SAVE THE BEES

Question 1

__ of the US diet is pollinated by bees and is worth ___ per year as commercial pollinators

Answer 1

1/3, 15-18 billion dollars

Question 2

apis mellifera is endemic to the __ and a subset of known subspecies were brought to __ and form the basis for current honey bee populations

Answer 2

old world, north america

Question 3

honeybee breeds are selected for their positive traits. what are some of the traits we look at?

Answer 3

calm on combs
defensive behavior
early buildup
forages early
honey collection
honey storage
pollen collection
tendency to swarm
tracheal mite resistance

Question 4

how are honey bees involved in commercial pollination?

Answer 4

2.7 million hives are rented for pollination annually in the US. Commercial beekeeps transport the insects thousands of miles around the country every year to pollinated drops when they’re in bloom.

Question 5

number of hobbyists bees hives

Answer 5

1-50

Question 6

number of sideliners bee hives

Answer 6

50-500

Question 7

number of hives in a commercial operation

Answer 7

500-60,000

Question 8

what is the average yearly loss of honeybee colonies?

Answer 8

33%

Question 9

list the factors affecting bee colony health

Answer 9

1. chemical
2. parasite infestations (varroa)
3. diseases (foulbrood and viruses)
4. queen failure
5. weather
6. stress (poor nutrition, moving, cold)
7. vandalism/bears

Question 10

what is considered your patient as a bee vet?

Answer 10

the colony which is a superorganism!

Question 11

why are veterinarians involved in bee med?

Answer 11

The food safety modernization act from 2011 and the executive order for combating antibiotic resistant bacteria -> gave veterinary oversight of antibiotics

Question 12

parts of the hive

Answer 12

boxes , frames and feeders

Question 13

t/f: bees have lungs

Answer 13

f - they get o2 by diffusion into the circulatory system

Question 14

what are the 3 casts of bees?

Answer 14

queen
workers (females)
drones (males)

Question 15

__ of bees are workers and have __ stingers while drones have __ stingers and big eyes. The queen can sting __ times, possibly to kill other queens.

Answer 15

95%, barbed, no, multiple

Question 16

worker bees

Answer 16

• form bulk of the population
• functionally sterile females
• perform all duties and labor for maintenance of the colony
• develop from a fertilized egg laid by the queen

Question 17

drone bees

Answer 17

• males that are larger than workers, large eyes, puffy appearance and don’t have a stinger
• develop from unfertilized eggs and are reared in larger cells (drone comb)
• longer development time than workers (24 days)
• reach sexual maturity at about 12 days of age and initiate mating flights
• go to drone congregation areas and wait for queen
• fed by the workers until fall, when they are abandoned by the hive

Question 18

t/f: the queen is the leader of the hive

Answer 18

f

Question 19

queen bees

Answer 19

• a good queen means a strong fertile egg layer with good genetics
• mate with 12 drones on average ->high genetic diversity increases colony fitness and productivity and impact disease resistance

Question 20

__ maintain the social order in the hive

Answer 20

pheromones

Question 21

worker bee labor duties are based on __ of the bee

Answer 21

age

Question 22

what is the general honey bee adult life cycle?

Answer 22

new adult (d1) -> nurse bee (1-22d) -> foraging adult (23-42d)

Question 23

days 1-2 for the honeybee worker

Answer 23

cleaning and labor

Question 24

days 3-5 for honeybee workers

Answer 24

caring for the brood (bee bread and cap the brood)

Question 25

days 6-11 for honeybee workers

Answer 25

royal tasks - bees feed young larvae designated to be queens royal jelly

Question 26

days 12-17 for honeybee workers

Answer 26

construction and distribution - bees produce wax and transport food within the hive

Question 27

days 18-21 for honeybee workers

Answer 27

guarding and cooling - bees at this stage guard the entrance to the hive and ventilate the interior

Question 28

days 22-45 for honeybee workers

Answer 28

bees leave the hive to collect pollen, nectar, propolis, and water

Question 29

__ mites are the most devastating honey bee pests and are very __ in comparion to the bee taking up alot of __

Answer 29

varroa, large, energy

Question 30

tracheal mites

Answer 30

bee doesn’t have lung but they have tubes called the trachea that help bring air around for oxygen to diffuse and there are mites that can clog up the respiratory system -> don’t see as often bc the tx for varroa also gets rid of the tracheal mites

Question 31

Nosema

Answer 31

Caused by a microsporidian and is reclassified as a fungus - nosema apis and nosema ceranae. Reduces the lifespan and can affect a workers ability to produce brood food. Intestinal symptoms will occur -> bee diarrhea

no good treatment

Question 32

American Foul Brood is caused by __ which is a spore forming bacteria that can remainn infective for __. It must be reported to the __

Answer 32

paenibacillus larvae, decades, state apiarist of diseased bees

Question 33

american foul brood tx is to __ the infected hives

Answer 33

burn or irradiate

Question 34

european foul brood is __ and can be treated by management strategies such as __. The disease does not form __ so it can be eliminated

Answer 34

melissococcus plutonius, re-queening, spores

Question 35

what antibiotics, if necessary, can be used to treat foul brood diseases?

Answer 35

oxytetracycline
tylosin
lincomycin