SAVE THE BEES Flashcards
__ of the US diet is pollinated by bees and is worth ___ per year as commercial pollinators
1/3, 15-18 billion dollars
apis mellifera is endemic to the __ and a subset of known subspecies were brought to __ and form the basis for current honey bee populations
old world, north america
honeybee breeds are selected for their positive traits. what are some of the traits we look at?
calm on combs
defensive behavior
early buildup
forages early
honey collection
honey storage
pollen collection
tendency to swarm
tracheal mite resistance
how are honey bees involved in commercial pollination?
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.
number of hobbyists bees hives
1-50
number of sideliners bee hives
50-500
number of hives in a commercial operation
500-60,000
what is the average yearly loss of honeybee colonies?
33%
list the factors affecting bee colony health
- chemical
- parasite infestations (varroa)
- diseases (foulbrood and viruses)
- queen failure
- weather
- stress (poor nutrition, moving, cold)
- vandalism/bears
what is considered your patient as a bee vet?
the colony which is a superorganism!
why are veterinarians involved in bee med?
The food safety modernization act from 2011 and the executive order for combating antibiotic resistant bacteria -> gave veterinary oversight of antibiotics
parts of the hive
boxes , frames and feeders
t/f: bees have lungs
f - they get o2 by diffusion into the circulatory system
what are the 3 casts of bees?
queen
workers (females)
drones (males)
__ of bees are workers and have __ stingers while drones have __ stingers and big eyes. The queen can sting __ times, possibly to kill other queens.
95%, barbed, no, multiple
worker bees
- 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
drone bees
- 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
t/f: the queen is the leader of the hive
f
queen bees
- 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
__ maintain the social order in the hive
pheromones
worker bee labor duties are based on __ of the bee
age
what is the general honey bee adult life cycle?
new adult (d1) -> nurse bee (1-22d) -> foraging adult (23-42d)
days 1-2 for the honeybee worker
cleaning and labor
days 3-5 for honeybee workers
caring for the brood (bee bread and cap the brood)
days 6-11 for honeybee workers
royal tasks - bees feed young larvae designated to be queens royal jelly
days 12-17 for honeybee workers
construction and distribution - bees produce wax and transport food within the hive
days 18-21 for honeybee workers
guarding and cooling - bees at this stage guard the entrance to the hive and ventilate the interior
days 22-45 for honeybee workers
bees leave the hive to collect pollen, nectar, propolis, and water
__ mites are the most devastating honey bee pests and are very __ in comparion to the bee taking up alot of __
varroa, large, energy
tracheal mites
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
Nosema
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
American Foul Brood is caused by __ which is a spore forming bacteria that can remainn infective for __. It must be reported to the __
paenibacillus larvae, decades, state apiarist of diseased bees
american foul brood tx is to __ the infected hives
burn or irradiate
european foul brood is __ and can be treated by management strategies such as __. The disease does not form __ so it can be eliminated
melissococcus plutonius, re-queening, spores
what antibiotics, if necessary, can be used to treat foul brood diseases?
oxytetracycline
tylosin
lincomycin
