Nosema

[thorn]

At a nosema clinic yesterday I found that both my surviving hives, the strong one and the weak one, have nosema. I understand the alternatives are a shook swarm or a bailey change. What are the pros and cons of each, and which do people prefer?
Do I need to do anything for the stronger colony, or might they come through it unaided?

 

[rugbee]

not too keen on either as a method of controlling nosema, if they are alive then they will get over it, try a feed of vita gold works ok.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I think it has been found that nosema is latent in most hives - it only gets to be a problem if the hive is stressed, cooped up for long periods and fed syrup I should have thought it would be no problem now with the summer(!) build up starting and bees foraging I'd suggest feeding thymolised syrup in the autumn though

 

[enrico]

Nosema can indeed be a needless worry. If you get a bad stomach you get over it unless you are old and weak, bit the same for the bees. If it is a strong hive it will pass. If you do feel you need to change the frames I would shake them not another hive but if they are weak and stressed anyway then I don't think it will help much
E

 

[masterBK]

Bailey comb change was originally designed by Dr L Bailey to get bees onto clean combs with minimum stress. Shaking bees off combs as in shook swarm stresses bees and they tend to defaecate in the hive which means spores on the new combs resulting in Nosema next winter!

 

[itma]

Nosema - there are two types.
Ceranae (the new one) doesn't fade away in Summer like the old one (Apis). So you need to do something about it - if that is what you have.
Did they distinguish between them at your clinic?


What I have been told is that a shook swarm is the fastest way to get the bees onto clean comb.
Hey, it is even a favourite treatment for EFB for exactly that reason.

A thymolated tonic feed, (home made or well-packaged snake oil), should also be a help, whichever type of Nosema is involved.


Making a soup of 30 bees and examining the combined mess can give an idea whether Nosema is around.
But for simple quantification of the extent of the problem, testing 10 individual bees is attractively simple.
See Randy Oliver's description => http://scientificbeekeeping.com/sick-bees-part-16-the-quick-squash-method/

 

[davnig]

I think it has been found that nosema is latent in most hives - it only gets to be a problem if the hive is stressed, cooped up for long periods ...

Recent fera Random Apiary Survey of 5000 apiaries showed it present in 70% of apiaries country-wide

 

[Hivemaker.]

Changing the combs is a waste of time unless they have crapped on them..be better to change the places they drink from, which is not possible.

 

[user 6228]

I think it has been found that nosema is latent in most hives - it only gets to be a problem if the hive is stressed, cooped up for long periods and fed syrup I should have thought it would be no problem now with the summer(!) build up starting and bees foraging I'd suggest feeding thymolised syrup in the autumn though

Keep them warm and they do fly in colder weather, (according to our limited observations) does this help nosema?

 

[susbees]

Bailey comb change was originally designed by Dr L Bailey to get bees onto clean combs with minimum stress. Shaking bees off combs as in shook swarm stresses bees and they tend to defaecate in the hive which means spores on the new combs resulting in Nosema next winter!

But where is the benefit with N ceranae (where dysentery as far as I have read is not a result)?

 

[masterBK]

Susbees: I agree that for N ceranae comb changing may not be the answer since it appears to spread by infected bees feeding others rather than from cleaning up the faeces. Up here in the north although both species are present N apis seems to be the main problem in early spring. Long term we must breed away from susceptible strains of bee whether the problem is N apis or N. ceranae.