www.sare.org publications a-sustainable-approach-to-controlling-honey-bee-diseases-and-varroa-mites frequently-asked-questions Frequently Asked Questions Do hygienic colonies require treatments for diseases and mites? Hygienic colonies will demonstrate good behavioral resistance to AFB and chalkbrood. This means that although hygienic colonies may become infected with these diseases, the bees will rapidly remove all evidence (clinical symptoms) of the diseases, so it appears they are completely healthy. In most cases, hygienic […]
www.sare.org publications a-sustainable-approach-to-controlling-honey-bee-diseases-and-varroa-mites breeding-for-hygienic-behavior Breeding for Hygienic Behavior Any race or stock of bees can be bred for hygienic behavior. We recommend that beekeepers select for hygienic behavior from among their best breeder colonies (i.e., those that have proven to produce honey, winter well, are gentle and display all the characteristics desired by the breeder). A queen producer can get a head start […]
www.sare.org publications a-sustainable-approach-to-controlling-honey-bee-diseases-and-varroa-mites testing-honey-bee-colonies-for-hygienic-behavior Testing Honey Bee Colonies for Hygienic Behavior It is relatively easy to determine if a colony of bees displays hygienic behavior. If you are curious whether your bees express the behavior, you can test them using one of these methods. (Also see Spivak and Downey, 1998; Spivak and Reuter, 1998b). They involve presenting bees with freeze-killed or pin-killed brood and determining the […]
www.sare.org publications a-sustainable-approach-to-controlling-honey-bee-diseases-and-varroa-mites breeding-for-resistance Breeding for Resistance Our Research We began breeding honey bees for resistance to diseases and V. destructor in 1994. Honey bees bred for hygienic behavior, a genetic trait, demonstrate behavioral resistance to American foulbrood (AFB), a highly infectious bacterial disease of brood (larvae). Hygienic honey bee colonies also demonstrate resistance to chalkbrood, a fungal disease (Spivak and Reuter, […]
www.sare.org publications integrated-pest-management-for-varroa-destructor-in-the-northeastern-united-states-using-drone-brood-removal-and-formic-acid references-2 References References Calderone N. W. and Turcotte R. 1998. Development of sampling methods for estimating infestation levels of Varroa jacobsoni (Acari: Varroidae) in colonies of the honey bee, Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) J. Econ. Entomol. 91: 851-863. About the AuthorNicholas W. CalderoneInstitution: Cornell University SARE Fact Sheet # 02AGI2005
www.sare.org publications integrated-pest-management-for-varroa-destructor-in-the-northeastern-united-states-using-drone-brood-removal-and-formic-acid research-synopsis-2 Research Synopsis Research on the efficacy of drone brood removal for the management of V. destructor in colonies of the honey bee A. mellifera L. was funded by Northeast SARE, USDA and the Organic Farming Research Foundation (Santa Cruz, CA). Experimental colonies were treated with CheckMite+ in the fall. The following spring, quantities of bees and brood […]
www.sare.org publications integrated-pest-management-for-varroa-destructor-in-the-northeastern-united-states-using-drone-brood-removal-and-formic-acid important-terms Important Terms Important terms • drone and worker comb: wax comb built by bees for storing honey and pollen and for rearing drone (male) and worker (female) honey bees, respectively. The cells that make up drone comb are slightly larger than those that make up worker comb. • larva: the feeding stage of an immature insect. • […]
www.sare.org publications integrated-pest-management-for-varroa-destructor-in-the-northeastern-united-states-using-drone-brood-removal-and-formic-acid treatment-regimes treatment-regimes-page-3 Treatment Regimes, Page 3 Notes on treatment regimesBe sure to determine if the mites in your colonies are resistant to Apistan® or CheckMite+® before applying either of those products. Always use the appropriate product. There is no known resistance to formic acid (Mite-Away II) at this time. Sucrocide™ and Api-Life VAR® are not included in the treatment regimes at […]
www.sare.org publications integrated-pest-management-for-varroa-destructor-in-the-northeastern-united-states-using-drone-brood-removal-and-formic-acid treatment-regimes treatment-regimes-page-2 Treatment Regimes, Page 2 Intensive IPM program (with drone brood removal, formic acid and economic thresholds) The best strategy is to suppress mite populations during the summer with a non-chemical method, and then to treat with a natural product in the fall if the pest density exceeds the economic threshold. Drone brood removal can eliminate the need for a […]
www.sare.org publications integrated-pest-management-for-varroa-destructor-in-the-northeastern-united-states-using-drone-brood-removal-and-formic-acid treatment-regimes Treatment Regimes Treatment Regimes Modified traditional program (without drone brood removal and without economic thresholds) If you do not base your treatment decisions on an estimate of pest density, you will need to treat your colonies twice each year: once in the late winter or early spring and once near or immediately after the end of the […]