Apiculture

1. DIISEASES OF HONEY BEES
The honey bees like all other creatures suffer from many diseases & are attacked by several
insect pests and diseases. They are affected by several protozoan (Nosema, Amoebic),
bacterial(American and Europian Foul brood), fungal (Chalk brood and Stone brood), viral (Thai sac
brood, Acute and Chronic bee paralysis) along with Colony Collapse Disorders and diseases caused by
mites viz. Tracheal mite and Varroa mite.
1. DISEASES DUE TO MITES :
ACAROSIS (The Honey Bee Tracheal Mite)
Also known as Acarine disease, Isle of Wight ( because it was observed in Isle of Wight in 1904). Acarosis
is caused by the honey bee tracheal mite, Acarapis woodi, a small parasitic mite. It infects worker,
drone and queen honey bees. It can be serious if not treated. It affects mostly the trachea and body
fluid.
Symptoms:-
mites live and reproduce in trachea. They pierce the tracheal tube walls & feed on the hemolymph of
the bees. The most infected stage is its adult stage. They enter the spiracles on the 1st segment and work
their way inwards into the trachea, damaging the linings while feeding on blood & depositing their
faeces in the passage.
Management:-
 Use of grease patties ( typically made from 1 part vegetable shortenings mixed with 3-4 parts
powdered sugar) placed on top bars of the hive. Menthol allowed to vaporize from crystal form
or mixed into the grease patties.
 Use of resistant hybrid bees known as Buckfast bee, developed by Brother Adam at the Buckfast
Abbey.
 Cotton soaked in Methyl salcilate and placed under the hive in flat perforated lid.
 Destruction of affected colony.
 Smoke fumigation with Chlorobenzilate
Time of Treatment: Spring and early summer
VARROASIS (The Varroa Mite)
Varroaosis is caused by the Asiatic varroa mite, Varroa destructor. Varroa can be seen with the naked
eye as a small red or brown spot on the bee's thorax.
Symptoms:
 Varroa reproduce on honey bee pupae and feed on bee hemolymph.
 Varroa are also known to carry and vector bee viruses that are particularly damaging to the bees.
 Varroa infestations can cause irreversible damage to honey bees that can lead to honey bee
colony losses.
Management:
 Apivar: Apivar is effective against varroa mites, Apistan-resistant varroa mites, and
Checkmite+ resistant varroa mites.
 Using 65% formic acid
 Mite Away Quick Strip (MAQS): MAQS is a 7-day, single application mite control product
registered for use against varroa and tracheal mites.
Time of control: Spring and early summer

2. 2. BACTERIAL DISEASES :
AMERICAN FOUL BROOD(AFB) (Dreadly disease):
AFB is a bacterial disease caused by Paenibacillus larvae larvae. It is the most widespread and
destructive of the honey bee brood diseases. It afflicts queen, drone, and worker larvae alike. Larval
stage is more affected in infection.
Place of infection – Gut
Symptoms:
Infected larvae normally die after their cell is sealed ,turn dark brown and later changes into sticky mass
producing foul smell (Infected larvae darken and die).
Management –
 Hive to completely Use of antibiotics such as oxytetracycline hydrochloride (terramycin) and
tylosin tartrate.
 Dusting the combs with sulphathiazole powder.
 Dipping the hive parts in hot paraffin wax or a 3% sodium hypochlorite solution (bleach).
EUROPEAN FOUL BROOD DISEASE:
It is caused by Melissococcus plutonius, Streptococcus pluton ( nonspore forming bacterium). Larval
stage is mostly infected.
Place of infection-Mid-gut
Symptoms-
 The diseased larvae turns yellow and then brown and the tracheal system becomes visible.
 Larvae dies in a coiled stage causing foul smell.
 Cells are poorly capped and mixed with normal cells.
 Young larvae within 2 days of age get infected by eating infested brood food or royal jelly and die
generally before completing development.
Management-
 Use of oxytetracycline hydrochloride
 The ‘Shook Swarm technique of bee husbandry’ can also be used to effectively control the
disease.
 Destroy affected comb.
3. PROTOZOAN DISEASES :
NOSEMOSIS (Nosema Disease)
Nosema is caused by Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae. It is a microsporidian protozoan disease
that infects the intestinal tract of adult bees. It is a serious adult disease. Nosema can cause detrimental
effects on honey bees, colony development, queen performance, and honey production.

3. Symptoms:-
 Bees become dysenteric with distened abdomen with faeces, shining and swollen abdomen.
 Affected worker bees have disjointed wings & are found crawling near the hive entrance.
 On dissection of the infested bees, the mid intestine is seen swollen & dull greyish-white in
colour as it is full of spores.
 Many bees loose body hairs.
Management:-
 Feed the affected colony with Entakon M @ 455mg/lt. Of sugar syrup at weekly interval.
 Sterilisation of brood boxes and frame hives with Glacial acetic acid fumes (soaked in cotton or
rag at 120ml/hive) or 40% formalin fumes only after the queen and the bees have transferred to
new foundation combs.
Time of Treatment: Spring & Winter
AMOEBIC DISEASE:
It is caused by a protozoa Malpighamoeba mellifeicae, which infests the malpighian tubules.
Symptoms:
 The bees get infected by ingesting the cysts which accumulate in the posterior end of the midgut
or in the rectum.
 The cysts get loose, swollen and enter the glassy malpighian tubules entering intestine and show
faecal matter at that place.
 Mostly dominant in April and May.
Management:
Only way to control is by proper hygiene and by the disinfection of equipments by 2% carbolic acid.
Transferring of bees to a fumigated box.
4. FUNGAL DISEASES :
CHALK BROOD DISEASE:
It is otherwise known as Kalkbrut disease. It is caused by fungus Ascosphaera apis, which converts larvae
into chalk-white masses of mycelium. The pathogen mainly infects drone brood and less often to worker
brood of the honey bee. Adults are not affected.
Place Of Infection: Gut
Nature Of Damage/Symptoms Of Damage:
 The fungus will consume the rest of the larva’s body, causing it to appear white and ‘chalky’.
 Fungus spreads through contaminated food, tools and combs and infected colonies.
 Infection generally occurs through ingestion but may also occur through the external body
surface.
 Larval stages are infected.

4. Management:
 Prevent during wet spring .
 Transfer of healthy bees into another bee hive .
 Increase the ventilation through the hive.
STONE BROOD DISEASE:
It is also known as Steinbrut disease, caused by a fungus A. flavus and less frequently by Aspergillus
fumigates & A. niger.
Place of infection-Alimentary canal
Nature of damage/ symptoms of damage-
 Dead larvae turn black and become difficult to crush, hard like mummies, hence the name stone
brood
 Fungus erupts from the integument of the larva and forms a false skin and larvae are covered
with powdery fungal spores.
 Disease is rare so minor one.
Stages infected-Larvae and adults
Management-
 Sterilization of the hive with formaldehyde fumes.
5. VIRAL DISEASES :
THAI SAC BROOD DISEASE:
It is a serious brood disease of Apis cerana indica caused by virus Morator aetatulus (Thai strain) during
spring season.
Symptom:
 Spotty brood appearance (pepper box.)
 capping tends to be darker, concave & punctured frequently.
 Dead larvae dry up in brood cell forming loose scale or sac like
 Brood die in pre pupal stage but in unsealed stage
 Dead larvae lie on their back, tip of head capsule turned upward.
Management:
 Destruction of frame
 Maintenance of strong and vigorous colony
 Sterilisation of beekeeping equipments with KMnO4 @ 50g/lit water followed by hot water
dipping.
 Fumigation of hive by formic acid (85%) @ 5ml/hive
 Caging queen for 21 days for creating broodlessness condition.

5. ACUTE BEE PARALYSIS:
 This disease is caused by acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV) and affects only the adults which only
show signs of trembling ,sprawled legs and wings .
 Occasionally ,they also exhibit partial hairlessness and in some case a black shiny appearance.
 The death rate may be high,but the disease may be mild or transient at times .
 Infected adults bees usally show the first symptom of acute paralysis in 2 to 4days and then die
within a day .
CHRONIC BEE PARALYSIS:
 This disease caused by the chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) and the infected adult may take
many days to die in contrast to quick mortality caused by ABPV.
 Adult bees infected with CBPV may exhibit two distinct syndromes. In the first syndrome the
adults have a bloated abdomen, which is caused by the distension of the honey sac with liquid.
They do not fly, instead they crawl on the ground, exhibiting an abnormal trembling motion of
the wings and bodies.
 Bees with the second syndrome are initially able to fly. They become almost hairless, appearing
dark or almost black and shiny.
 Uninfected bees nibble at them and prevent their return to the colony. In a few days, they start
trembling, remain flightless and die soon.
COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER (CCD):
Causal organism- stresses, malnutrition, pathogens and genetically modified (GM) crops
Place of infection - colony
Symptoms –worker bees from a beehive colony abruptly disappear
Stage infected – worker bees
Management – Exact causes are not known so following organic beekeeping practices.