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Since the 1980's, honeybees have been increasingly threatened by microbes and insect pests imported from foreign sources, to the point where bee colonies cannot be fully productive, and in some cases cannot survive, without the beekeeper taking active prevention and treatment measures. The number of healthy, feral colonies have been drastically reduced to where managed apiaries are now almost the exclusive source of agricultural pollination. And the hobbyist beekeeper's primary goals -- enjoyment and honey, without lots of time and money being constantly invested -- are thwarted unless they are equipped with the knowledge and treatments necessary to prevent or combat these maladies.
Good beekeeping practices that ensure the strength of the colonies are the answer to these new threats. Medications are an integral part of a beekeeper's toolkit to address the potential threats of microorganisms and insect invaders. By using an effective combination of proper apiary management practices and medication, you can strengthen your colonies, cut your beekeeping time, increase your honey yield and add to your overall enjoyment from season to season. The following materials are a vital part of a beekeeper's first line of defense and their arsenal of offense against these various attackers.
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feeding stimulant with essential oils (Lemongrass and Spearmint Oil Concentrate) Helps promote vigorous hives when used as a feeding stimulant; makes up to 24 gallons of solution at one teaspoon (5ml) per quart of 1-to-1 sugar syrup solution.
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for treatment of varroa mites Apistan® is the Wellmark brand name for tau-fluvinate, which is a chemical used to treat beehives for varroa mites. The chemical is embedded in plastic strips, which are hung in the brood box within the brood nest, one strip per five frames. If varroa mites are detected, Apistan is to be administered to all infested colonies in the apiary, before the first honeyflow of the season and after the last honeyflow in the fall. If the colonies are resistant to Apistan, indicated by a lack of effective control when it is administered properly, they may be instead treated with CheckMite+ Strips. | ||||
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for treatment of small hive beetles and varroa mites The CheckMite+ Strips product (coumaphos), manufactured by Bayer, controls varroa mites and Small Hive Beetles (SHB) when used strictly according to the label instructions. CheckMite+ may be administered to colonies infested with varroa only if they have proven to be resistant to Apistan. Please refer to Using CheckMite+ to Control the Small Hive Beetle (SHB) for detailed instructions on SHB treatment. | ||||
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for prevention and treatment of nosema Fumidil® B* is the J. Webster Labs brand name for a water-soluble form of fumagillin, an antibiotic used in the prevention and suppression of nosema disease. Fumidil B is fed in a solution of sugar syrup in the fall and spring to protect over-wintered colonies and is fed in the spring to colonies that are being prepared for package production. *Bicyclohexylammonium Fumagillin | ||||
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for treatment of small hive beetles Y-Tex GardStar 40% EC Livestock and Premise Insecticide (permethrin) is used to control the Small Hive Beetle (SHB) by breaking the brood cycle. The beetle pupates in the soil, and this insecticide, when used as a soil drench, kills the larvae and pupae in the soil. Even though GardStar is highly toxic to bees, it is applied to the soil directly in front of the hive. If applied correctly, there is little chance that it will come in contact with the colony. | ||||
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for prevention and treatment of tracheal mites Feeding grease patties to the bees is useful to control tracheal mites. Grease patties are burger-sized (1/3 lb) patties, made from solid shortening (like Crisco) and white granulated sugar. When in the form of extender patties, grease patties are also needed to prevent American and European foulbrood. You can feed grease patties to your bees all year round in their non-medicated form for control of tracheal mites unless the hives are infested with small hive beetles (SHB). | ||||
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for treatment of tracheal mites Menthol crystals, such as those in Mite-A-Thol, are generally an effective deterrent to tracheal mites. While the application of menthol crystals to an over-wintering colony does not eliminate the mites, it does decrease the population so that the bees' health is not adversely affected. Menthol crystals stored for an entire season or more lose their efficacy; use only fresh crystals when preparing a hive for winter. As an alternative to the use of menthol, you may consider a honeybee strain that has been shown to be especially resistant to tracheal mites, such as Buckfast. | ||||
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for prevention of wax moths in empty hive boxes If you store hive boxes with empty frames containing beeswax, you should put PDB crystals in the boxes unless you will store them in a freezer (see below). PDB is very irritating to the moths, and they will not lay their eggs in the empty honeycomb. Before using frames that have been treated with PDB crystals, air them out completely at least 24 hours prior to putting them into a hive. Never use PDB to treat frames containing honey. Another measure to prevent wax moth infestations is to store the empty frames in a freezer, although this is usually impractical unless you have a large, walk-in freezer. However, if you are storing comb honey, you should freeze the comb at 20°F for 4.5 hours, at 10°F for 3 hours, or at 5°F for 2 hours. If you are preparing a large quantity of comb honey for storage, freeze it at least 24 hours beforehand. | ||||
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for prevention of foulbrood and control of tracheal mites Terramycin is an antibiotic* used to prevent American and European foulbrood. When terramycin is delivered in extender patty form, the patty is placed on top of the brood frames in the beehive. BeeCARE recommends the extender patty, as the efficacy of the drug is greatly extended compared to delivery in sugar syrup, increasing the likelihood of preventing foulbrood. You should feed extender patties to your bees for control of both tracheal mites and foulbrood unless the hives are infested with small hive beetles (SHB), in which case you should administer terramycin soluble powder in dry form. *Oxytetracycline Quaternary Salt or Oxytetracycline Hydrochloride | ||||
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for prevention of American and European foulbrood When used in powered form, terramycin is either mixed with sugar syrup or applied as powder to the beehive's brood frame top bars. BeeCARE recommends the extender patty instead of the soluble powder, as the efficacy of the drug is greatly extended in patty form versus a sugar syrup solution, increasing the likelihood of preventing foulbrood. The exception to this rule is when the hives are infested with small hive beetles (SHB), in which case you should use terramycin soluble powder in dry form on top of the brood frames. |
American foulbrood
Dual-Access Hive-top Feeder
European foulbrood
Grease and Extender Patties
Honey-B-Healthy
Small Hive Beetle (SHB)
State apiary inspectors
Sugar Syrup
Using CheckMite+ to Control the Small Hive Beetle (SHB)
Using GardStar to Control the Small Hive Beetle (SHB)
Wax Moths
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