Zlatko Tomljanovicin esitys SML:n Talvipäivillä 2017.

1. Beekeeping & varroa mite and other
diseases in Croatia
Zlatko Tomljanović
zlatko.tomljanovic33@gmail.com

2. Finland
Area: approx. 338.400 km²
Population: 5,4 mill
Croatia
Area: approx. 56.500 km2
Population: 4,3 mill

3. ..some figures about Croatian beekeeping…
Croatia 2005 2008 2011 2014 2016
No hives 291.400 303.700 374.800 452.000 554.000
No hives/km2 5.1 5.3 6.6 7.9 9.7
No beekeepers 5.500 6.200 7.500 11.500 13.200
Yield (t) 6.300 5.770 5.600 9.500 5.200
Croatia LR AŽ DB
Types of hives % 64 35 1
Croatia Stationary Migratory
Types of apiaries % 63 37
Croatia 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016
AFB outbreaks 29 130 162 101 589 674

4. Current beekeeping situation in Croatia & region
• the number of beekeepers in Croatia increased by 1/2 since 2010
• ecological and economic reasons for increase
• many beginners without any practical and theoretical knowledge
• large amount of mistakes in beekeeping management and honey
bee health
Acacia

5. Problems with inexperienced beekeepers
• spreading of honey bee diseases
• lack of nutrition during the drought
• hive robbing behaviours
• ignoring the general guidelines of GVBP
• „young” beekeepers who think they know everything about
bees
Amorpha

6. Beekeeping school
• based on program approved by the Ministry of Science and
Education
• local government joined the project (reimbursement)
• lasts three months (thirty hours of theoretical lessons and
ninety hours of practical works )
• only condition for enrolment into beekeeping school is
completed elementary school
Chestnut tree

7. Workshops/Practical works/Demonstrations in apiary

8. Enter the apiary / Opening the hives

9. Examination of colonies / Evaluations of colony strenght
/period of season, geografical position, productivity/

10. Sampling / Diagnosis /Control /Prophylaxis of honey bee diseases

11. After finishing the course, students should be able to:
1. Understand and explain basics of honey bee biology
2. Recognize most common management systems and explain
their benefits and drawbacks
3. Assess general health of honey bee colonies
4. Put beekeeping products on a market, thereby respecting the
local regulations
Savory

12. Export the ideas of beekeeping schools in Cambodia,
Bosnia and Herzegovina…..

13. Our expectations…
• transferring the know-how technology to the beekeepers
• fewer problems in apiaries concerning beekeeping
management and honey bee health than before
• setting the modern beekeeping in the centre of rural and
sustainable development
• the beekeepers will be ready to take care for nature and earn
spare money at the same time
Linden

14. Honey and products market
Prices
Honey:
• Wholesale 3 – 6 €/kg
• Retail 4- 10 € /kg
Propolis:
• Crude 65 €/kg
• Solution 3 € / 20ml
Polen
• 13 € / kg
Royal jelly
• Wholesale – no exist
• Retail 20 € / 10 ml

15. Beekeeper organizations
Croatian Beekeepers Federations
• since 1954
• currently - 8.000 members
• member fee 30€/ year
• 12 issues of Bee Journal „Hrvatska pčela”
145 Local beekeeping associations
• member fee 15 – 20 €
Croatian queen breeders association
• currently 41 members
• 2016 production 35.000 queens
since 1881

16. Bosnia and
Herzegovina
Serbia
Slovenia
Hungary
Montenegro
Italy
Three microclimates
North - Pannonian
Three different types of:
 weather conditions
 overwintering
 spring developments
 plants & honey flow
Honey & polen plants
Canola
Acacia
Amorpha
Chestnut
Linden
Sunflower
Goldenrod
Wild flowers
Heather
Savory
Honeydew
Rosemary
Sage
Lavender
 beekeepers

17. Types of mobile apiaries
Trailer – hard work
102 AŽ hives
Container – a big compromise
44 LR hives

18. AŽ hive
Tipically for Slovenia/northern Croatia and Serbia

19. Types of mobile apiaries
Lifters Pallets

20. Beekeeping today - challenges
• Global trade of honey bee products
• Global trade od bees
• Global exchange of pests and pathogens
• Global problems of colony losess
• Pesticides/GMO/climate changes/landscape destruction
• Good & bad beekeeping practice
Sunflower

21. What bothered us in Croatia in 2016?
• weird weather ( rain /frost)
• heavy rain and cold during the honey flow
• starvation / suspected on poisoning
• swarming problems
• varroa fitness
• sealed honey – high humidity of honey
• birds in southern part / Bee - eater
Merops apiaster
Overall impression about 2016 ?
Better to forget ASAP
But it will be better in 2017 ! – immortal claim

22. First impression?
Vaaauuuuuuuu…great
New South Wales, Australia 1993.
Something is wrong here !
Second impression?
Where was the beekeeper?

23. Spring development / Swarming
• Queen excluder - YES
• Queen excluder - NO
• Supering
• Demaree method
• Rotation system I
• Rotation system II
Swarm control
Sometimes is necessary to adopt new approach in swarm control

24. …much better position…
Swarm in the vineyard

25. QE
BC
SF
S
BC – brood chamber
QE – queen excluder
SF – shallow frames
S - super
brood
honey
Rotation system I
Cluster
Spring development
Active season
End of the season
Rotation
Begining of
the winter
Early spring
Rotation
1
Attention!
1. Never extract honey from SF
2
2. Add sugar solution if no honey
flow before main pasture

26. Graphics originally by O.Boecking
♀
+
+ + +
If queen cells (QC) appear….
1. Have time - make splits with QC (remove) + leave the queen with 1 brood frame
on the same spot
2. No time – check for QC/leave the 1 frame with QC + remove the mother colony
1.
2.
+

27. productive colony
swarming – splits – honey - queens – varroa ?
split new colony
oxal/lactic acid
+- = 0
Rotation system II
Originally by O.Boecking

28. Croatia 2012/2013 2013/2014 2014/2015
Colony losses
%
9,5 7,7 9,8
Colony losses in Croatia
Causes:
• varroa
• AFB
• pesticides - intoxication
• lack of polen supplies
• malnutrition / starvation
• bad beekeeping practice

29. Varroa + xyz
„...in August and September my bees were great – lots of bees and honey, but
in October/November I don’t have anymore bees. I’ve just found few bees on
a bottom bord and frames full of honey…and I did varroa treatment…do you
have any idea where did they go? Anybody seen my bees ?....”
August
 number of varroa in a hive >10 % (delaying / ineffective treatment)
September - October
 number of varroa in a hive around 20 %
October - November = cleansing flights !
 the bees damaged by varroa can’t return / cluster is getting smaller
 varroa attack other bees in a hive / few more cleansing flights
 remain just few hundreds bees /can’t keep the warmth /leave the hive

30. The best time for varroa control ?
Winter control – (November – January)
Spring control – (April – June)
Summer control – (July – September)

31. .
Winter control
3.5 % Oxal acid
Broodless colonies - Trickling 5ml/ bee gap
Temperature not below 5 C / One treatment

32. .
Spring control – no chemistry
Removing /cutting drone combs
Making splits – sealed brood / varroa control

33. Registered / legal medicaments in Croatia
• Apiguard
• Apilife Var
• Bayvarol
• Check Mite+
• Thymovar
Summer varroa control
Varroa control program – issued by Veterinary administration
Evaluation of infestation level/control of medicaments
• Formic/Lactic/Oxal acid treatment
Foto:S.Spiewok

34. Upcoming authorisation ?
Hop Guard (hop beta-acids)MAQS (formic acid) Apivar strips

35. Ongoing applied researches
„Varroa treatment for 3rd millennium”(Italy)
• caging the queen/ summer
• broodless colony/ oxalic acid treatment
Completely removing of brood frames
• after last honey harvest
• 1 trapping brood frame remains/get
treated
• creating new colony

36. The other diseases
AFB EFB Chalk brood

37. AFB
Healthy brood
Comparative diagnosis
AFB „ropy” condition
treadlike projection longer > 2,5cm

38. AFB - the holes on the cappings
Healthy brod AFB
• scattered brood pattern
• punctured & sunken cappings
Comparative diagnosis

39. AFB - dried scales
How to check correctly for dried scales?
X
OK

40. If AFB is confirmed…
X
• Restricted area must be established with radius of 3 km
• All apiaries in protected zone must be examined
• Health certificate is needed for migratory operations
• All apiaries have to be registered
Great problem!
Abandoned apiaries

41. AFB sanitation
Shook swarm method
• early stage of AFB
• strong colony
• regular occurrence in the area
Burning
• late stage of AFB/weak colony
• first outbreak in new area
• reimbursement of 90 €
Veterinary authorities order:

42. SHB outbreaks
Italy 05.09.2014. (Calabria)
Protected area - 20 km radius
Monitoring area - 100 km radius
Italy - Sep 2015 – 6 more cases
Italy - Aug 2016 – new outbreaks
Croatia 2017
Active & pasive monitoring in 300 apiaries

43. Comparative diagnosis
3.2 – 5.6 mm
© 2010 Torsten
Bittner
5 – 7
mm
Chychramus luteus Chychramus variegatus

44. Take home message
• Varroa/AFB/EFB control
• Spring development/Swarm control
• Queen exchanging
• Preparing for winter
• Change/adopt new approach of beekeeping
managment if it’s necessary
• Always look on the bright side of….
Heather

45. Sage
Thank you for your attention
Kiitos huomiostasi
Pazin/Croatia Sep ‘16