Honey hygiene Flashcards
Describe bees
Hymenoptera
Some groups eusocial
colonies comprise of:
- queen (lays eggs)
- drones (males, mate with queen)
- workers (female, do everything else)
Describe the production of eggs and hatching of adults
Each egg laid in a hexagonal wax cell and hatch into larvae.
Not all eggs are treated equally!
Workers ‘cap’ cells when larvae ready to pupate.
Adult emerges at different times depending on caste
What kind of cell is this
queen cell
What kind of cell is this
worker cell
What kind of cell is this
drone cell
Describe honey bee feeding
Define pollination
the transfer of pollen (male gametes) between male and female parts of flowers to enable plants to reproduce
What is the most popular bee species
Apis mellifera (western honeybee)
Where are bees kept
apiaries
What is the composition of honey
What are the general pharmacological properties of honey
Low aw restricts microbial growth in all honeys.
H2O2 in some honeys (not manuka)
Hundreds of bioactive compounds which have overlapping spectra of antimicrobial action
Difficult to develop resistance
What are the specific active components of honey and their action
What are possible residues found in honey
What is the correlation between honey and botulism and what is the relevance
What is the aim of the national bee unit (NBU)
“To achieve a sustainable and healthy population of honey bees for pollination and honey production in England and Wales via strengthened partnership working between Government and other stakeholders.”
What are the legislations relevant to bee keeping
What are the notifiable diseases/pests of bees
What is a reportable disease/pest of bees
Varroa destructor
Describe European Foulbrood
Notifiable
Present in UK
Melisococcus plutonius (Bacterial)
G+ve Enterococcus
Brood affected before capping (Early)
Most vulnerable 2-3 days old
Mid-gut infected, starvation.
Secondary Bacillus alvei infections (malodorous).
Larvae twisted, melted, unsegmented.
Spread by nurse bees.
Long latency periods (‘disappearing disease’)
Shook swarm method
Destroy colony in severe cases.
Remain viable for 3-4 years
Describe American Foulbrood
Notifiable
Present in UK
Paenibacillus larvae (Bacterial)
Spore-forming, G+ve bacillus
Brood die AFTER capping.
Sunken, greasy capping
Invasive, systemic disease
Spores viable for 40+ years
Imported honey risk
Diagnosed by ‘ropiness test’.
Quarantine hive, equipment, PPE.
Clean camera/phone.
Must be destroyed under Inspector supervision.
Describe Tropilaelaps mite
Notifiable
Not present in UK
Parasitic mites
Affect brood and adults
Parasitisation can cause abnormal brood development, death of both brood and bees.
Their exact geographical range is unknown (native to Asia)
Describe small hive beetle
Notifiable
Not present in UK
Aethina tumida
Originates from Africa, now in southern Europe
Larvae eat wax, pollen, honey, bee brood, and eggs.
Contaminate honey, causing it to ferment
Good husbandry is an effective defence.
It is unlikely that the small hive beetle could be eradicated once present in the UK.
Describe varroa mite
Reportable
Varroa destructor.
Ectoparasite (abdominal fat bodies)
Depresses immunity
Vector for numerous pathogen e.g. deformed wing virus
Strong colonies hit worst
Reduces lifespan – critical for winter/spring
Nurse bee feedback loop.
Describe varroa mite treatment
Timing of treatment crucial
- Aug/Sep
- Again Jan/Feb
Chemical treatments (all AVM-GSL):
- Thymol
- Oxalic/formic acid
- Tau Fluvalinate
- Amitraz
Physical treatments:
- Dust with icing sugar
- Trap combs
Describe Sacbrood
Morator aetatulasvirus
Picornovirales +ve sense ssRNA virus
Same family as:
- Deformed Wing Virus
- Slow bee paralysis virus
- Varroa destructor virus-1
Pupation failure (can’t moult)
Accumulates fluid under ‘skin’ containing many virions.
Infects hypopharyngeal glands of young workers
Do not break ‘sac’
No specific treatment
Virus remains viable for several weeks
Describe Chalkbrood
Fungus Ascosphaera apis
‘Fried egg disease’
Larvae > infected ‘mummies’
Spores viable for 15 years
Transmitted via nurse bees
Contaminated equipment
Weak colonies most affected
Poor ventilation/crowding also
Masks other diseases esp. EFB
No specific treatment
Tymol some effect?
Requeen
Describe features of the asian hornet
