strain(s) of nosema were found in your samples?

Title: Re: usda reports
Post by: tecumseh on March 25, 2019, 06:42:11 am

well given your location and the severity of the winter it sounds to me like you are 'knocking it out of the ball park'.

Title: Re: usda reports
Post by: rober on March 25, 2019, 09:15:09 am

lou-ceranae
Tecumseh-it ain't over yet...
BUT-my truck is covered in bee poop!!!!!!

Title: Re: usda reports
Post by: tecumseh on March 26, 2019, 07:00:06 am

a rober snip...
ceranae

my question ..
so the question is... 'what could you possibly do about that'?

in small experiments I have done here fumidil only helps for a short time and then the malady returns. it is at best a temporary fix.

sometimes I think the best solution is simply to allow Mother Nature to weed out the weak.

I would still suggest Rober compared to reports I am getting from others up north you still have 'knocked it out of the park'.