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Date: | Sun, 6 Jan 2008 13:39:39 EST |
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It's easy enough with an 'every schoolchild should have one' microscope at a
magnification of 400x. Take the abdomens of about 30 bees and squash them in
a saucer. Add a few drops of distilled water (melted from the wall of your
freezer) to make a runny mush. Transfer a drop to the microscope slide. Add a
cover slip. Put onto the microscope stage and focus.
You will see a strange world of pine trees (plumose hairs) vacuum cleaner
hoses (tracheae) shining planets (air bubbles) sculpted boulders (pollen
grains)and rice grains (nosema spores). If the Nosema spores are the same size
then you have one sort; if of 2 sizes then you have both sorts, the larger being
N.Apis and the smaller N.Ceraneae.
Both will respond to Fumagillin but both will re-infect the bees from dirty
comb as soon as the brood nest starts to expand. You don't want to treat
again with antibiotic do you? The authorities are now testing for antibiotic
residues in honey and shiploads have been condemned. Remove the bees from the
source of infection by transferring them to clean combs as soon as
practicable.
The fumes of 80% acetic acid are effective against Nosema spores but not
against every comb-borne infection. Either stack the boxes of comb with a pad
of acid-soaked cotton wool between each stratum, sealing the gaps between the
boxes with sticky tape, or else put all the frames into a large plastic sack,
chuck in a cup of acid and tie the neck. In both cases leave for at least a
week for the fumes to do their work.
Acetic acid at that concentration (vinegar is about 6%) can be dangerous and
will skin you if splashed so take sensible precautions. If you are sold
100% glacial acid dilute it by adding the acid to water, not the other way
around or you may get a face full (unless Ruary Rudd corrects me to say that it
doesn't give off heat when water is added - I can't remember but I don't intend
to find out the hard way!)
Chris
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