Hello all! We are new to beekeeping and to here.
In this past week we have been spotting signs of Nosema in our hive, adults dying on the landing board with mustard looking poop coming out, mustard colored spots on the landing board and on the front of the hive...
I have been feeding them 1:1 sugar water because in TN here, we are in a drought. All of the stuff I have read says that the disease disappears in the summer.This hive was started form a package and a weak nuc this year. Any suggestions for both treatment and possible cause?
Thanks
Sounds like nosema? Never heard of it in the summer, did you start your bees in new equipment? Old equipment that has nosema spores can survive a long time, but a strong hive shouldnt have any trouble this time of year. Treat with Fumagillen-B but you will have to remove any surplus supers because it will contaminate the honey for human consumption. There is a good book out Honey Bee Pests, Predators, & Diseases by Roger A. Morse third edition. It will give great detail about any disease that honey bees get and methods of treatment. A good reference book for the shelf.
I didnt know that feeding bees would stress them? Seem like in a drought situation its better to feed than let them die out in the winter from lack of food. To my knowledge Nosema occurs mainly in winter because of the long confinement. I know when my bowels get stopped up I dont feel well.
Everything was new except for the frames that came with the nuc. According to the man that I bought the nuc from, the reason it took so long to fill my order for the nuc is he had to wait for the bees to draw out the frames. So it sounds like they were new (sort of).
What kind of sugar are you using? You should feed only white refined sugar, not confectary sugar, that will cause nosema in a heartbeat. I use confectary (powdered) sugar to treat for mites, but once it is cleaned up, there is no recurring problem.
dysentery is a disease that can be caused by many things including nosema and bad/fermented feed. At this time of year the bad feed is more likely than nosema. I would not treat for nosema without testing for it first. Just keep the feed refreshed.
That truly could be the issue. We refreshed the feed several days ago, I will keep a eye on them to see if it clears up. Thanks for all the advice, I truly appreciate it.
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