Nosema C

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Hivemaker.

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The sudden collapse of honeybee colonies around the world, a condition identified in 2004, is most likely caused by the parasite Nosema ceranae, not the human causes alleged by environmental activist groups, Spanish researchers have reported in Environmental Microbiology Reports, a journal of the Society for Applied Microbiology.

The researchers reached their conclusion after studying a large number of affected colonies and finding Nosema ceranae as the only common thread among them.

Since 2004, honeybee populations around the world have been succumbing to Colony Collapse Disorder, characterized by worker bees leaving their hives and dying off without returning. Loss rates have varied from 30 percent to 90 percent of regional colonies.

With no known cause to account for the die-offs, environmental activists blamed everything from pesticides to cell phones to global warming.


Single Common Link

In April, Dr. Mariano Higes, lead researcher at the Bee Pathology Laboratory in Spain, announced scientists had found the likely cause. The parasite Nosema ceranae was found in all the bee populations they studied.

Once that was discovered, the Spanish science team introduced fumagillin—an antibiotic—into the affected bee colonies. It cleared the parasite and halted colony collapse. Many colonies began to rebuild their numbers shortly thereafter.


Activist Theories Refuted

Higes had hypothesized pesticides were responsible for Colony Collapse Disorder, but his early research convinced him his hypothesis was wrong. For many of the affected colonies, no significant amount of pesticides could be found. The signatures of other asserted factors, such as cell phones and global warming, were likewise missing from many affected colonies.

While the study has brought promising results in Europe, North American colonies have yet to be studied or treated for Nosema ceranae. The European and North American parasites are somewhat different, though in Canada colonies treated with fumagillin have seen recoveries.

“Now that we know one strain of parasite that could be responsible, we can look for signs of infection and treat any infected colonies before the infection spreads,” Higes said in a media statement.


Media ‘Strangely Silent’

“This is the same thing that happened with frogs when amphibians were declining,” said Sterling Burnett, a senior fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis. “The environmental activists were quick to point their finger at global warming, pesticides, and other human activities, when it turned out entirely natural factors were the cause.

“Of course, after the activists’ media allies sounded the alarm that pesticides and global warming are killing frogs and bees, they became strangely silent about reporting the exculpatory evidence that natural factors are to blame,” Burnett added. “The general public has no idea that humans in fact were not to blame, unless they subscribe to and read academic journals.”

http://www.heartland.org/publicatio...25514/Parasite_Tied_to_Global_Bee_Deaths.html
 
I`m getting my hives tested in April for Nosema. What`s the best cure if it shows up?
I know there`s Fumidil B, Vita Feed Gold & Nozevit but I have no expereience of any of them.

Darren.
 
that'll be utter pollocks then!
ALWAYS check your sources - the "Heartland Organisation" is an organisation incredibly ironically calling itself a "Think tank" (which would suppose they had the basic equipment)......
A rabid US neocon lobbying organisation, funded amongst others by Exxon, the makers and purveyors of GM frankencrap - AND the tobacco companies, and have recently been lobbying hard trying to rubbish any suggestion of man-made global warming on behalf of their supporters from the planet-wrecking companies.......
Not the slightest problem of any bias there then!

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Heartland_Institute
 
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LOL, so you rekon the scientist Dr Mariano Higes is it bit of of crank then regarding research into nosema ceranae.

Darren i would get them tested as soon as possible if your going to,first warmish day when they are flying,just collect a sample at the entrance.
 
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I`m getting my hives tested in April for Nosema. What`s the best cure if it shows up?
I know there`s Fumidil B, Vita Feed Gold & Nozevit but I have no expereience of any of them.

Darren.

I is like question: Am I pregnant

Answer: When you get my answer, you allready know that.

So darren, when you get the results, nosema has done it's evil job.
 
I've no doubt that "he" (I believe it's an androgynous name) has done sterling work that has shown nosema can kill bees (we knew that), but people like the Heartland Org lot are trying to say that this completely exonerates all other possible causes of CCD (particularly those nice cuddly pesticides) - a swift Google will show that several US commentators are remarking that there are many losses from CCD where there is no nosema.............which rather shoots that down in flames!
Anything from the Heartland organisation should be treated with considerable suspicion............:)

and the NCPA are ............. another "somewhere to the right of Genghis Khan" thinktank..........http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Center_for_Policy_Analysis
 
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Last year pure Nosema C contamination killed 42 hives wintering yard in Finland. Every hive.

The same beekeeper's another yard had 30 hives and it was contaminated but hives were alive in spring.

Most of Nosema killed hives have boath nosema apis and ceranae.
 
I`m getting my hives tested in April for Nosema. What`s the best cure if it shows up?
I know there`s Fumidil B, Vita Feed Gold & Nozevit but I have no expereience of any of them.

Darren.

If you're that far 'down the road' you may be wasting your time. Nosema apis (and now probably nosema cerana) are quite likely present in all colonies. Treatment of fumagillin works on the adult stage of the fungus working as a spore inhibitor only, the causitory spores are not affected and therefore on passing through the bee and into the hive, will infect the bees that are engaged in cleaning. Fumagil B is a preventative treatment. A good strong colony and a dose of Fumagil B in autumn is the best way of dealing with it. many colonies recover with the good weather but it is a killer and can lead to early queen supersedure.
 
I don`t know that I have a problem with nosema at the moment, it`s just that my local BKA have a day in April where you can take your samples in and have them checked. I`ve got a microscope, just got to learn to use it.

PS sorry to Hivemaker, I didn`t mean to hijack your thread, i just get carried away when a question pops into my head.
 
No worries Darren,if you want them tested sooner you know what to do,and if they do have it something can be done.;)
 
OOOOps sorry Darren, I misunderstood.

I guess you know the process with the microscope but it ain't easy, even with the right kit.
 
No problem, I appreciate any advice. I was shown how to prepare slides to check for Nosema when I did my bee course and I`ll have a go with myself but will still put in samples in April to see if they match my findings untill I`m competent.
I was led to believe from somewhere that Fumidil B was going to be withdrawn but I may have got the wrong end of the stick.

Darren.
 
Hi Darren
I was led to believe from somewhere that Fumidil B was going to be withdrawn but I may have got the wrong end of the stick.

No you are quite correct once the supplies of Fumadil B runs out no more will it bee available. So now we need to use other forms of treatment.

Regards;
 
Hi Martin,
Not sure where I read about Fumidil B becoming defunked.:confused:

Regards;
 

No, that is just evaluating a possible alternative. Fumidil B is, as far as I am aware, still on the VMD list of authorised substances to use in the UK on a specific waiver for bee treatment against Nosema in the absence of anything else working.


For instance from November 18th 2009

Q: Are fumagillin and oxytetracycline authorised for use in bees?

A: Fumidil, which has a UK MA, contains fumagillin. The MA holder has had recommendations from the Committee on Mutagenicity to do further work and has committed to doing that work in the hope of maintaining its MA.


http://www.vpc.gov.uk/Meetings/Open/OpenReport2009.pdf
 
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Are those 2 products not just Thymol spearmint and a load of other essential oils ?
 

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