Got some capped frames from a beekeeper who lost hive to robbing. She said she saw deformed wings. She treated with apivar, but must have had a high count.
Would you feed that honey to your bees?
I read where dwv does not transmit except through mites.
TO ALL: I asked this queiiton fo Prof. SO & SO, a couple of years back - he was coy at first and said what is wrong with sryup? I investigated - one Source of data summarizes nicely -
Honey bees are infected with many different kinds of viruses. However, most virus infections are not problematic, if the honey bee colony is healthy and does not experience chronic stress.
extension.psu.edu
Major Points:
Routes of transmission
Viruses can be readily transmitted within and between honey bee colonies, and can also be transmitted among other bee and insect species in the area. Transmission can occur from drone to queen during mating, from queen to egg, from nurses to larvae during feeding, and between workers during trophallaxis, or through the environment,
particularly when bees feed on contaminated food, such as contaminated honey stores in the colony or contaminated flowers in the field.
Reduce between-colony transmission
Viral infections tend to be higher in areas with a higher density of honey bee colonies. Beekeepers can reduce transmission between colonies by:
- Limiting the number of colonies in an apiary
- Orienting the colonies to reduce drift of infected bees. Colonies can be spaced farther apart, face in different directions, or have different markings.
- Not moving frames from a colony that is exhibiting symptoms of virus infection to another colony.
- Cleaning hives tools or other equipment with alcohol after inspecting a colony showing symptoms of viral infection.
- Provide bees with high-quality diets
I followed this advice for a long time, 4-5 years, and now have all healthy hives. I raise my own bees and buy quality queens. I started feeding honey scraps this Fall from extracting - wet buckets and such. I primarily winter the hives via Fall syrup feeding. I am watching to see what happens?
