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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