Can you treat for nosema in the spring?

[Birnambeekeeper]

I read the posts last year about thymol syrup helping with nosema - bought all the stuff methylated spirits the granules etc then never got round to doing it in the autumn.. Now worried about a couple colonies. Am I too late? Is it possible to squeeze in some treatment before the first flows? I'm pretty northern so not much as yet.

 

[Finman]

.
Read something about nosema life cycle. Not forum stuff but universitys text.

.

 

[Birnambeekeeper]

Have I missed something obvious ? I will look it up

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I think what Finman is trying to say is if they've survived thus far they should be alright - the trouble will start again next autumn so feed thymolised syrup then - do it now and you will taint any honey for no good reason.
and you shouldn't feed them antibiotics unless you really have to - in which case you may consider just leaving them die out rather than pumping antibiotics everywhere -(there's 'natural' for you)

 

[Midland Beek]

Have I missed something obvious ? I will look it up

Yes.

Thymol crystals in methylated spirits is meant to stop the spoiling/fermemting of any syrup you might feed, and not help control Nosema disease.

Someone might be kind enough to find and post the link to Hivemaker's now famous DIY recipie ... for dealing with Nosema disease.

 

[Finman]

I think what Finman is trying to say is if they've survived thus far they should be alright - the trouble will start again next autumn so feed thymolised syrup then - do it now and you will taint any honey for no good reason.
and you shouldn't feed them antibiotics unless you really have to - in which case you may consider just leaving them die out rather than pumping antibiotics everywhere -(there's 'natural' for you)

That is right. And yield season is on. You cannot hive any treanments now into hives without spoiling the honey.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes.

Thymol crystals in methylated spirits is meant to stop the spoiling/fermemting of any syrup you might feed, and not help control Nosema disease.

Someone might be kind enough to find and post the link to Hivemaker's now famous DIY recipie ... for dealing with Nosema disease.

Aren't there two dilutions?
I always understood there was one for spoiling and one for control?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Yes.

Thymol crystals in methylated spirits is meant to stop the spoiling/fermemting of any syrup you might feed, and not help control Nosema disease.

Someone might be kind enough to find and post the link to Hivemaker's now famous DIY recipie ... for dealing with Nosema disease.

Hmm - some might disagree with you - see this link to a study by the universities of Ege and Thrace where thymolised syrup was found to have a beneficial effect on overwintering bees.A lower concentraton is used to stop the syrup going mouldy.
http://www.scialert.net/qredirect.php?doi=pjbs.2005.1142.1145&linkid=pdf

Here's a link to Hivemakers excellent post on mixing thymol not i hasten to add using meths
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6513

 

[Birnambeekeeper]

It's surgical spirit I meant! Not sure meths would be ideal in the feed..

 

[Midland Beek]

Yes. Like you I meant surgical spirit.

 

[winmag270]

I use isoporopanol (isopropyl alcohol) to make Thymol Emulsion, as per HM's recipe, being a water soluble alcohol i find it gives a more stable emulsion....


plus i have it in the lab at work, so get it for free....

 

[Birnambeekeeper]

I will find out how things are tomorrow when I go through all my hives - hopefully not too much of the spring dwindling. thanks all for the advice

 

[victor meldrew]

I use isoporopanol (isopropyl alcohol) to make Thymol Emulsion, as per HM's recipe, being a water soluble alcohol i find it gives a more stable emulsion....


plus i have it in the lab at work, so get it for free....

Check with HM, He now adds Lecithin to aid emulsification as thymol has been noticed floating on top of syrup when using just Isoporopanol and thymol
VM

 

[Into the lions den]

I will find out how things are tomorrow when I go through all my hives - hopefully not too much of the spring dwindling. thanks all for the advice

Good luck.

Some apiaries are showing a lot of spring dwindle right now, though predominantly they are fine. All apiaries have an abundance of pollen, and have enough stores remaining from their autumn feed not to need any syrup at all this spring. Plenty brood too, and hope a good deal of it hatches before the temps collapse again for the predicted cooler than normal April.

We are experiencing the type of steep dwindle the US cousins refer to as 'instant spring' stress, common in bees that are hauled out of snow to go to the almonds in California. It has all come on too hot and too fast before the bees were actually ready for it and SOME colonies are now suffering. Not going to stir up a hornets nest on here by saying just which colonies, but there IS a pattern, and we can pretty well predict whether a group will be showing this issue or not before we even lift the lid on a single hive. Its not a major crisis or anything like it, just the old bees have worked too hard the last couple of weeks and are burnt out before the brood has really started to hatch. They will rebound soon.

Quite concerned now that the early OSR fields, brought forward at a silly speed by this weather pattern, will now conduct most of their flowering during a chilly April, and by the time the good weather returns (and the last few years are a cautionary tale in that respect about what happens when the good spring spell breaks down) the crop getting window will have largely gone past. Suspect we could be looking at a 2 month long 'June gap'. Have seen OSR do all its flowering during periods of 'wintry showers' in these parts before, and that sadly is the current forecast.

ps...............nosema is implicated in slow spring build up, and a judicious treatment can help with that. Cannot advise on what to do in your situation. Have not treated for nosema in any shape or form for over 20 years. Not had any problem that way since moving over to the designer bee feed syrups and all stores are then guaranteed to be perfectly well 'found', thus reducing the risks of dysentry associated with both ordinary syrup not properly ripened or going a little 'off' already in the feeder, or heather honey.