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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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From:
James Plaisted <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:16:41 -0400
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"Jim P., could I ask what your nosema sample sizes were in fall, and fromwhere you took the bees? Trying to figure out how you may have missed aninfection. Also, any other anomalies that you noticed in your bees orbrood?"
 
Randy
 
Samples were taken on 9/13/07, from a 52 hive yard by NYS Bee Inspector Robert Duncan.  We did a random sample of 4 or 5 pallets, one or two hives from each pallet, which were then combined into one sample.  Bees collected were from the broodnest.  Sample was sent to Beltsville Bee Lab, which sent back the following diagnosis: "No Disease or Parasitic Mites Found".  Sample was test specificly for Nosema and TM.  Sample size was about a qt ziplock baggie full.
 
I knew we had a problem when I visited the yard in Jan 08 and found all but 33 hives had perished, that number grew in Feb when there were only 14 hives left, and by the end of March only 5 hives remained.  As of mid April that number is still holding.
 
I didn't notice anything unsual about these hives in Oct, all were flying strong, and had heavey honey reserves.  However, there was excessive swarming in Sept.  27 hives swarmed, about half of them from this yard, the rest from other yards.  All hives that swarmed had laying queens going into Nov.  Loses in other yards were not as bad, running around 20%, except the home yard which consisted of many mating nucs that were combined, but I didn't get them strong enough, should have been combined more. 
 
None of them died out due to starvation.  Most of the clusters were small in number, about the size of a basketball, covering three to four frames.  Some had brood, most didn't.  Excessive soiling of frames prompted me to pull samples from 25 hives and send for testing, which produced the diagnosis of "Nosema sp average of 16,500,000 nosema spores present per bee."  Sample was taken on 4/11/08.
 
Based on the sample taken on 9/13/07, I didn't treat for nosema, by Jan 08, it was too late as the temps were below 32F for most of the month.  Costly lesson, but I hope someone else can learn from this.
 
Jimhttp://www.northernqueens.com/
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