April An update on American Foulbrood (AFB)

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1 April 2015 Also in this issue P2. Better Bees for Airedale Dates for the diary P3-4. Spring disease inspections guide P5. A recipe for polish Foundation free frames? An update on American Foulbrood (AFB) As most members will now be aware, AFB was discovered in two colonies at our East Riddlesden Hall apiary on 26 April. In accordance with the legal requirement, a standstill order was served on the apiary and the two affected hives destroyed, under the supervision of the Government Bee Inspector, Ivor Flatman. A third (ailing) colony at East Riddlesden was also destroyed as a precaution. All apiaries within a 3km radius are being inspected. So far one other incidence of AFB has been found at Micklethwaite, where two further hives were also destroyed. European Foulbrood (EFB) - Dead Brood with Scales Crown copyright 2015 AFB is the most destructive of all the diseases which can affect colonies of honey bees. It is caused by a spore-forming bacterium which kills bee larvae by consuming their tissues. The spores are very resistant to extremes of temperature and chemical treatments and can remain active on hive equipment and in honey products for many years. A six week quarantine is now in force at the ERH apiary, during which no other person but the apiary managers can handle the bees and there will be no splitting of colonies or movement on or off the site. We also have to delay our usual programme of inspection training sessions until cleared by the Bee Inspector. In the meantime, all members are asked to keep a close eye on their bees. Suzanne Starling has provided a useful leaflet on spring disease inspection (see next page). Refresh your knowledge of AFB and how to spot it using the BeeBase leaflet. Most of all please be extremely vigilant and careful with your own apiary hygiene practices. A useful leaflet on hygiene from the BBKA is available here. This is the first incidence of AFB in Yorkshire since 2013 and only the second nationally this year, the other being in West Glamorgan. We all have our fingers crossed that detection so early in the year and the containment measures now imposed will have contained it entirely. On a sunnier note... Check out this happy Apis mellifera busy on wild fennel and loaded with golden pollen. Spotted in the lovely Serra de Tramuntana mountains in Mallorca this spring by our editor. April is a wonderful time to spot wild bees in the Mallorcan mountains, where there are plentiful supplies of spring and early summer flowers including wild rosemary, thyme and euphorbia. And of course the local honey is delicious! Do send in your own bee, honey and beekeeping pictures for our next issue of Beeline.

2 Page 2 Raising better bees In February, around 30 ABKA members got together for a social and practical evening at the New Inn in Cononley to kick off our Better Bees for Airedale initiative (BBAI). Hosted by our apiary managers, Chris Hardy and John Tatham, the aim is to help all ABKA members to actively manage the temperament and productivity of their colonies, primarily through queen selection and management techniques. And so to also ensure that our beekeeping remains an enjoyable experience! We are looking for four basic qualities in our local bees: temper, calmness on the comb, disease resistance and preventing the bees from being overly prolific. Swarm control is a key element of the programme, so a second session in April looked at ways to manage swarms (and make queens) through three simple manipulation techniques: Pagden, Demaree and use of a five-frame nucleus. The programme also depends on good record keeping contact Chris for a copy of our new ABKA record card and get started with your own bees today! A further update on the programme in the next issue of Beeline. Gorged on premium fondants and syrups, sadly misinformed about the point and purpose of the Better Bees for Airedale Initiative, a loyal worker prepares to defend her Queen..." Thank you, Linda Schofield, fab picture! Dates for the diary 9 May Auction: Halifax & District BKA. Brickhill Farm, Cleckheaton, BD19 6LY. Viewing from Auction 12 noon. Details: Phil Gee / May Training: Fancy being a honey steward? A workshop in North Yorkshire will train candidates who wish to understand how to organise and manage a honey show Cost 10. Led by Michael Badger MBE - BBKA Senior Honey Judge & Chief Steward at the Great Yorkshire Show since Book via: buzz.buzz@ntlworld.com or call O May ABKA Woodworking session and barbecue at the Scout Hut, East Riddlesden Hall from 1pm. Beginners and members alike are invited to join a and social which will look at frame making and hive parts. Barbecue food provided, a small charge will be made. Pls let ABKA secretary, Louise Mallinson know if you plan to attend so catering can be organised. 23 May Auction: York & District BKA. Museum of Farming, Murton. Viewing from 11am, Auction 12 noon. Bees accepted for sale Friday but must be examined by the Bee Inspector prior to arrival . Details: auction@yorkbeekeepers.com. 26 May Talk Members are invited by the Wharfedale BKA to a talk by Professor Robert Pickard, prominent bee expert and an excellent speaker. At Christchurch, Ilkley (LS29 9LW) Tea/coffee from 7pm, talk starts at 7.30pm. There is no charge but donations towards expenses are welcome. Details: Andrew Prior, WBKA Secretary: wharfedalebee@hotmail.co.uk

3 Page 3 Spring Disease inspection The time is now to be doing your spring disease inspections. The colony is building up rapidly - the bees will not be fully on top of their housekeeping duties you are more likely to see diseased brood at this time. It is also a good idea to do another full disease inspection at the end of the year before the winter sets in. EQUIPMENT REQUIRED: Matchsticks to investigate suspect cells (burn in smoker after use). Blunt forceps to pull out cell contents without piercing and spreading pathogens. Bucket of washing soda solution and steel scourer to clean tools. Tub with lid for waste. Small LED torch needed to view scale properly if conditions not sunny. Disposable over gloves if using leather gauntlets until sure no disease present. Clean bee suit and gloves. Large match box if you need to take a sample for nosema/acarine. Crown copyright 2015 PREPARATION: Smoke the colony. Remove roof, crown board, supers and queen excluder. Remove dummy board and first 1-2 frames if no brood on them (make space to examine remaining frames without crushing or rolling the bees). WHAT TO DO: For each Frame in turn with brood on it: Check for Queen if present put her somewhere safe. Check for Queen cells if present do not shake the frame until you know you don t need them. Examine the adult bees. Shake off as many bees as possible to expose the brood (2 or 3 short sharp shakes with the frame inside the brood body taking care not to crush or roll the bees or bang the frame against the sides). Examine all open brood investigate the contents of any suspicious cells. Examine all sealed brood investigate the contents of any suspicious cells. Look for scale from any EFB/AFB infection position frame correctly for EFB (so the light hits the sides of the cells walls) and AFB (so the light hits the base of the cell walls). Check varroa insert and count the mite drop a clean insert should have been in place for 7-10 days. In April, May and June no action is required for varroa if mite drop is less than 1 mite per day. 2-6 mites per day - light control required such as drone brood removal or icing sugar. 7+ mites per day immediate treatment with varroacide is required. If the colony is generally weak and not building up well, take a sample of 30 bees to check for Nosema or Acarine, or consider whether this could be a poor or failing queen.

4 Page 4 Spring Disease inspection continued Here s what you are looking for on your disease inspection: 1. Adult Bees Varroa mites on bees likely heavy varroa count within the hive. Stunted bodies, deformed or K wings possibly DWV (deformed wing virus). Shaking, crawling, non flying bees possibly Acarine, CBPV (chronic bee paralysis virus) or starvation. Hairless bees with shiny/greasy bodies sometimes with bloated abdomens possibly CBPV. 2. Open Brood Multiple eggs in cells or eggs laid on cell wall you may have laying workers, meaning the queen is not effective. Signs of EFB (European foulbrood) which may include: poor larval segmentation; yellow/brown larvae; distorted larvae lying not flat in cell base but up cells walls or larvae with visible large larval gut, distended and creamy white in colour and loose rubbery brown scale that can be removed on the side wall of the cell. Hard white chalky larvae possible indication of Chalk brood. Uncapped cells showing dead yellow/brown larvae with darkened head facing up (like a Chinese slipper) contents are easy to remove in one piece possibly Sac Brood disease. 3. Sealed Brood If the brood pattern is not uniform and has many missing cells this could be a sign of Chalk Brood, interbreeding, laying workers or Sac Brood. Domed uneven cappings may mean laying workers (if brood pattern not compact) or drone laying queen (brood pattern compact). Greasy sunken cappings with perforations possibly AFB (American foulbrood). Also look out for roping of cell contents when matchstick inserted (especially on sunken/perforated capped cells) again a possible sign of AFB. Another sign of this is a hard black scale which is firmly attached to the cell base with the pupal proboscis evident. Please note heavy varroa infestations can mimic foul brood disease symptoms. Look for a combination of dead discoloured brood at various stages, perforated but dry cappings, pepperpot brood and evidence of viral disease such as DWV allied with a heavy varroa infestation. This is known as parasitic mite syndrome (PMS) and colonies affected will die if effective varroa treatment is not administered immediately. 4. Other issues Slow spring build up possibly Nosema or Acarine or just the weather and bees have not been able to relieve themselves! Comb stained with bee faecal matter possibly dysentery due to poor nutrition such as fermented stores or stores with high water content. An infection with Nosema doesn t cause the dysentery but will make it much worse. WHAT TO DO: Keep an eye on varroa levels throughout the season and implement a range of measures to reduce the population of mites. See Bee Base for advisory leaflets on what you can do to control mite numbers. Some disease such as Chalk Brood and Sac Brood and Acarine may not be too serious if not too widespread within the hive. Often the only treatment is to re-queen at an appropriate time (some queens have a genetic predisposition to be affected by these diseases). However any suspected sign of EFB or AFB has to be treated very seriously and should be reported directly to the Regional Bee Inspector, or if you are a relatively new beekeeper to a more experienced member of the Association in the first instance. Both AFB and EFB are legally notifiable diseases. Our Bee Inspector is Ivor Flatman (ivor.flatman@apha.gsi.gov.uk) Refresh your knowledge of AFB and how to spot it using the BeeBase leaflet.

5 Page 5 How about trying this? Spotted on the (useful and often very informative) BBKA Facebook thread, an interesting idea for trying National frames without commercial foundation. Beekeeper Jane Hunter from Weybridge makes these in standard frames, with a strip of wax at the top and wooden barbecue skewers for support. She says she is suspicious of bought foundation because she doesn t know where the wax comes from. A lovely picture showing the bees own natural comb and many different pollen colours. Maybe worth a try in one or two of your own frames? Thanks to Jane for letting us use her picture. A polish for cars and furniture With thanks to Linda Schofield, this comes originally from a 1973 pamphlet called Recipes using beeswax by Margaret Calder. Linda says the recipe was recommended to her by the late Geoffrey Dixon and used by him successfully for many years. You will need: ½ oz well-dried yellow soap 1 pint turpentine 4½ oz beeswax 1 pint rainwater Method: Finely shred the soap. Place in a saucepan, add the rainwater and warm gently until dissolved. Put the beeswax in a jar, place in a pan of water and heat gently until melted (take care, wax is flammable!) Remove from the heat and pour the beeswax into the turpentine. Pour the warm soap solution into the beeswax and turpentine. Stir until a perfect emulsion is produced. This recipe makes about 4lbs of excellent cream. Apply with one soft cloth and polish gently with another! The next Beeline will be in June. Please send us your news (from the busiest part of the beekeeping season!) plus any photos or ideas for articles to The Editor (Chris Solloway) by mid May. Thanks!