Covering the pests and diseases that affect honey bees – both Apis mellifera & Apis cerena.
Single-Target Acaracide Resistance in Varroa
Earlier this year, Australia recorded its first case of flumethrin-resistant mites in northern New South Wales, and this same population later tested positive to amitraz a non-pyrethroid acaracide. Does this mean these treatments are ineffective
Mites Plus Beetles: A Slimeout Story
A strong hive was scheduled for Varroa management and we applied formic acid treatment. A rainy week followed and the bees could not leave the hive, and four days after that, the colony collapsed. A
Varroa-Sensitive Hygiene & The Basis of Natural Resistance
Hygiene is defined as the removal of dead or injured brood to defend against diseases and parasites of the colony. Varroa-Sensitive Hygiene (VSH) is the selective breeding of bees with the ability to self-manage Varroa
Absconding Colonies: Survival Outside the Hive
This is a followup investigation to my winter hive deaths. My three colonies are no more, having absconded from severe Varroa infestation. Absconding is when the colony quietly leaves the hive in search of a
Bees as Pests: Cape Honey Bee
The South African Cape honey bee, Apis mellifera capensis is a social parasite of the African (“Savannah”) honey bee Apis mellifera scutellata. A.m. capensis workers can activate their ovaries within queenright colonies and start laying
8 Weeks After Flumethrin Treatment
Several months back I wrote about flumethrin as a Varroa mite treatment. Here I report the results of an eight week of this Bayvarol treatment on three colonies, applied during the summer of 2023-2024. Yes,
What Do Bees Do With Their Dead?
Bring out your dead… Undertaker bees are middle-aged workers who specialize in adult corpse removal to prevent pathogen buildup. This behaviour is triggered by a reduction of cuticular hydrocarbon emissions, as a result of decreasing
Routes of Transmission: Deformed Wing Virus
Your hives are already infected with Deformed Wing Virus (“DWV”). Low levels of DWV are naturally found in honey bees, and rarely (if ever) cause issues. However, when a colony is infested with mites, symptoms
Why is European Foulbrood Treatable?
European foulbrood (“EFB”) is a treatable condition as the bacterium Melissococcus plutonius does not form spores like Paenibacillus larvae, the agent of American foulbrood. To confirm EFB diagnosis, samples can be sent to a laboratory
Chalkbrood-Infected Larvae
Mummified larvae were the first sign of something wrong. My hive was only months old when it started placing little white-black bricks at the hive entrance. I didn’t know much at the time, so I
Science Gone Wrong: Africanised Honey Bees
Africanised honey bees are the result of crossbreeding between an African honey bee (Apis mellifera scutellata) and various European subspecies (such as Apis mellifera ligustica and Apis mellifera carnica). Scientists intended to breed a honey
Using a Varroa Mite Sticky Board Inside Hives
For beekeepers with good eyesight, sticky boards can be used to assess the level of Varroa mites in colonies. For beekeepers with poor(er) eyesight or wanting more accurate readings, sticky boards are used alongside other
How to Check for Varroa Mites
Varroa mite checks can be simple, like the sugar shake and alcohol wash methods, or more intensive microscopic analysis. If the goal is to monitor Varroa mites for routine surveillance and treatment, then alcohol washing
Flumethrin for Varroa
For readers in Australia, Varroa mites is slowing spreading from New South Wales and into the remaining states. As of writing, surveillance teams have been deployed with sticky mats and flumethrin for Varroa screening. Yours
Nosema Disease in Honey Bees
The Nosema disease is caused by microsporidian fungi that infect the digestive systems of adult bees. The two primary species of microsporidian fungi are Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae, with the latter being more common.
The Giant Asian Hornet
A native hornet to Asia, the Giant Asian Hornet is the world’s largest hornet species, with workers reaching 45–55 mm long and a wingspans of ~75 mm. This also makes it the largest insect predator
Altered Brood Pattern & Sacbrood Virus
Sacbrood virus causes the skin of infected larvae to form into a bulging “sac” of fluid, filled with viral particles (not to be confused with “sack” [English is difficult]). This is a minor brood disease
Wax Moths in a Beehive
Another common pest of honey bee hives are the two wax moth species: the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella and the lesser wax moth, Achroia grisella. It is the larvae, not the adult moths that
American Foulbrood: Pathology, Biology & Beekeeper-do-this-ology
The most serious of the honey bee diseases, American foulbrood (AFB) is a bacterial disease that infects brood. Forager (or robber) bees contract the disease from the environment (or infected hives), whereby they return the
Beetles in a Beehive
Small hive beetles (“SHB” ) are pests of honey bee hives. Native to sub-Saharan Africa, they thrive in humid conditions close to colonies. Female beetles lay eggs in the nooks and crannies of hives, hatching
Managing Honey Bee Diseases
Honey bee diseases are numerous, varying from chemically treatable conditions to conditions requiring immediate colony euthanasia. Not all diseases are encountered during foraging; some are transmitted by pests, with Varroa mites being the most prominent
Honey Bee Mites
Varroa mites are the biggest threat to bee populations worldwide. Mites feed on the haemolymph (bee blood) fat body tissue of developing bee larva (& adult bees; see Ramsey et al., 2019), weakening them and