Although I am not done with deadout analysis it appears that
most of my hives that succumbed this winter died out due to either a viral or
bacterial infection. I did see signs of
the SMS (Serratia Marcescens Sicaria) bacterial infection in several of my
deadouts, but without a full fledged biological lab it is hard to be certain. In previous years I addressed
deadouts simply by cleaning out all the dead bees and scrapping the bottom
board. This had always been sufficient
when I thought I was combating a viral infection. I was
unsure if this simple cleanup method was sufficient for addressing hives that
had succumbed to SMS. I thought the SMS bacteria could not survive
the cold of Wisconsin winter without a warm host; either the bees or
varroa.
Being unsure I went to the expert on SMS infections; Professor
James Burritt at UW-Stout. Here is his
response.
“Great to
get your message. My best estimation is that the bacterium does not remain
viable on the equipment or hive parts. Our results suggest the bacterium is
transmitted by live Varroa mites. Don’t hesitate to ask any questions you
like, and we can talk by phone if that would be helpful.
Very
best,
Jim”
So I plan to continue using my present deadout cleaning
process as described above. Also please
note that it is varroa that transmits this bacteria to the bees so make sure
you monitor mite populations and conduct a mite control program.
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