Timely topic for me.  I am in the midst of a Nosema attack in northern North
Carolina.  One yard is being severely affected.  I had mite levels down
below 3 (alcohol wash) with formic boards by early Sept. but noticed one
hive going down slowly.   I save bees from alcohol washes and send them off
to the state lab to check for Nosema.  This one yard tested positive at low
levels.   I got busy elsewhere and found the colony dead in late Sept., but
left it alone as it had cooled off enough that wax moth would not be a
problem and I could pick it up making fall feeding rounds.  It appears the
colony was thoroughly robbed out after dying and perhaps this is where the
infection exploded?  I have lost 40% of the colonies in that yard now and
the state lab tells me that spore counts are very high in the sample I sent
in from declining colonies.  I have drenched the remaining hives with
Fumidlil and HBH and am seeing some resumption of feeding but find the whole
episode extremely discouraging, and just read the VPI PhD abstract with
dismay.  Just as all politics are local I guess all bee diseases are local,
as I sure have a problem and given conflicting advice am still not sure
exactly what I should do. I do know that I now have a stack of about 30 hive
bodies full of brood comb that need to be disinfected.  Any advice other
than bleach?

 

Bill

Louisburg, NC


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