FILENAME:  FEBAPIS.92
 
            Florida Extension Beekeeping Newsletter
    Apis--Apicultural Information and Issues (ISSN 0889-3764)
               Volume 10, Number 2, February 1992
 
                  REMOVING BEES FROM BUILDINGS
 
     With the arrival of the African honey bee there continues to
be increased interest in the art of removing honey bee nests from
buildings.  Dr. Jon Williams at the USDA Bee Laboratory, Baton
Rouge, LA is attempting to locate persons who are in this
specialized business.  He is interested in experimenting with
various means to remove bees from difficult places without the use
of pesticides.  If you have or wish to gain experience in this,
contact Dr. Williams, ph 504/766-6064.
 
                          LYME DISEASE
 
     The maples are blooming in north Florida and soon the bee
season will be in full swing.  Besides bees, other arthropods will
also become active, including ticks, which transmit Lyme disease.
Lyme disease was identified in 1975, after a high frequency of
arthritis was found in three adjacent communities in Connecticut:
Old Lyme, Lyme and East Hadden.  It also is distributed in Europe,
Asia, Australia, Japan and China.  The disease has been expanding
its range in the United States and has been identified in many
western states and along much of the Atlantic seaboard.
 
     Outbreaks of Lyme disease are rare, but increasing, in
Florida.  Some 43 cases were diagnosed in 1989 and it is reported
officially endemic in four counties (Hillsborough, Orange, Santa
Rosa and Volusia).  Alachua county also has documented cases.
Most experts are predicting more cases of the disease will appear.
Although anyone outdoors can catch it, beekeepers are considered
prime candidates because they often work in areas where ticks are
prevalent.
 
     The organism causing Lyme disease is the spirochete, Borrelia
burgdorferi, associated with various species of ticks.  There is
controversy concerning the role of species carrying this spirochete
and the specific tick responsible for cases in Florida has yet to
be identified.  It was first found associated with species of the
hard tick in the genus Ixodes.  The potential species that
experimentally transmit the disease or harbor the spirochete,
however, are large in number.  It has also been found in deer and
horse flies, as well as mosquitoes.  Unfortunately, most of these
host organisms are found for extended seasonal periods in Florida.
 
     There are several main reservoirs of Lyme disease in nature.
The white-tailed deer and white-footed mouse are primary hosts.
Other mammals which may harbor the disease are chipmunks, raccoons,
rabbits, horses, cows and dogs.  Again, the specific animals
responsible for maintaining the disease as endemic in Florida have
not been established.
 
 
     A major problem with Lyme disease is difficulty in diagnosis.
Because it is such a new disease, many physicians may not yet be
familiar with the symptoms, which are not clear cut and can be
delayed.  In addition, symptoms can mimic other conditions or
worse, not be present at all in the early stages of the disease.
The makes it incumbent on the victim to recognize tick bites, and
bring to the attention of physicians the link between symptoms and
tick bites.
 
     Typically, there are several phases of Lyme disease.  The
first symptom may be erythema chronicum migrans (ECM), an enlarged
ring of redness surrounding a central puncture, the site of the
tick bite.  It usually disappears after four weeks, but can last
for months.  Although most commonly circular, the rash can be other
shapes, including S-shaped.  It usually does not itch, but may feel
warm to the touch and is often followed within a week or two by
flu-like symptoms including muscle and joint aches, fever and night
sweats.  Several weeks to months later, the second phase of the
disease occurs in about 60 percent of cases and usually consists of
joint pain (commonly in the knees), but also may involve
neurological disturbances: headaches, meningitis, paralysis of
facial muscles.  Heart problems, dizziness and fainting may occur
in some patients.  The final and most serious stages may be
observed several months to years after the initial tick bite.
These include arthritis, intellectual deterioration or psychiatric
disease.
 
     If any of the above symptoms appear, a test is in order.
Unfortunately, diagnostic tests are not 100 percent accurate.
Antibodies in the blood do not appear in quantity until four to six
weeks after being bitten.  Antibiotics taken by the patient will
also interfere with diagnosis.  New tests are being developed,
however, to test urine or spinal fluid for confirmation of Lyme
disease.
 
     The best course of action in the fight against Lyme disease is
controlling tick populations and protecting oneself against bites.
Areas inhabited by deer (prime sources of mites) are to be avoided.
Clothing should be buttoned and as little bare skin exposed as
possible while working bees.  Never sit on the ground in bushy
areas and keep brush cleared and burned in well-travelled areas.
After prolonged periods outdoors, carefully examine your body for
ticks.  Ticks embedded in the skin should be gently removed by
using tweezers as close to the mouth, where they are attached, as
possible.  It is better to remove a small amount of skin near the
attachment than to break off the tick, leaving its mouthparts still
attached to the skin.  The latter can result in secondary infection
and prolonged possibility of transmitting the spirochete.
 
     Standard insect repellents can protect exposed skin, but ticks
will often crawl to untreated areas.  Ticks are seasonal and using
chemical control to kill populations is difficult, requiring
expertise for each possible species present.  It is not recommended
for the amateur.  For more detailed information on Lyme disease,
see "Tick (Acari: Ixodidae) Vectors of Lyme Disease Organisms
(Borrelia burgdorferi) in Florida," by J.F. Butler and H.A.
Denmark, Entomology Circular No. 326, Florida Dept. of Agriculture
and Consumer Services Division of Plant Industry, January, 1990.
Copies are available from Mr. Harold Denmark, P.O. Box 147100,
Gainesville, FL 32614-7100, ph 904/372-3505, Ext. 186.
 
                       EFFECTIVE NUTRITION
 
     As the active bee season approaches, many beekeepers will
begin to feed bees to stimulate their population growth.  The
traditional food is sugar syrup or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
I have written before in this newsletter that beekeepers should not
neglect the protein side of nutrition when feeding honey bees.  The
value of a "total" nutritional approach was recently called to my
attention by an article in the October, 1991 issue of Florida
Grower and Rancher, called "Effective Nutrition Uppermost."
 
     This article states, "Effective nutrition management may yield
a greater return to livestock producers ...than any other aspect of
a total herd health program," according to the American Veterinary
Medical Association (AVMA).  Livestock producers have long
recognized energy and protein needs as critical nutrition factors,
the article contends, but veterinarians today are focusing on
nutrient content as well to minimize disease problems, improve body
condition and increase weight gains.
 
     Dr. T. Noffsinger, D.V.M. is quoted as saying, "As
veterinarians, we try to bolster the immune system to protect
animals from respiratory illnesses...without proper nutrition, the
immune system is not effective in protecting against these
diseases."  Part of this is the importance of trace minerals in the
diet, including zinc, iron, selenium and copper, all necessary to
combat potential virus infections.
 
     A nutritionally balanced diet is also important in preventing
stress from taking huge tolls on livestock.  It is the single most
important economic factor affecting profitability, according to
J.E. Sears, D.V.M.  He concluded: "If you cut back on nutrition in
cutting costs...increase in disease problems will cost livestock
producers a lot more in the long run."
 
     Is it too much of a leap of faith for the beekeeper to take
these thoughts to heart?  I don't think so.  Bees may not be
mammals, but they are nevertheless livestock and their nutritional
management is just as critical.  The beekeeper is at somewhat of a
disadvantage because less is known about how to manage the protein,
mineral and trace elements in  the bees' diet.
 
     The classic method used by beekeepers to feed protein is
pollen supplement, an artificial diet with some percentage of
pollen added.  The pollen stimulates the bees to consume the diet.
A substitute is a totally artificial diet.  Commercially prepared
supplements/substitutes are available from bee supply houses.  It
is also possible to make an artificial diet using expeller
processed (not solvent extracted) soybean flour with fat content of
5-7 percent (higher fat content is toxic to bees), brewer's yeast
(Saccharomyces sp.), Wheast (R) or whey yeast (Saccharomyces
fragilis), and torula yeast (Candida utilis).  The following diets
have been tested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture bee
laboratories in Tucson, AZ; Madison, WI; and Beltsville, MD.
 
Protein Source                                Parts by weight
                                              Dry Mix   Patty
Supplement Formula #1
  Soybean flour:pollen (3:1 weight/weight)       1
  Sugar:water (2:1 weight/weight)                2
 
Supplement Formula #2
  Wheast (R) or brewer's yeast:pollen (3:1
    weight/weight)                               1
  Sugar:water (6:1 weight/weight)                2
 
Substitute Formula #1
  Brewer's yeast                                 2          3
  Sugar                                          3          3
  Water (to make a dough-like consistency)                  2.5
 
Substitute Formula #2
  Soybean flour                                   2         3
  Sugar                                           3         3
  Water (to make a dough-like consistency)                  2.5
 
Substitute Formula #3
  Wheast (R)                                                3
  Sugar                                                     3
  Water (to make a dough-like consistency)                  4
 
Source: L.N. Standifer, F.E. Moeller, N.M. Kauffeld, E.W. Herbert,
Jr. and H. Shimanuki.  Supplemental Feeding of Honey Bee Colonies,
Ag. Information Bull. No. 413, June, 1978.
 
     Supplements with pollen added will almost invariably be better
accepted by bees.  Diets can be fed as a dry mix or in patty form.
Never feed pollen from an unknown source; it can be a vector for
most brood diseases.
 
     Pollen pellets should first be dissolved in water (one-third
gallon of water/pound of pellets).  Sugar is then stirred in
followed by the soybean flour, Wheast (R), brewer's or torula
yeast.  Finally for patties, water is added to make a dough-like
consistency.  It will take some experimenting to adjust the water
based on environmental conditions.  Cakes of diet of about a pound
and a half are wrapped in wax paper to retard drying and placed on
top of the brood nest.  Cakes should be replaced before the
previous one is consumed; about every week or 10 days.   It is
important that once colonies are fed, they continue to be fed until
abundant pollen is found in the field.
 
     A substitute has been developed using both yeast and
lactalbumin.  This is commercially available as the Beltsville Bee
Diet (R).  It is named for the laboratory that developed and tested
the diet.  Results using this commercial preparation are mixed,
depending on beekeeping region.  This is the case for other
commercial preparations as well, the reason that supplements are
usually preferred by beekeepers.
 
 
Sincerely,
 
 
 
Malcolm T. Sanford
0740 IFAS, Bldg 970
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611-0740
Phone (904) 392-1801, Ext. 143
FAX: 904-392-0190
BITNET Address: MTS@IFASGNV
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