Nosema treatment

[LazyBkpr]

DDT and other sprays not withstanding?  I can remember seeing the sprayer planes and thinking....
    "Aww crap, were going to be splitting hives to replace the dead outs.....

[Chip Euliss]

DDT and other sprays not withstanding?  I can remember seeing the sprayer planes and thinking....
    "Aww crap, were going to be splitting hives to replace the dead outs.....

it was after the DDT days plus he bordered against a natural area the university set aside for nature studies; he was is a pretty prime spot.  I used to send bees to east Texas (near Kunze) and lost about half the nucs I made one spring to spray and I was fairly close to the Big Thicket :'(

[Jen]

I'm getting ready to do my fumagilin treatment this week. I need a little help with the math.

Been refreshing last years process with this great read  http://scientificbeekeeping.com/the-nosema-twins-part-4-treatment/

I recently bought 3, 1 gallon feeders. I will inspect my 3 hives before treatment. But I'm pretty darned sure I'll be down to one chamber colonies.

1st question: When this link refers to "1 chamber feeding", would that be 1 deep box?

2nd question: Can I put the medicated syrup into my 1 gallon feeder buckets, put them on the hives... and when the bees have emptied the bucket... call it good?

[Bakersdozen]

I wonder if this is another one of those situations that the answer would vary in different parts of the country.  I don't know of anyone in this area that does a drench for Nosema.  Everyone uses a medicated sugar syrup to treat in the fall.  When the treatment is done this way, we don't have a problem with Nosema. 

Jen, a few weeks ago I printed out the mixing and feeding instructions of Fumagilin-B from Medivet.  Medivet recommends the following ratios for FALL treatments:
Water      +Sugar      =Syrup         +Fumagilin B
1/2 Gal       +8lbs.      =1 gal          + .18ounces or 1 rounded teaspoon
2 1/4 Gal     +37lbs.    = 5.2gal        + .85 ounces or 24g bottle

For our purpose, I won't bother with the larger proportions.  If needed readers can visit Medivet's web site.  www.medivet.ca/

For 2 chamber colonies= 2 gallons of treated 2:1 sugar syrup (approximately 30,000 bees)
For 1 chamber colonies= 1 gallon of treated 2:1 sugar syrup (approximately 18,000 bees)
(Medivet is referring to double deeps or single deep hive bodies. )

Additional recommendations include:
Using a concentration of 2:1 sugar syrup for treatment.
For best results heat the water to 35-50C, remove from heat source, dissolve the Fumagilin B in water and then add the sugar.
To eradicate Nosema parasites, Fumagilin B should be applied over several weeks.
Heavily infested colonies that will no longer take in syrup may be sprayed repeatedly, directly onto the bees, frame by frame, with 1:1 sugar syrup containing 2g of Fumagilin per 1 liter.

[apisbees]

the powdered drugs are hard to mix into the syrup at times I like to put it into a jar with water and shake it till the drugs have all dissolved then add it to the syrup. Like how one makes gravy.

[lazy shooter]

I have never treated for nosema.  It makes me wonder how common it is in my area.  We are in a hot, dry climate.  As I have stated many times, I hate feeding.  Who treats the feral colonies that seem to exist? 

[riverbee]

"the powdered drugs are hard to mix into the syrup at times I like to put it into a jar with water and shake it till the drugs have all dissolved then add it to the syrup."

what apis said jen!

bakers, great post!

[Jen]

Good Morning Lazy    curious how many hives do you have? I have 3...

[lazy shooter]

Good Morning Lazy    curious how many hives do you have? I have 3...

@jen:

I have a total of six hives, but I am  going to combine two of them.  I will soon have four hives in De Leon, near town, and one hive at the ranch.  My 200 plus pounds of honey came from two hives this year.  I have two hives that have two deeps and three mediums on them.  Of note, my hives are de Leon hives are eight frame hives. 

The one hive at the ranch is five years old and has never been treated with anything.  They have lived through a horrendous drought, and have never made any excess honey. 

[Jen]

Lazy ~ I was wondering because I usually go into winter with 2 hives. Last year I paced and pondered whether to do the Fumagilin treatment. After seeing many pics of nosema, and researching the loss of hives to nosema, and reading www.scientificbeekeeping on this subject, I realized that Fumagilin sure can't hurt the bees, and the fumagilin is only going to be in the winter stores...so why not give them a booster shot for the winter

With only two hives and one nuc, and a supposed very wet, moldy, winter... I think it's a good idea to give them a little help.

The reason I asked how many hives you have, is because there are some beeks that don't want to medicate, but they maybe have 50 hives. So they can afford a loss easier than I can.

Thanks for sharing your hive information with me    And we here in Calif are suffering a harsh drought as well. Actually I don't know how to raise bees in a drought free environment. I wouldn't know what to do with 200 pounds of honey 

[apisbees]

I have never treated for nosema.  It makes me wonder how common it is in my area.  We are in a hot, dry climate.  As I have stated many times, I hate feeding.  Who treats the feral colonies that seem to exist?

Location Location Location... bees that can have flight days through out the winter are less stressed, and in the case of Nosema Apis can take cleansing flights so they aren't contaminating their hive as much. In colder areas where the bees are kept in the hive for much longer times, nosema causes more damage.

[Chip Euliss]

I have never treated for nosema.  It makes me wonder how common it is in my area.  We are in a hot, dry climate.  As I have stated many times, I hate feeding.  Who treats the feral colonies that seem to exist?

Location Location Location... bees that can have flight days through out the winter are less stressed, and in the case of Nosema Apis can take cleansing flights so they aren't contaminating their hive as much. In colder areas where the bees are kept in the hive for much longer times, nosema causes more damage.

Very true and I really don't worry at all about Nosema apis when my bees are in a warmer climate like California since they will have many opportunities for cleansing flights.  Nosema ceranae is a much different beast and I worry about that species even in summer!!