2. Hugh A. Smith (MSc. BSc.) Senior Plant Protection Officer Apiculture Unit March 2012

10. Drone cells Honey

16.  Varroa destructor is an external parasitic mitemite  It was until recently mislabeled as Varroa jacobsoni.  It can only replicate in a honeybee colony.  It attaches at the body of the bee and weakens the bee by sucking haemolymph. In this process the mite may also spread RNA viral agents and bacteria to the bee.haemolymphRNA viralbacteria

17.  Varroa destructor was until recently thought to be a closely related mite species called Varroa jacobsoni.  Both species parasitize the Asian honey bee, Apis cerana.  The mite species originally described as V. jacobsoni by Oudemans in 1904 is part of the same species complex, but not the same species that made the jump to Apis mellifera.Oudemans  That jump probably first took place in the Philippines in the early 1960’s. Philippines  This late identification in 2000 by Anderson and Trueman led to some confusion and mislabeling in the scientific literature.

22.  Synchronized with that of its honey bee host;  The female lays eggs in bee brood cells.  Developing mites feed on developing honey bee larvae.  Males and females copulate in the cell.  The male dies, but pregnant females emerge from the cell along with their bee host and seek another cell to repeat the cycle.  It is thought the length of the post capping period in honey bees is an important indicator of eventual infestation.

28.  Chemical ◦ Apistan™ ◦ Apiguard™ ◦ Others  Non –Chemical ◦ Traps / hive designs ◦ Brood Management ◦ Stock Selection

29.  Resistance  Determine a colony's infestation level  Monitor effectiveness of the treatment.  Integrated Pest Management

32. Prevention Drone trapping Screen Bottom Board Inspection and monitoring Sticky board or sugar roll Least toxic control methods (soft treatment) Formic acid, mineral oil Last resort Apistan or Checkmite

34.  Reddish Brown to Black in colour;  Measures 5mm in length;  1/3 honey bees size  Very hard shell; and  May live up to 6mths.

36.  Cream to off-white in colour;  Measures: ◦ Length 1.1cm; ◦ Diameter 0.16 cm  Resemble the wax moth larvae but have spines;  Pupate between 10 - 16dys

39.  Larvae attacks and feeds on honey and pollen;  Consume honeybee eggs and larvae of all stages;  Dripping of honey in the hive;  Honey usually ferments and produces an unpleasant odour;and  Odour repels the honeybee.

40.  Mechanical control traps (PVC)  Bottom Board trap with honey attached  Bait traps  In hive treatment  Outside hive treatment ◦ Soil treatment

41. Adult Wax Moth

50.  Red ants  Black ants  Termites

52.  AFB is caused by a bacterium called Paenibacillus larvae subsp. larvae.  This bacterium forms spores when subjected to stress (such as lack of nutrients);  it is these spores that actually cause the disease.

53. This disease of honeybee brood affects sealed brood and has characteristic symptoms, which may include the following:  Pepper-pot brood pattern  Sunken, greasy or perforated, darkened cappings  Roping, sticky larval remains  Dark scales, difficult to remove from cells

54. Honey Brood

55. Bacteria that attacks brood – SMELLS BAD!

57. Cell cap sunken & open

60. Stick a toothpick into larva cell. You see goo instead of larva.

63.  The beekeeper  Robbing of dead or dying infected colonies Adult bees and brood combs  Imported Honey and Bee Products  Reduce robbing  All infected colonies are destroyed

65. Wolfgang Ritter etal;  American foulbrood (AFB), Paenibacillus larvae studied in in vitro rearings, ◦3-1384 spores per larva at a larval age of 24-28 h. ◦ with three spores died before day 6, ◦30% died at day 4, 36h before the time of capping. ◦Day 4, approximately 480 000 bacterial colonies were cultured per larvae inoculated ◦ Day 3 nurse bees removed 40% and 50 % of the infected larvae before disease symptoms are visible.

66.  Match Stick Test  Milk Test  Honey Sampling

67. R M Goodwin etal. (1996)  An alternative means of identifying ◦ to test adult honey bees for the presence of B. larvae spores ◦ samples of adult bees can test positive for the presence of B. larvae spores without their colonies exhibiting clinical symptoms of AFB ◦ limits the value of the test in identifying hives with clinical AFB symptoms.

70.  Close the hive  Reduce the hive entrance to prevent robbing - take other steps if necessary  Disinfect your beekeeping equipment especially hive tool and wash hands before examining other colonies

71.  Contact the Apiculture Unit (The Chief Plant Protection Officer)  Bee Control Act  Have Disease confirmed  Destroy Diseased beehive  Antibiotic oxytetracycline (as the formulation Terramycin®). (NO NO FOR Jamaica)

72.  Chemical ◦ Antibiotics ◦ Impact of Chemical Treatment  Non-chemical ◦ Jamaica Beekeeping Act/ Regulations ◦ New Zealand Method

73. Journal of Apicultural Research Vol. 38 (3-4) pp. 149-158 in 1999 Toxicity tests for adult bees - ◦no impact & ◦degradation time in honey was about 60 days. ◦AFB was effectively controlled by oxytetracycline hydrochloride and Terramycin but in all cases, colonies exhibited disease recurrence from five to 10 months after treatment.

74. Journal of Apicultural Research Vol. 40 (2) pp. 65-69   by M L Del Hoyo etal;  Colonies exhibiting clinical symptoms of American foulbrood were divided into 2 groups : ◦Shaking adult bees into a new hive; ◦Shaking adult bees in front of the entrance to a new hive. ◦ Honey bee and honey samples were taken before shaking and 1, 22, 44 and 66 days after shaking. ◦Reduction in the number of colony-forming units in honey bee and honey samples ◦Honey and honey bee samples were positive for the presence of P. I. larvae ◦No AFB clinical symptoms detected in the honey bee colonies after 5 months,

75. AFB Equipment Destroyed St. Thomas QuantityEstimated Values Single25250000 Double801120000 Triple24408000 Quadruple122000 Hive Covers20899840 Hive Bodies488351360 Bottom Board20296960 Frames74253424 Queen Excluders115280 Shallow Supers95760 Nucs1310400 $2,423,024

76. PESTICIDES  More is NEVER Better  NEVER during Honey Flow!!  NEVER into a honey super

77. Burn This is the only way to effectively destroy the disease. Other chemical treatments only mask the symptoms and it can return at a later time.

79.  Chalk white.  Sometimes mottled with black spots  Watery to paste-like.  Does not adhere to cell wall.  Brittle. Chalky white, mottled or even black

87.  Varroa impact on colony – But dead hives were not heavily infested  Chemical – 170 chemicals (Sick and healthy) No single chemical weaken bee health  Fungi and bacteria – infestation low in CCD hives  Isreali Acute Paralysis Virus – Produce symptoms of CCD (high in CCD hives)  Others - …………..?????????

88.  Note: Most of the pictures used in this presentation are not the property of the presenter