Bob,

How do you test for nosema? Is pulling out the gut and checking for a light
honey color reliable enough?

When I store wet supers I slop about 5 tablespoons of 98% acetic in each
stack supers and put a inner cover on the stack. My supers are stacked in a
small room that is also sealed. I'm thinking if any wax moths got into the
supers (by chance) it would kill them. In any dead outs I find, I clean out
the dead bees, slop in about 2 tablespoons of 98% acetic and seal up the
hive. When I come back a few weeks later to utilize the equipment for nucs,
I seldom find any mold. Before I used to have to deal with a horrible mess
of moldy dead bees and moldy pollen. I buy the acetic in 20 liter carboys,
so the treatment is very cheap and only takes seconds. Does this help
control nosema in any significant way, or just make me feel better?

So far this winter I have only had one dead out of 60+ hives and one dead 4
frame nuc. Last fall as an experiment I did not treat with Fumidil, but now
I notice more poop on and around the hives (and on me) when they started
their cleansing flights. So this spring I refer to them as "my poopy
sisters). I'm keeping my fingers crossed I'll have no more dead outs before
spring.

Bob from the Shuswap, BC

===============================================
> Behalf Of Bob Harrison
>
> Chris said:
> > If you use Fumidil it should be as part of a programme of rigorous comb
> renewal and fumigation with 80% acetic acid which will kill many disease
> organisms as well as rapidly removing the skin from your fingers. Handle
> with care.
> > It breaks down to CO2 and water I believe.
>
> I do not know of even one U.S. beekeeper which practices the above radical
> method for *nosema*!. I certainly am not concerned enough about
> nosema to go
> to the above extremes. What do others on the list think?
>
> Sincerely,
> Bob Harrison

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