Wednesday, January 24, 2018

NOSEMA!! ARGH!!

Beekeepers Fred and Gerard are both seeing signs of Nosema in some of their hives this winter.  I don't know about Gerard, but I didn't add any Fumigilan during my fall feeding.  Fumigilan kills/controls the Nosema apis bacteria.  Nosema apis bacteria are present in all hives all year long, but can overwhelm the bees during winter.  The following photos demonstrate the symptoms of a Nosema infection.

To try to save the situation I have added a little Fumigilan to my sugar bricks.  Time will tell.  Next fall I will again be adding Fumigilan to my fall feeding sugar syrup.
Bee diarrhea by winter entrance

 Spotted landing board
Spotted landing board.  Note dead bees in front of hive.  Also note the entrance reducer is purposely installed upside down to prevent dead bees from blocking entrance.

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