A scary but vital day out with our regional bee inspector
I have lots of books about bees;
I attended the beekeeping training run by my local beekeepers;
I bought the laminated cards that illustrate the main diseases that affect bees which are suitable for taking to the apiary so you can check what you see “on site”;
but I still wondered whether I could spot one of the serious diseases because, quite frankly, the photographs in the books and on the laminated cards show hexagonal comb of various colours and it is tough to distinguish those pictures from what I see in the apiary.
One of the benefits of membership of the local beekeepers’
association is that we get to find out about excellent events like the recent Bee Health & Diseases day with Keith, our regional bee inspector and his seasonal bee inspectors (SBIs) and this was so
worthwhile.
In addition to the plenary sessions, more of which later, we rotated
through 3 sessions in smaller groups.
Bee Diseases
Our first session included study of large laminated cards (possibly
larger versions of my small cards), showing American Foul Brood (AFB), European
Foul Brood (EFB) Chalk Brood, Sac Brood, etc. with an SBI pointing out the
salient features. This
was useful but not very different to studying books at home. What made a significant difference was the
chance to examine real frames showing some of these nasties. Of course, we
were kitted out with disposable personal protective equipment.
Suddenly it became much easier to spot the
difference between healthy Michelin Man larva and EFB blobs. We watched a demonstration of the difference
between the “stringing” that distinguishes AFB from EFB and the SBI used field
test kits to show how quickly these diseases can be identified in the field these
days. Most importantly we got to smell these infected frames. The stench was ghastly! I frankly have doubts about my ability to
spot AFB scale – the black scaly residue that clings to the bottom of cells –
but I believe I would spot the disease by smell alone from some distance. Likewise EFB. I am pretty sure I could spot chalk brood; I
think I could spot sac brood and at least I can test for it. We were all mightily relieved to exit the
room that held these horrors – and that smell - think fox poo and you're close!
Varroa
Our second session was all about Varroa, those insidious
little creatures that plague our bees. It
was a good chance to discuss effective and ineffective treatments and how to
use them. We even discussed how to dispose
of left over chemicals. The details on
packaging are, at best, vague.
The third session was really illuminating. We walked to an orchard on the edge of the
village where there was a large apiary and two SBIs who demonstrated how they
inspect colonies. I think my local
beekeepers had done a good job at our practical beekeeping lessons because this
wasn’t really new. Sadly, we observed a
colony with Chronic Bee Paralysis (CBP).
I suspect that if I saw a heap of dead bees outside a hive and shaking
bees, wobbly on their feet on the landing board and floor, I might think there
was something wrong but having seen the bees’ behaviour, this is something I
might now spot earlier. Apparently, a
colony may recover from CBP if they are given TLC, i.e. plenty of space and fed
but it’s not guaranteed.
Small Hive Beetle
SHB has been found in Italy and it’s believed
to be only a question of time before it comes to Blighty. Keith recommended using traps (Better Beetle
Blasters) to monitor for Small Hive Beetles.
Other parts of the world have developed techniques for dealing with
these but pending identification and control, they can reduce a the insides of
a hive to mush.
By far the scariest thing of the BHD was what we learnt about
the Asian Hornet. In their native
territory, these hornets are not a pest to the local bee population but
European bees are a different strain and Asian Hornets have spread rapidly in France
since their arrival there. These hornets
are smaller than the native European Hornet from which they can be identified
by their primarily brown colour. Keith
showed us videos from which clearly demonstrated why these insects are
such a problem to beekeepers. The link below is to the video showing how Asian Hornets patrol outside the front of beehives and catch foraging bees in mid-air before they can get back in to the hive.
The
Asian Hornets strip off the head, wings and legs and take the remains, which
includes nectar back to their nest. In
the video the French bees cluster on the landing board seemingly afraid to go out. Asian Hornets are not dependant on eating
bees. Their diet includes fruit and meat.
Honey yields in France have plummeted; there must be an effect on
pollination from the reduced activity of honey bees too.
If you spot one, please report it!
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