From: "deelusbybeekeeper" <deelusbybeekeeper@excelonline.com>
Date: Mon, 8 Oct 2001 21:42:19 -0700
To: <BiologicalBeekeeping@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: Re: How do you tell diseases apart

Clay wrote:
> Could you list the effects TM has on bees(specifically)? Cutting the life
> span in half is a staggering number Dee. Glad I quite using it quite some
> time ago. The stuff is just a quick fix, yet doesn't ever really fix the
> problem.

Reply:
First of all Clay, I wrote a little about this on beesource.com in chapter
10 which can be read at:

http://www.beesouce.com/pov/lusby/part10.htm titled: Recycling Beeswax Part
1, Background...Decontamination...Is it necessary?

I did not think I had to go into so much detail because it's been used for
so long with our bees, and other livestock (formerly sold as a preservative
for poultry meat to be cooked also), namely cattle, pigs, sheep, fowl, that
I thought every one knew about it and it's proper usage and things to look
out for.

First of all Clay, bees have to have access to lots of water when being
given terramycin, just like other animals to keep them from binding up
inside, and consuming terramycin can be disasterous if done too quickly.
That's why it is always mixed with something else to extend it and slow it
intake down concerning bees. For dusting it used to be about 5 day intervals
for about 3 times doing, aka the weekly doping routine for commercial with
stoppage at least 4 weeks prior to honeyflow to prevent contamination of
marketable honey.

For syrup feeding, and again it was weekly intervals for 3 feedings or so
with commercial stoppage at least 4 weeks prior to honeyflow to prevent
contamination of marketable honey again.

Now you asked about harm to bees Clay, but terramycin carries warning for us
too! So since there are new beekeepers here, the usual warning when using
is:

All terramycin medicated supplements should be fed early in the spring or
fall and consumed by the bees before main honey flow begins to avoid
contamination of production honey.Honey or syrup stored during medication
periods in combs for surplus honey is to be/or should be removed following
final medicaiton of the bee colony and must not be used for human food (but
how many are really told this and actually do it?).Honey from bee colonies
likely to be infected with foul brood should not be used for preparation of
medicated syrup supplements since it may be contaminated with spores of foul
brood and may result in spreading the disease.(which means medicated syrup
supplements with terramycin that probably don't really work so well and with
laced diseased foul honey you will end up getting sick bees.).

So now we got something you have to use a lot of water with, have to stop
using 4 weeks prior to main flow, cannot have stored in colony, and is not
for human consumption.

Now let's go on to more of what you wanted to know now Clay. Bailey & Ball
have written that you must prevent bees from consuming terramycin too
quickly, and to allow it to become mixed gradually with other food that is
in the colony or given subsequently because the antibiotic is toxic for bees
and brood and they referenced Gochnauer in 1954 concerning this. However
Villeneuve (in Canada I believe) reported that when terramycin is used, the
life expectancy of the bees is reduced by 50%. This was reported back in
1980 (Bee-Keepings, bee diseases, Conseil des Production vegetales du
Quebec, AGDEX 616: 1-15). Further , terramycin kills its beneficial
bacterial flora, enhancing the growth of yeasts and molds, particularly
Ascosphaera apis which causes the chalk brood. So as more TM is needed and
beekeepers have been known to use higher concentrations, besides more often
with extender patties sometimes all year long, it is no wonder Clay that
chalk brood disease has mushroomed out of control also in some areas. So
basically, beneficial bacteria flora is killed and the growth of chalk
enhancing yeasts and molds is put in its place inside of our colonies,
throwing the delicate natural internal balance out of wack.

Also Clay, beneficial bacteria are needed for digestion of food by bees, so
besides the chalk, think also about internal problems within the bees guts also
starting, besides the shortened life span, now added to something you have
to use a lot of water with, to have to stop using 4 weeks prior to main
flow, cannot have stored in colony, and is not for human consumption.

This was enough above to turn us off and go to propolis patties in 1994/95
thereabouts and in 1996 I even talked about this at the AHPA producers
national meeting in Corpus Christi, Tex

Hope this is enough info for you.

Best regards,

Dee A. Lusby