Contents
Nosema disease is a common phenomenon among bee colonies, affecting all members of the bee colony: fertile queen, working insects, drones. Tangible health problems of the bee colony can be provoked by unsuccessful wintering. This phenomenon may be associated with the introduction of productive species into an environment to which beneficial insects are in no way adapted.
Possible causes of infection
This disease begins its development after the penetration of an intracellular parasite, which received the scientific name of microsporidia nosema, common in any climatic region. Parasites arise in the intestines, where they have a destructive effect on the sensitive mucosa. Pathogenic microorganisms secrete destructive toxic substances that have a toxic effect on the bee.
Usually infection of colonies occurs in winter or early spring, in rare cases the disease occurs in autumn. Spores can be in a dormant state for a long period before the onset of favorable conditions.
As provocative causes of the spread of nosema, it is worth highlighting the following conditions:
- Heat combined with high humidity.
- Insufficient family nutrition.
- Increased amount of honeydew in feed.
- Deficiency of life-giving carbohydrates.
- Early emergence of brood.
- Negative conditions during the wintering of the bee colony.
- Lack of cleanliness in the hives.
Symptoms and treatment of nosematosis of bees are directly related to the insufficient care of the beekeeper for the apiary.
Factors affecting the development of the disease
Destroying the health of bees, nosematosis begins to develop actively, weaken the protective properties of bee colonies, if negative external conditions contribute to this, namely:
- cold hive;
- damp winter hut;
- dirty bee nest.
As a result of the progression of insidious nosematosis, 65% of existing bee colonies die, which is why the beekeeper suffers serious damage.
Symptoms of nosematosis in bees
The first signals of probable infection with nosematosis appear in working insects as early as 3-4 days after the penetration of destructive parasites. It is this period of time that represents the hidden period.
The main signal for the beekeeper, indicating destructive nosematosis, is profuse diarrhea of a watery structure in worker bees. Also, an enlarged belly can indicate pathology, which is a consequence of dysfunction of the digestive processes, resulting in protein starvation.
Due to the death of the mammary glands in worker bees, the number of seasonal brood is reduced. In fertile queens, destructive parasites infect the ovaries, as a result, the number of eggs laid is sharply reduced.
Diagnostic methods
If there is a suspicion of the development of nosematosis, then the proposed diagnosis is clarified. For this purpose, one individual is selected, the sharp part of the sting is removed from it with tweezers, the intestines are removed, and they are carefully examined. In infected insects, the intestines swell, the intestines acquire a light color, noticeably lose their firmness and elasticity.
Treatment of bees from nosematosis
Treatment of nosematosis of bees in autumn should be carried out in a timely manner, otherwise the beekeeper has a risk of losing all broods. To begin with, the remaining individuals are sent to a cleansing flyby.
Upon their return, they are placed in clean houses, and dirty dwellings are thoroughly disinfected. The feed used is changed to fresh, infected queens are removed. The next step is to create the conditions necessary for a comfortable bee brood.
Preparations for nosematosis of bees
Treatment of nosematosis and prevention consists in the treatment with special preparations. For this purpose, the following effective compositions are used:
- common Fumagillin;
- effective Nosemacid;
- Enteroseptol;
- Sulfadimezin.
How and when to give Nosema to bees in the fall
For preventive purposes, an effective Nosemat is used in the fall, which strengthens the resistance of families to such infections. It is dissolved in sugar syrup, then fed to insects. In autumn, bee frames are powdered. The drug is used on the basis of the calculation of 5-6 g of powder per 1 bee frame. Feed in the amount of 0,05 g per 1 frame.
Treatment of bees from nosematosis in autumn
Prevention of nosematosis in bees in autumn is a necessary procedure to protect bee colonies. After removing the shops in the hives, it is necessary to treat the bees with a natural alcohol tincture of wormwood. This composition is made quite simply: 100 g of dried wormwood is poured into 1 liter of alcohol of 70% strength. Until ready, the mixture stands in a cool place for 10 days.
In order for the prevention of nosematosis in the fall to be successful, it is enough to use 10 ml of the resulting product per 1 liter of ordinary sugar syrup. Consumption is based on 1 liter per family. After the last extraction of honey, the beekeeper performs the autumn treatment of bees from nosematosis with disinfectants in order to disinfect the hive. For this purpose, solutions of lye or store-bought “Whiteness”, household “Mole” are suitable for cleaning blockages in pipes.
Treatment of nosematosis in bees with folk remedies
Autumn prevention of bees from nosematosis and treatment also involve the use of folk recipes. Experienced beekeepers heal families with the following simple remedies:
- Natural tincture of garlic – 1 ml of the finished healing composition is added to 200-250 ml of the syrup mass.
- Strong tincture of hot pepper – 1 ml of an effective composition is consumed per 40 liter of syrup (for this, 50 g of dried pepper are steamed with 1 liter of boiling water).
- Sorrel tincture.
- Traditional composition of wormwood.
All these measures will help eliminate such an undesirable phenomenon as the spread of the Nosema parasite.
In addition to pharmaceutical plants, life-giving tansy flowers save from insidious nosematosis. In the hive, the resulting product is placed between two layers of gauze on the frame. The agent is kept for two days, after which it is removed with a break for 5 days, then the manipulation is repeated again.
Natural thyme is used to treat nests from Nosema parasites. A decoction based on it is also treated with bee nests. For this purpose, 100 fresh leaves of the plant are pureed in a meat grinder, the resulting mass is placed between the gauze layer in a nest frame. After 4 days, laying is repeated again.
Coniferous flour is suitable for preventive purposes, the aroma of which is not tolerated by harmful mites, which are carriers of destructive diseases. After 12 hours, they fall to the bottom of the bee hive, losing their natural ability to move further, the medicinal dust clogs the suction cups on their paws. To process a bee nest, 60 g of coniferous flour is suitable.
Treatment of bees with wormwood from nosematosis
An effective folk remedy for combating insidious nosematosis of bee colonies is pharmacy wormwood. 500 g of dried raw materials are steamed in 10 liters of boiling water, after which the container is insulated and infused for 2 days. The filtered agent is carefully filtered and mixed with sugar syrup. For each liter, 100 ml of the finished composition is consumed. The mixed composition is given out in the amount of 100 g for each bee frame. The next prevention of nosematosis of bees in autumn by wormwood reduces the infection of colonies to 80%.
Also, a medicinal collection created on the basis of pine buds and pharmacy wormwood, collected during the period of active flowering, has excellent performance in strengthening the immunity of bee colonies. The collection includes:
- 10 liters of purified water;
- 900 g of wormwood collected during the flowering period;
- 50 g of pharmacy wormwood, collected during the period of active growth of green mass;
- 50 g fresh buds of natural coniferous pine.
Preventive measures
To prevent the spread of destructive parasites of insidious nosematosis in the bee population, each beekeeper must take certain preventive measures:
- Annually carry out the planned change of honeycombs.
- Worn honeycombs are subjected to a firebox.
- Frames are boiled in a solution of caustic soda after cutting old sushi.
- During wintering, the bees are fed with natural sugar, replacing 50% of the feed with this composition.
- Do not allow the presence of unsettled frames in the hives for the wintering period.
- Spread families resistant to various ailments, unite the weak in the fall.
- Create a good ventilation of the hive to prevent dampness.
- Every year in the spring, clean and disinfect the bee hive.
- Honeydew honey is not suitable for feeding bees in winter.
- Create a comfortable environment for cleaning and disinfecting the hive.
- Do not breed fruiting queens in colonies infected with Nosema.
- Change productive queens in suspicious colonies.
- Acquired families are placed in a certain quarantine.
- Maintain an optimal temperature of 4-5 ° C in winter and a humidity level not higher than 75-85%.
- Regularly insulate the bee hive.
Also, for preventive purposes, Fumagilin is added to the traditional syrup at the end of summer, the consumption of the composition is 50 ml per 1 liter of natural syrup, 100 g of ready-mixed syrup goes to the frame.
Conclusion
Nosematosis is an insidious phenomenon, the spread of which should not be allowed by any beekeeper in his hive. Fulfillment of simple sanitary requirements for keeping insects, rational preventive measures will help prevent this disease of bees. The regular use of beekeeping methods aimed at improving the health of bee colonies also helps to strengthen the immunity of insects. All these actions guarantee the health of the bees, the excellent productivity of the hive as a whole. Careful treatment of bees from nosematosis in the fall is an action that every beekeeper should take into account. These measures will help increase the profitability of any apiary.
