> My question is about treating the bees. Do you wait 'till you see signs of disease before treating? I garden organically, so my mindset is I don't want to give them medication if they really don't need it.

Hi Roni
I am slated to do a talk next month on the subject of keeping bees
without chemicals, to the NY association. I usually begin by
explaining IPM. IPM is a system of pest control which is based on
prevention and treatment only as necessary. This is different from the
mindset that applies pesticides in order to prevent anticipated losses
due to pests one may not even have. It is also different from the
organic approach which attempts to avoid chemicals at all cost. IPM
treats chemicals as a necessary evil to be used when all else fails.

This being said, I would recommend using terramycin in the spring and
fall because foulbrood is widespread and easy to prevent. The presence
of small amounts of terramycin in the brood nest poses no real risk to
you or your bees. (You will not get resistant bacteria this way,
because in order for resistance to develop there has to be a viable
infection. The terramycin *prevents* the spores from developing).

As to the other problems, here's the deal. If you bought bees from
someone else, you most likely already have nosema, varroa, viruses,
and maybe even hive beetles. The question is: when will you treat?
Will you wait until you can see problems? In the case of these
pathogens, by the time you see it, it is usually already too late. You
will need to learn to diagnose problems early and make a decision.
Rolling the bees and counting mites is a good idea. If the number is
very small (1-5 on 250 bees) not much to worry about; if it is high
(25 or more) you have a problem coming on. I have seen very high
numbers (80 on 250) and these bees don't make it.

You can go 100% natural organic, but you will have to be ready to
watch your bees dies off. This is easy enough to do! -- helps to rid
us of susceptible bees, and perhaps they won't die in which case you
will no doubt have good bees worth having. Personally, I place zero
stock in small cell foundation, but drone cell foundation is a great
way to trap varroa in order to get rid of them. You can hedge your
bets a bit by buying resistant types like the Russians.

Central to my approach is to imitate the life cycle of a colony in
nature. Susceptible bees can be allowed to die off; if this gets out
of hand I recommend treating enough hives so you still have some bees
to get going again. The key, however, is dividing. Natural colonies
swarm regularly and I believe this is partly to rejuvenate the hive
(as well as to start new colonies and populate the woods). Evolution
favors behaviors that ensure survival of the individual so it stands
to reason that swarming must be good for a colony.

The old queen and half the bees get separated from the old nest, which
may be overrun by parasites. The original hive is purged of a lot of
its older bees, gets a break in the brood cycle, and is repopulated by
emerging young bees. Of course, we don't want our bees to swarm and
head for the woods, so I recommend dividing every hive in the spring.
If they bounce back quickly you can do more dividing in the summer.
Old timers will tell you this will ruin your chances of a good honey
crop but here's the deal:

You want your bees to survive. Dead bees make no honey. Look after the
survival of the bees and honey will come soon enough. If you need 100
pounds for your family's needs what do you care if it comes from one
hive or four? Dividing bees is fun, and you will be surprised how fast
a colony can go from four frames to four supers!

To sum, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Taking
aspirin to prevent headaches is certainly a dumb idea but taking
aspirin to prevent heart disease is not.

-- 
Peter L Borst
Danby, NY  USA
42.35, -76.50
http://picasaweb.google.com/peterlborst

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