# nosema



## ajneal30 (Dec 19, 2013)

I lost a hive sometime in the last few days. They were out flying three days ago, every one of them are dead this morning. They had plenty of sugar stores but there is feces EVERYWHERE. How can I clean and sanitize that hive to use again?


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

There are two types of Nosema. The worst one is Nosema Creana.
Looks like this mess. 



If caught in time you can many times save the bees by misting them with syrup and Fumigillan B. Frames and bodies can be scraped clean then either sat in direct sun lite for 48 hours or in a heat source 120F for 24 hours.
I didn't like the sun light method as it usually melted the comb/foundation. I made a box with a light bulb as the heat source and a thermostat to keep the box at 120F for 24 hours.

Each spring give the bees a gallon of syrup with the correct amount of Fumigillan mixed in. Then do the same thing in the fall to prevent the mess.


 Al


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## ajneal30 (Dec 19, 2013)

This is the hive. Not nearly as bad as the pic you posted. We treated with Fumigillan B in the syrup this fall. This hive did not take any of it. We had thought of misting them, but it's been pretty cold here and didn't want to kill them by trying to save them. 
Thanks for the lightbulb idea, that is something we should be able to do easily.


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## k9 (Feb 6, 2008)

Thank you Al, i learned something from you again today, also i am kicking myself in the posterior today.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Nosema creana first popped up bad here in Michigan in 2009 or 10. I would have to go back in our records to know for sure. No one in the USA had a clue what was going on. It was the University of Guelph in Ont. Canada that came thru with the treatment.

Since they stop eating giving them syrup does no good but they are clean freaks so misting them with syrup that is mixed with Fumigillan B 3 times a week for about 3 weeks will cure most of them. Of course you shake them out of the messy hive into a clean one.

Keep in mind wax melts at 140F when using the light bulb heat source.

 Al


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## GeoCitizen (Feb 24, 2014)

Nosema, if that's what you really have, is caused by spores and difficult to actually totally eliminate. When you consider the cost of buying a new queen and new package of bees or if you can start from a split hive and consider the lost time in getting a new hive up to strength, then why would you want to take a half hearted approach? If I lost an entire hive (no living bees...zero...nada...zip) I would harvest the comb for candles and burn the frames. New frames are a very small cost considering the time and effort to get a hive off the ground. Then I would take some serious heat to the box (or get it paraffin dipped). It makes no sense to put healthy bees in harms way, but that's me.

If the hive still has lots of ailing, but viable living members, I would use the Fumigillan and really pamper this colony. For me it's all about time. I travel for work and really don't have a great deal of bee-quality time. If I'm going to start over, I really want to stack the deck in my favor. Starting over also reduces the chances of cross contamination if you have multiple hives. Again, I would only destroy hardware if I had a total colony loss. 

http://www.honeybeesuite.com/how-to-clean-up-from-nosema-apis/


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

I agree with Geo. I don't take chances with disease. The cost of new equipment is small compared to loosing another hive or possibly spreading it to other hives.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Not every one in todays world is flush enough to buy new equipment and add in the 100.00 plus for a Nuc or over 100 for a 3 pound package.

The treatments for Nosema Creana were developed by a group at a Canadians bee lab.

I know it works as I have had to do it along with many other bee keepers in my neck of the woods.

 Al


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## ajneal30 (Dec 19, 2013)

That hive was totally dead. Other hives have now started to show mild signs of getting it as well. Fumagillan is already mixed into buckets of syrup ready to go on the hives. Wouldn't you know, it snowed the next day. I will make some up in bottle to mist as well as soon as it gets warm enough to do it.


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## GLOCK (Nov 22, 2012)

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMDN7r1SfbY[/ame]


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## k9 (Feb 6, 2008)

GLOCK...thanks for the post.


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## GeoCitizen (Feb 24, 2014)

Alleyyooper - You are correct. This is a hobby for me and with one hive (soon to be two) this amount of money is fortunately not a problem. Thanks for bringing me back to reality. I totally understand that some are not "flush" enough to purchase new hardware, but somehow they find a way to buy new bees and a queen to start the contamination process all over again. Despite a modest income, a beekeeper needs to do something to address the problem. Its just not prudent to put good bees into to a contaminated hive and hope for different results! Beekeeping is not so much about luck as it is understanding how things work.

Nosema for all its destruction is controllable with Fumagilan, but that's not an inexpensive solution either. In fact a quick web pricing found 20 frames cost about $50 while Fumagilan for the same hive is about $30. So we are talking a $20 spread which can be substantial for those of modest means or substantial for those of more means but lots of hives!

This year I treated prophylactically in the fall even though I had no indication of infection. I'm going to hit them again in the spring, then follow up with some essential oils throughout my spring feeding. Another beekeeper and myself split a large bottle of Fumagilin. That keeps the cost down too. My goal is to be chemical free by 2016.

Of the three options (hardware, Fumagilin or do nothing), the worst possible choice is to do nothing and introduce new bees to a contaminated hive. Its just not a good use of limited funds.


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## GeoCitizen (Feb 24, 2014)

Glock - that's a great video. I'm going to see if we can play it at our next beekeeper meeting. I already knew 80% of what he said, but I've never seen it presented so clearly and all in one place! I really liked it. I've always wanted to buy a good microscope and look at bee guts, but I could never justify such an expense (to my wife). ( I keep hoping she would go out buy something impractical so I could retaliate! )

I would really be interested in hearing from other beekeepers who bought a microscope to aid in beekeeping. What do you think and what do your recommend? Was it worth it and do you use it for anything else?


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

I was thinking the same thing Geo! I'm looking for more info on what I'd want to look for in a microscope.


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