Author Topic: Nosema treatment (Read 10793 times)

Jen · « **on:** October 20, 2015, 12:34:09 pm »

Would like to talk Nosema treatment. We here in California are looking at another El Nino year, lost of rain and moisture. Thinking the nosema treatment would be good this year.

Chip Euliss · « **Reply #1 on:** October 20, 2015, 11:00:54 pm »

I drench treat my bees every spring/early summer before it's time for supers. Bees look like wet rats when they're being drenched but they clean themselves up pretty quick. This time of year, I treat their syrup because I'm concerned that I may chill them too much pouring syrup/med on them. Probably would work ok to fall drench where you're located; drenching is a more effective treatment since the bees have to ingest the med when they clean themselves up after treating.

hamptor · « **Reply #2 on:** October 21, 2015, 05:08:05 pm »

Chip, when you say drench treat, do you mean with a spray bottle?

Chip Euliss · « **Reply #3 on:** October 21, 2015, 07:36:45 pm »

Nope, I literally pour in on the bees. I use a plastic watering can (for house or potted plants) I bought at Walmart. It has a sprinkler head so the syrup/med mixture comes gushing out from the many holes in the head of the waterer instead of a single stream. I give them a good cup or so and the bees look like drowned rats when I'm done.

Jen · « **Reply #4 on:** October 21, 2015, 08:33:39 pm »

I've seen that done Chip. I know there are those that do, but I just can't drench them like that, anymore than I would drench my kid or pets. I put the meds in sugar syrup and feed it to them in a pint jar.

iddee · « **Reply #5 on:** October 21, 2015, 09:05:09 pm »

Jen, did you have your kids vaccinated? I would rather be drenched than have needles poked in me. If it works, it's worth doing, even if it makes you uncomfortable.

Chip Euliss · « **Reply #6 on:** October 21, 2015, 09:13:29 pm »

My understanding of the benefits of drenching is that it forces the bees to ingest the med as they clean themselves up. When added to the syrup, it isn't as effective because the bees tend to store it in the comb where it looses it's efficacy. I didn't drench my kids or dogs either!

Jen · « **Reply #7 on:** October 21, 2015, 10:58:02 pm »

Now.. Iddee.. I covered that option by saying that I know that others do that. Personally, I am 'uncomfortable' with it

Chip, this is how I learned last year. When feeding nosema medicated syrup from pint jars, you WANT the bees to store it in the cells. Preferably in the back of the cells. Then they cover the medicated syrup with nectar or sugar syrup and cap it. So then, the bees will eat the the syrup on the top thru the winter. Then when late winter comes along and nosema is looming, the bees then eat the medicated syrup when they most need it, hence protecting themselves from nosema, and dying in the later part of winter.

It's the process I did last year, and it was so easy.

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #8 on:** October 22, 2015, 12:35:10 am »

That is the way my mentor taught me to do it as well Jen. Make sure they stored it. I can also see the benefit of the drench, knocking the nosema back early.. Kind of like treating for mites.. making sure they have few going into winter so they have a better chance at survival.

Chip Euliss · « **Reply #9 on:** October 22, 2015, 08:12:33 am »

That's the way I learned/started too Jen but my nosema counts were way too high. Drenching is the only method I've used that significantly reduced the spore counts. Since I switched, my hives do look better even in summer! Fumagillan is fairly unstable--sensitive to heat, light, etc. That said, I do feed it in syrup when it's too cool to drench. I just wish keeping bees was as simple as it was when I was a child!

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #10 on:** October 22, 2015, 09:54:32 am »

Chip; I just wish keeping bees was as simple as it was when I was a child!

Isn't that the truth.

Jen · « **Reply #11 on:** October 22, 2015, 01:42:18 pm »

Thanks guys!

Scott - "That is the way my mentor taught me to do it as well Jen. Make sure they stored it.

How would I make sure they store it? It looks just like sugar syrup in the hive...

apisbees · « **Reply #12 on:** October 22, 2015, 03:09:15 pm »

Almost all feeding that is done at this time of year will be stored, as the bees have slowed down on brood. as long as they are not totally plugged and have a space to store it.

Jen · « **Reply #13 on:** October 22, 2015, 04:03:41 pm »

Thanks Apis

Bees are bringing in pollen for sure. So I know the frames are plugged. I can insert a clean frame or two, of pulled comb for them if I need too.

Chip Euliss · « **Reply #14 on:** October 22, 2015, 05:07:14 pm »

My main concern is Nosema ceranae, not N. apis, especially since my bees will be in California in a couple of weeks and will have more flight time than here. There has been some research from Europe that suggests that bees infected with N. ceranae do not take syrup as well as bees infected with N. apis. Hence, my preference for the drench. You may want to take a look at the following document from UC Davis:

http://entomology.ucdavis.edu/files/147621.pdf

Jen · « **Reply #15 on:** October 22, 2015, 05:25:16 pm »

Thanks Chip

I will read that.

Chip Euliss · « **Reply #16 on:** October 22, 2015, 05:59:30 pm »

Quote from: LazyBkpr on October 22, 2015, 09:54:32 am

Chip; I just wish keeping bees was as simple as it was when I was a child!

Isn't that the truth.

i just wish everything was as simple as when I was a child

Jen · « **Reply #17 on:** October 22, 2015, 06:42:26 pm »

No kidding! I look fondly upon the days I was a kid and came home full of dirt and pitch from playing in the forest all day. Mom had dinner ready. Poured me a bath. Tucked me into bed. I slept so sound ....

lazy shooter · « **Reply #18 on:** October 22, 2015, 09:52:12 pm »

Jen:

I think Chip is referring to how easy it was to keep bees prior to nosema and vorroa mites. One of my old pals here kept bees for fifty years, and he said that in the old days (probably prior to 1990) he did not treat bees because they did not need treating. He said there were so many bees that he caught dozens of swarms each summer and sold them or gave them away. There were so many swarms that he could drive down the country roads and see swarms in trees on the fence rows. He said it was not uncommon to catch three swarms on a Sunday afternoon. He is so totally honest, that I believe him.

The downside then was that honey was CHEAP.

Chip Euliss · « **Reply #19 on:** October 23, 2015, 12:50:53 pm »

Quote from: lazy shooter on October 22, 2015, 09:52:12 pm

Jen:

I think Chip is referring to how easy it was to keep bees prior to nosema and vorroa mites. One of my old pals here kept bees for fifty years, and he said that in the old days (probably prior to 1990) he did not treat bees because they did not need treating. He said there were so many bees that he caught dozens of swarms each summer and sold them or gave them away. There were so many swarms that he could drive down the country roads and see swarms in trees on the fence rows. He said it was not uncommon to catch three swarms on a Sunday afternoon. He is so totally honest, that I believe him.

The downside then was that honey was CHEAP.

Yep. When I was in grad school in Oregon, a professor in my department kept bees and he didn't do anything but add supers and harvest honey. He told me he even let his hives (2) replace their own queens! Most everything else was simpler in the good old days too.