Like all animals, bees get diseases. Most beekeepers will find Varroa mites
(Varroa jacobsoni), tracheal mites (Acarapis woodi) and Nosema (Nosema apis) in their hives on a regular basis. These problems
are considered to be the basic diseases that must be suppressed so that the bees can keep them at bay. While infections such
as foulbrood (European and American) need to be prevented. European foulbrood (Melissococcus pluton) can be treated with success
and does not usually, if caught early, mean loss of a colony. American foulbrood (Bacillus larvae) on the other hand is vicious
and since Terramycin is not a cure, colonies are sometimes burned to prevent the spread.
Less stressed diseases that are not as destructive, if caught early, include
Chalkbrood (Ascosphaera apis) and Sacbrood. Chalkbrood is often present in colonies that are exposed to dampness for prolonged
periods of time and beeyards that have been known to have it before. Sacbrood, being a virus, appears on its own and does
not have any sort of chemotherapeutic agents for its control.
Wax moths and ants can be problems for weak colonies. There probably have
been no instances were ants have killed colonies; at least were I live. Ants' can be a nuisance to the bees and the beekeeper
when trying to work with the colonies. Wax moths (Galleria mellonella) only really becomes a problem when the colony's population
cannot remove the wax worms (wax moth larvae) from the hive. These worms consume and completely destroy the comb leaving a
filthy mess. Strong well-managed colonies can take care of both of these problems.
A new problem facing many beekeepers is the small hive beetle (Aethina tumida).
This nuisance produces a worm similar to the wax moth larvae that destroys the comb, which ultimately produces a slimy mess.
These worms complete their final phase of development in the soil beneath the hive were they then emerge as a beetle to start
the process over again. The beetle is very hard for the bees to remove from the hive making the problem worse. New treatments
for this problem are being developed and cleanliness is of the utmost importance so that the beetle does not have idle comb
to breed in. It is thought that the beetle may not be able to complete the metamorphosis in anything but sandy soil, which
hopefully would limit the regions it could thrive in.
Just for the reader's sake I would like to mention some other pest that
present no real problems but are just fun to read about. The bee louse (Braula coeca) is often mistaken for mites because
they congregate on the bees especially the queen. There are also several different spiders, birds, toads, frogs, insects,
and mammals of all kinds that feed on adult bees and larvae. Most of these are generally not found in the same place but rather
in different parts of the world.
Below are a list of medications used to treat/prevent the listed diseases:
Terramycin -- Used to prevent both American and European foulbrood.
-- An antibiotic used to treat Nosema.
Apistan and CheckMite Strips -- Used to treat Varroa mites.
-- Also used to treat the small hive beetle.
Menthol Crystals -- Used for the control of tracheal mites.
-- A good cure for almost all ills.
Below are pictures of common diseases:
Mites, the most common problem here in the U.S., are tiny creatures that attach themselves to the bees and larva.
is a type of fungus that kills the larva. You will notice the dry fungi in the cell.
kills the larvae causing the heads to appear out of the cells.
foulbrood kills the larvae, turning them into a sort of "goo". The dead larva has a glue pot smell.