Tracheal Mites

[GusK]

Hi everyone.

Been keeping bees in Greece (Kefalonia) two years now.

I think three of my hives have tracheal mites. There are always 5-10 crawlers outside the hives, but with no wing deformities. They stumble around, sometimes on their sides, not being able to fly. Sometimes they have outstretched wings.

I'm ruling out Nosema, as the landing board and hive is very clean.

What should I do? I don't think it has to do with varroa, as these hives have great brood patterns, and were recently treated with Hopguard. They're very busy, bringing in loads of pollen.

Should I use thymol or try a light formic flash treatment? Has anyone used formic acid? I also don't want to affect the queens too much.

Here in Greece, we're expecting MAQS later this year, so I need to use a formic home recipe.

Thanks in advance.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Hi everyone.

Been keeping bees in Greece (Kefalonia) two years now.

I think three of my hives have tracheal mites. There are always 5-10 crawlers outside the hives, but with no wing deformities. They stumble around, sometimes on their sides, not being able to fly. Sometimes they have outstretched wings.
thymol Apiguard
I'm ruling out Nosema, as the landing board and hive is very clean.

What should I do? I don't think it has to do with varroa, as these hives have great brood patterns, and were recently treated with Hopguard. They're very busy, bringing in loads of pollen.

Should I use thymol or try a light formic flash treatment? Has anyone used formic acid? I also don't want to affect the queens too much.

Here in Greece, we're expecting MAQS later this year, so I need to use a formic home recipe.

Thanks in advance.

for Acarine you need to test for the mites in the trachea by disection as Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus also casues the symptons you describe (somethink Arcarine is just the vector for CPBV)

I would suggest any varroacide that is approved under EU regulation in Greece which should also kill the Acarine mites ( i have not seen Acarine since I used Apiguard thymol treatment )

i have no ideawhether hopguard is approved or what % cull rate it would give

if it is not Acarine and is CBPV i would change all the comb to remove as much pathegens as possible, How would depend on timing, strength, of cooneyy and and age of Comb (ie whether you regularlyl change30% of the comb Yearly)

 

[itma]

Welcome to the forum.

Varroa mite treatments might possibly have some impact on the microscopic mites that can invade the bees' trachea (and which we know as acarine in the UK). However, such treatment is not supposed to have such an effect.

Acarine is now rather rare in the UK.

However, before rushing into any treatment, it is important to ascertain exactly what the problem really is.

Acarine can be readily diagnosed with a simple dissection under a 20x magnification stereo microscope.
More info on Beebase https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/beebase/index.cfm?pageid=192

 

[REDWOOD]

and if the bees in front of the hive have black and shiny abdomens then that is Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus

 

[itma]

... if the bees in front of the hive have black and shiny abdomens then that is Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus

Almost!

There are two different syndromes for CBPV.
Crawlers and "Black Robbers".
The crawlers are not expected to be black and shiny.
It is a standard Module 3 question!
Beebase says

CBPV mainly attacks adult bees and causes two forms of ‘‘paralysis’’ symptoms in bees. The most common one is characterized by an abnormal trembling of the body and wings, crawling on the ground due to the flight inability, bloated abdomens, and dislocated wings. The other form is identified by the presence of hairless, shiny, and black-appearing bees that are attacked and rejected from returning to the colonies at the entrance of the hives by guard bees. Both forms of symptoms can be seen in bees from the same colony

 

[REDWOOD]

I Can't believe I forgot that, thanks itma for reminding me

 

[Ruary]

If it is acarine, Diane Sammatauro found that treating by using Grease patties worked:
1 part hydrogenated vegetable oil ( Crisco or similar) to 2 parts granulated sugar use 225 grams per patty placed on the brood frames. The bees have to get access to the patty for it to work.

 

[itma]

If it is acarine, Diane Sammatauro found that treating by using Grease patties worked:
1 part hydrogenated vegetable oil ( Crisco or similar) to 2 parts granulated sugar use 225 grams per patty placed on the brood frames. The bees have to get access to the patty for it to work.

Well ... there's a thing!

Seems this was what she wrote up for her PhD ...

ABSTRACT of Dissertation

Title: Studies on the control, behavior, and molecular markers of the tracheal mite (Acarapis woodi (Rennie)) of honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae).

Abstract: The endoparasitic mite, A. woodi (Rennie), a pest of honey bees Apis mellifera L., infests most bee colonies in the United States and has been responsible for 60% of colony losses. Under field conditions, patties made from solid vegetable shortening and white sugar, with or without the addition of an antibiotic, depressed mite populations when applied continuously to bees. Treatment was significant (Site 1, F2,165=14.95; P<0.001; Site 2, F2,96=5.541; P<0.001). To understand why shortening/sugar patties gave bees some protection, mite behavior was videotaped on callow bees (<4 days old), dead bees and bees exposed to an oil patty. Two behaviors were observed and more closely studied. “Habitat-seeking” behavior, when mites seek out a new oviposition site, was disrupted on both dead and oil-treated bees. “Questing” behavior, associated with mite transfer between hosts, increased on dead and oily bees. Both questing (F2,66 =7.88; P<0.001) and habitat-seeking (F2,66=21.28, P<0.001) behaviors were significantly different between all three treatments. Oil-treated bees gained protection from habitat-seeking mites because the normal behavior of the mites is interrupted. Questing behavior increased significantly on dead and oily bees, thus exposing the mites for a longer time and increasing the chances of desiccation. In the decade since its introduction here, the lethal effects of this mite seem to diminish. To determine if this was a change in the lethality of mite populations, infested bees from several states were collected and the mites dissected. RAPDs was used to track possible shifts in genetic markers. Problems of reaction protocols, contamination and clean negative controls were mostly solved by using HPLC water that was not treated to UV light. PCR parameters where annealing temperatures ranged from 38-45C also produced good results. However, because of extremely low mite DNA concentrations, the results were inconclusive. By testing a dilution series using one bee, it was found that as the concentration of DNA diminished to 0.038ng/ul, more bands in the gel appeared. RAPDs was not a good method of choice; this question still needs to be explored as future techniques are refined.

http://www.ars.usda.gov/pandp/people/people.htm?personid=31186

 

[Hivemaker.]

Should I use thymol or try a light formic flash treatment? Has anyone used formic acid? I also don't want to affect the queens too much.

Formic acid is a quick way of killing off tracheal mites, but can have some bad side effects in some situations.

 

[farbee]

Does that mean MAQS would be effective?

 

[Hivemaker.]

Does that mean MAQS would be effective?

Yes.

 

[GusK]

Thanks everyone for the feedback.

The crawlers seem young, no shiny black abdomens, or worn out wings. I don't have access to a microscope though.

I was thinking formic, but at a reduced amount, in tandem with a lemongrass/spearmint syrup mix I have used before. According to the makers of HBH, it's supposed to mitigate queen damage.

I will read up on CPBV.

I am hesitant on using Thymol, as it might leave an odor. It's difficult trying treatments this time of year. You may affect the queen, or the honey.

My combs are all pretty recent, most under a year old.

I was also thinking of using an Amitraz based product, as it is not lipophyllic, and I would use a reduced amount, for half the suggested duration. But I have read conflicting info about Amitraz and tracheal mites.

Yesterday I added a grease patty, right over the broodnest, but they don't seem interested in it, at least as of this morning. I will check tomorrow. They are eating the fondant though. The hives have just about filled a deep now. Lots of solid capped brood, few holes. That's another reason why I think it's Acarine. It is not affecting the brood, only the adults.

By the way, yesterday I also misted the gaps between the frames with a lemongrass/spearmint/thymol syrup I have used in the past. I guess it's still early to see results.

 

[masterBK]

Treat in the short term but think long term and breed the problem out. Whether the problem is due to acarine mite or chronic paralysis virus some strains are more resistant than others so requeening from a stock in the same apiary that doesn't have any symptoms often solves the problem.

 

[Ruary]

Thanks everyone for the feedback.
Yesterday I added a grease patty, right over the broodnest, but they don't seem interested in it, at least as of this morning. I will check tomorrow. They are eating the fondant though. The hives have just about filled a deep now. Lots of solid capped brood, few holes. That's another reason why I think it's Acarine. It is not affecting the brood, only the adults.

You want to remove the fondant so that they will eat the sugar in the patty

 

[JEP]

Your diagnosis sounds fairly good but you might also consider if anyone has sprayed any crops or flowers in your area as these symptoms could be an indication of a mild dose of poisoning.

 

[GusK]

Once again, I want to thank everyone for their valuable insights.

I visited the bee yard today. The hives in question looked much better. A lot fewer crawlers than three days ago, about a 70% reduction. Not sure if the Thymol/HBH mist helped, but it sure didn't hurt. I'll be checking on the grease patties as well, and removing the fondant for a few days. There where large orientation flights today, hopefully they'll shake this off.

It's no surprise that the three hives were sister hives, so I'll have to alter my breeding selection later this Spring.

I'm going to do a sugar roll varroa test as well. The thyme bloom isn't until early June, so I have plenty of time to gear up for it.

I did try dissecting a few bees today too see if their tracheas were affected, using a magnifying glass and digital camera.... not an easy task. I think I'll be getting a microscope soon.