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http://mudsongs.org/honeybees-in-flight-video/

Meghan Milbrath - 2016

TOWARDS TREATMENT FREE

GOLDEN ERA OF BEEKEEPING

NEW ERA OF BEEKEEPINGLOCAL, NORTHERN TREATMENT FREE QUEENS – YEAR 1

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FALL INSPECTION - DWINDLING, DYING COLONIES

BEES IN VARROA INFESTED COLONIES ARE PROFOUNDLY UNHEALTHY.

•Lower weights in adults and larvae

•Poor nutrition/higher food demand.

•Transmission of DWV

•Transmission of other viruses

Impacts of Varroa Parasitism on Honey Bee Health

by Katherine Aronstein1 and Angela Douglas2

DEATH BY VARROA/VIRUSES IS A TERRIBLE WAY TO GO.

https://beeinformed.org/2013/10/15/parasitic-mite-syndrome-pms/

DYING BEES –NOT THE WAY I WANT TO PRACTICE MY CRAFT OR CARE FOR MY ANIMALS

NO LONGER BEING A GOOD BEE ‘KEEPER’

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IT WASN’T JUST MEA HONEY BEE COLONY WITH VARROA, THAT IS NOT TREATED TO KILL THE PEST, WILL LIKELY DIE WITHIN ONE TO THREE YEARS (KORPELA ET AL. 1993;

FRIES ET AL. 2006).

‘LET DIE’ APPROACH –EXPECT LOSSES OF 95%

Higes et al. 2012

MYTH 1: PEOPLE WHO TREAT THEIR HIVES DON’T CARE ABOUT BEING NATURAL OR CARE ABOUT THEIR BEES.

EVERYONE WANTS TO BE TREATMENT FREE

PROBLEM 1: BEEKEEPERS WHO ARE TRYING TO DO RIGHT BY THEIR BEES ARE CONSISTENTLY LOSING THEM.

PROBLEM 2: WHEN THESE COLONIES DIE, IT AFFECTS THE BEES AROUND THEM.

TRANSMISSION OF DISEASE

Bees from colonies heavily infested with varroa drift more than bees from uninfestedcolonies

(Schmid-Hempel 1998).

http://www.santacruzbees.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Varroa_destructor_bee.jpg

WHEN YOUR COLONY DIES BECAUSE IT IS OVERRUN WITH VARROA, YOU ARE PUTTING THE BEES AROUND YOU AT RISK.

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Peter Graystock, Edward J. Blane, Quinn S. McFrederick, Dave Goulson, William OH. Hughes

Do managed bees drive parasite spread and emergence in wild bees?

International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife, 2015, Available online 28 October 2015

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijppaw .2015.10.001

VARROA HAVE BEEN REPORTED ON BUMBLE BEES AND OTHER INSECTS, AND FEEDING ON THEIR LARVAE.

Allan Jones (Davis)

WHEN COLONIES ARE OVERRUN WITH VARROA -BEEKEEPERS LOSE THEIR BEES, BEES DIE TERRIBLE DEATHS,

OTHER BEES (INCLUDING WILD ONES) ARE PUT AT RISK.

A BETTER WAY

•Ethics of animals in human care

•Disease transmission

•Not get caught on a treadmill of constant chemical inputs.

GOAL = HEALTHY BEES. LITTLE INTERVENTION AND LITTLE LOSS HOW DO WE GET THERE?

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WE ARE IN A VARROA EPIDEMIC

SOME CONTEXT

Tracheal mites

AFB

Varroa

?????

Ken Walker Museum Victoria

1) STRATEGIES THAT WE CAN USE TO REDUCE VARROA(EPIDEMIC MITIGATION) – SHORT TERM

2) STRATEGIES THAT THE BEES USE TO REDUCE VARROA(GENETIC ADVANCEMENT) –LONG TERM

WE BEAT EPIDEMICS BY CONTROLLING THE SPREAD OF DISEASE, WHILE WORKING ON PERMANENT RESISTANCE.

VECTOR BORNE DISEASES

cmr.asm.org

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Photo: Hawaii Department of Health

TO STOP THE TRANSMISSION OF THE VIRUS, WE HAVE TO REDUCE / REMOVE THE VECTOR, BECAUSE WE DON’T HAVE DEFENSES FOR THE VIRUS

MY NEIGHBOR/MENTOR/FRIEND/GRANDPA DOESN’T TREAT, AND THEIR BEES LIVE FOR 1200 YEARS

MY NEIGHBOR/MENTOR/FRIEND/GRANDPA DON’T TREAT, AND THEIR BEES LIVE FOR 1200 YEARS

1) They may be in an area with very little pressure (no vectors)

2) They may be in an area with no virus

3) They may have a weakened version of varroa

4) They may have a weakened version of the viruses

5) The environment may not be conducive for varroa/viral growth

6) They may live in an area with no winter stress/cluster

http://www.marcandangel.com/2012/05/21/10-things-lucky-people-do-differently/

THE DISEASE LANDSCAPE FOR VARROA IS VERY COMPLEX

The risk to your particular colonies may be very low, or it may be very high.

This level of outside ‘disease pressure’ will determine what you have to do to manage varroalevels in your hive.

MY NEIGHBOR/MENTOR/FRIEND/GRANDPA DON’T TREAT, AND THEIR BEES LIVE FOR 1200 YEARS

1) They may do things that reduce varroa populations

2) Their bees may do things that reduce varroa populations

1) STRATEGIES THAT WE CAN USE TO REDUCE VARROA (EPIDEMIC MITIGATION)

2) STRATEGIES THAT THE BEES USE TO REDUCE VARROA (BREEDING)

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VARROA LIFECYCLE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj-h5VJqaoI

VARROA ARE A PROBLEM WHEN THEY TAKE OVER A COLONY.

OUR JOB AS BEEKEEPERS IS TO MAKE SURE THAT PESTS DO NOT TAKE OVER, LEADING TO ILLNESS AND DEATH.

1. NEED A METHOD TO KNOW MITE LEVELS2. NEED TOOLS TO KEEP / DROP MITE POPULATIONS

FOCUS ON MITE POPULATION LEVELS

NOT TREATMENTS.

Get new hive

Average Varroa – related death = 18 months

Next Spring -Still Alive

Colony dies

Don’t treat

Treat

Don’t treat

STEP 1. MONITOR. KNOW THAT MITES ARE NOT TAKING OVER YOUR COLONY.

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STEP 2. MANAGEMENT STRATEGY- WAYS TO KEEP VARROA LOW- PLAN TO DEAL WITH PEAK IN POPULATION

EXTREMES AT EITHER END ARE NOT IDEAL

Do nothing.

Indiscriminate Chemical Application

Increased Disease spread.

Increased chance of resistance

WHAT IS YOUR MANAGEMENT STRATEGY?

DENIAL AND NEGLECT ARE NOT EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES.

IPM = USE NON-CHEMICAL MANAGEMENT FIRST

- Drone brood removal- Splits- Break brood cycle

These are Season-long activities/ not last minute corrections

IT’S MY FIRST YEAR, AND I’M SO CONFUSED

Treat with an organic treatment in the spring and in the late summer.

- Mite Away Quick

strips (MAQS) –Formic Acid

- Thymol (Apiguard, Api-Live Var)

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THIS FIRST YEAR OR TWO – PRACTICE MONITORING, LEARN ABOUT INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT.

apiculturesantropol.w ordpress.com

MAY HAVE TO USE A CHEMICAL AS IN INTERVENTION

http://scientificbeekeeping.com/ipm-3-strategy-understanding-varroa-population-dynamics/

MYTH: ALL TREATMENTS ARE CREATED EQUALNOW WE HAVE PLANT BASED TREATMENTS, ACIDS THAT DON’T BUILD UP IN THE WAX, AND TREATMENTS THAT ARE ORGANIC.

MYTH: MY BEES ARE ON AN ORGANIC FARM, SO I CAN’T USE TREATMENT

“The producer of an organic livestock operation must

not…withhold medical treatment from a sick animal in an

effort to preserve its organic status. All appropriate

medications must be used to restore an animal to health….

Electronic code of Federal Regulations Title 7 Subtitle B Chapter I Subchapter M Part 205, Subpart C

We have treatments that are labeled as organic

MYTH: WE ARE MAKING THEM ‘USED’ TO BEING TREATED/ WE ‘WEAKEN’ THE BEES BY TREATING THEM.

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CAN’T ASSUME THAT YOUR BEES WILL TAKE CARE OF VARROA THEMSELVES - YET SHORT TERM VARROA CONTROL

1. As beekeepers, we need to make sure that our bees are never over come with varroa mites.

2. We need to monitor mite populations all season long.

3. There are many non chemical interventions, but they are designed for season long – not last minute corrections.

4. You may have to use a chemical intervention if mite populations get high.

Goal – not let your bees die, and not transmit to other beekeepers.

I CAME FOR A TREATMENT FREE TALK, AND YOU JUST SPENT A WHOLE LOT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT TREATMENTS.

Towards treatment free.

We don’t just become ‘ treatment free’ by declaration. Remember, the goal is to reduce inputs, but not at the expense of our bees, and the bees around us. There is a process to doing this.

1) STRATEGIES THAT WE CAN USE TO REDUCE VARROA (EPIDEMIC MITIGATION)

2) STRATEGIES THAT THE BEES USE TO REDUCE VARROA (BREEDING)

PARASITE DYNAMICS

Photo: Charles Lam

BEES HAVE SOME STRATEGIES TO DEAL WITH VARROA ON THEIR OWN.

https://beeinformed.org/2011/07/25/hygienic-behavior/

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VARROA CAMOUFLAGES ITS SCENT IN THE COLONY

Regular Colony Mite Biter Colony

GOAL – THAT ALL THE COLONIES HAVE THE GENETICS TO MANAGE VARROA.

http://www.extension.org/sites/default/files/w/3/35/VSHremoval.jpg

WHAT DOESN’T WORK

1. Get a package of bees

2. Let them get over run and die from mites in 1-2 years

3. Replace them with a new package of bees

4. Let them get overrun and die from mites in 1-2 years.

5. Repeat.

LIVE AND GET BETTER BEES VERSION

1. Get some bee hives.

2. Monitor for varroa levels throughout the season

3. Record which colonies have low levels of varroa.

4. If you have colonies with high levels of varroa- treat them (so they don’t become varroa bombs or die)

5. Replace queens of colonies that had to be treated with queens from colonies that didn’t have to be treated

YOU CAN FIND OUT WHICH BEES CAN HANDLE VARROA BEFORE COLONY DEATH. MOVING TOWARDS TREATMENT FREE

Some colonies can handle varroa – find them by monitoring, not killing bees.

- You can get the same information as the let die method, but aren’t aiding the epidemic or killing your bees

- You are using chemicals when you have to, but aren’t committing to constant use.

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MOVING TOWARDS TREATMENT FREE

Year 1. Get bee hives.

MOVING TOWARDS TREATMENT FREE

Year 1. Get bee hives.

Monitor for Varroa.

MOVING TOWARDS TREATMENT FREE

Year 1. Get bee hives.

Monitor for Varroa.

Treat those hives that have high

levels, and replace with new queens

MOVING TOWARDS TREATMENT FREE

Year 1. Get bee hives.

Monitor for Varroa.

Treat those hives that have high

levels, and replace with new queens.

Monitor for Varroa.

WHERE DO WE GET NEW QUEENS?YOUR BEST HIVES, OR YOUR NEIGHBOR’S BEST HIVES –WWW.NORTHERNBEENETWORK.ORG

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MINNESOTA HYGIENICMarla Spivak

PURDUE MITE BITERSGreg Hunt / Krispen Givens

VARROA SENSITIVE HYGIENIC (VSH)John Harbo, Jeff Harris, Roger Hoopengarner

RUSSIAN BEES

GENETICS CHANGE COMPLETELY EACH TIME THE QUEEN IS REPLACED.

IDEALLY – WHEN YOUR NEW QUEEN GOES OUT TO MATE – ALL THE DRONES HAVE THE GENETICS TO HAVE VARROA RESISTANT BEHAVIORS.

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THE MORE VARROA RESISTANT STOCK WE USE, THE MORE THOSE GENES ARE OUT IN THE ENVIRONMENT, THE BETTER CHANCE THAT YOUR NEW AND REPLACEMENT QUEENS WILL HAVE THOSE GENES.

CONCLUSIONS

1) Number one goal is healthy bees (yours and your neighbors, and your future bees).

2) Your bees do not have to die if you want to advance towards varroa-resistant stock.

3) We now have better chemical therapies, but you may never have to use them if your bees can handle varroa, or if you have a good management strategy.

4) Don’t expect any old queen to have the goods –demand queens that are bred to be varroa resistant.

TOGETHER WE CAN STOP THE VARROA EPIDEMIC

1) STOPPING THE SPREAD OF THE VECTOR

2) INCREASING BEES WITH MITE RESISTANCE GENES.

THANK YOU!

Meghan Milbrathwww.sandhillbees.comsandhillbees@gmail.com517.884.9518