Artistic swarm process

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Artificial swarming methods are remediation methods that are used on honey bees that are infected or infested with certain diseases such as American foulbrood (AFB) or parasites such as the varroa mite . However, these methods cannot be used in all cases, especially in the case of foulbrood, only if their infestation is not yet so massive that the colonies have to be killed.

history

American foulbrood is a disease of western honeybees. It is caused by the bacterium Paenibacillus larvae , which specifically attacks the capped larvae of bees and kills them. In 1905 the bacterium was identified by GF White and distinguished from the European foulbrood. Originally, infested colonies were destroyed by killing them by poisoning them with sulfur dioxide and burning the infested beehives. In the 1990s Robert Henne developed a method to u. a. to remediate colonies infected with AFB, which is known as the artificial swarm method or open artificial swarm. In his dissertation , Frithjof Koithan gives an overview of the hazards and control methods used by the AFB .

Varroa mite infestation has been problematic for bees since the 2000s and is the main cause of bee mortality at that time. In addition to chemical methods with various organic acids and pyrethroids , against which, however, resistance has already occurred in some cases, a variant of the art swarm method according to Liebig (sharing and treating) has established itself as a flanking measure .

execution

Foulbrood control

He himself describes the method according to Henne in detail in the following link, with pictures and precise implementation instructions, he is described in a presentation by the bee institute Kirchhain of the State Agriculture Office of Hessen. In a nutshell, you proceed as follows.

  • The bottom of the hive remains at the previous location, the frames are set aside
  • The brood and feed combs are removed from the frames, if necessary the queen is sought and caged
  • The bees are swept from the removed frames into an empty box or prey, which is placed on the previous floor, which must happen quickly.
  • On this new prey (without a frame!) There is a barrier and a film so that the swarm can settle.
  • The old frames are stowed away in a bee-safe manner and destroyed by burning.
  • The bees are allowed to fly freely without feeding for at least two to three days so that the intestinal contents are safely and completely excreted. Any honeycomb construction that has begun is removed so that no new brood can be created (starvation phase).
  • During this time, the previous hives are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. With 2% NaOH solution, or with wooden frames with an open flame.
  • After the hunger phase, the disinfected frames are provided with frames and central walls and a new lid is placed on the people in the evening, the foil between them removed. The caged queen given back to the people or chased away.
  • During the night the people move and the next morning the lower frame and bottom are removed and replaced with a new or disinfected bottom.
  • Depending on the position, it is carefully fed.
  • The materials used in the meantime are disinfected.

Varroa control

To combat varroa according to Liebig, the following procedure is used: The prey is moved, with a few meters being sufficient and an empty hive with frames and central walls and, if necessary, honeycomb food is placed in the place where the prey originally stood . The flying bees move almost completely to the new hive, the hive bees with the brood remain in the old hive, the queen is transferred to the flying swarm with a feed cell. Since the bees in the new hive are brood-free, they can be treated with lactic acid against Varroa two days after swarming . After 21 days, the brood colony is brood-free and can now also be treated with lactic acid against Varroa. Now it can be decided whether the two sub-colonies will be reunited or the breeding colony will be provided with a new queen. The practical implementation is demonstrated in an instructional video by Liebig.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ GF White: The bacteria of the apiary with special reference to bee diseases. (= Technical Series. No. 14). 1906, p. 50 ff. (Online)
  2. ↑ a b Robert Henne: The open art school. 2010, Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  3. ↑ The current hazard potential of the American foulbrood, causes and possible control strategies. Dissertation. Giessen 2002, accessed July 23, 2016.
  4. ↑ Gerhard Liebig: Simply beekeeping: Guide to beekeeping. 3. Edition. Self-published, 2011, DNB 1027709737
  5. ↑ Open art school procedure for foulbrood remediation. Bee Institute Kirchhain of the State Agriculture Office of Hesse, accessed on June 28, 2016.
  6. ↑ Demonstration of the 'Divide and Treat' treatment process.Retrieved July 10, 2016.