Over the past year, Randy Oliver has published several informative articles in the American Bee Journal about the relationship between nosema disease and honey bee dysentery. If you haven’t read these pieces, you should. His message is simple: there is no evidence to support the theory that nosema disease causes dysentery. I’m dismayed, however, that […] Read more
We call them crawlers. They can appear any time of year but are most prevalent in the fall. They inch along the landing board, cling to blades of grass, or struggle among twigs and small stones. On close inspection they look normal, but they can’t fly. You may see a few, a handful, or hundreds. […] Read more
As many of you know, the drugs that are currently labeled for the prevention and treatment of American and European foulbrood will no longer be available for over-the-counter purchase beginning January 1, 2017. The decision by the US Food and Drug Administration to tighten control over antibiotics is a response to the ever declining list […] Read more
Beekeepers are frequently warned not to feed honey from untrusted sources to their colonies because it can carry the spores of American Foul Brood (AFB). Furthermore, we know the spores of AFB are not affected by standard pasteurization methods because they are highly resistant to heat. Pressure cooking at 250° F (121° C) for three […] Read more
Since I wrote the post “The Great Extractor Debate,” several beekeepers have reminded me that a borrowed extractor can be a source of disease. They are absolutely right. American foulbrood is the disease most commonly associated with used equipment. The disease is caused by the bacterium, Paenibacillus larvae, which is passed from hive to hive […] Read more
Cleaning up after a Nosema apis outbreak is no easy chore. Your best course of action is to prevent an infection in the first place. My second piece of advice is to make sure it actually is Nosema apis that you are trying to clean up. It is easy to confuse simple honey bee dysentery […] Read more
No. Honey bee dysentery is not caused by a pathogen, so it is not “catchable.” Honey bee dysentery arises when the food a winter bee eats is high in solids, usually known as ash. These solids hold water in the gut and cause it to become distended. When the bees endure long periods of time […] Read more