Hygiene in the hive
Nick Silver introduced the session by saying we would be having informal discussions about various hive hygiene considerations. We would then go into the apiary for some demonstrations and hive manipulation practice to improve handling techniques. The following are notes of the topics covered.
John Badley started the discussions by reminding the group that the bee hive should be thought of as a food production unit. When cleaning equipment with chemicals such as washing soda or bleach, take care to rinse all items and dry before reusing in the hive.
Reasons and frequency for brood frame replacement
Over time, bacteria, viruses and fungi will build up in the brood combs. In the wild, bee colonies would start new nests by swarming and the old nest would die out eventually. We need to remove old brood comb and replace with new foundation to maintain healthy brood. The frequency depends to some extent on the size of the colony but the consensus is to change frames every two to three years. Some people change combs every year. None of the frames in the images below would be suitable for reuse.
Bad frame
Wax moth damage
Missing comb
What about super frames?
Frames used for honey storage do not have the old pupal cases and contamination from developing brood, so can be reused for some time without danger of microbial contamination.
Methods that hobbyist beekeepers can use for cleaning frames
- Cut out old brood comb, heat frames (80°C minimum) in washing soda solution (1kg crystals to 5kg water), rinse and dry.
- Cut out old comb, scrape frames and steam. You should be able to reach 95°C. Dry.
- Cut out old comb, scrape frames and soak in cold 0.5% solution of bleach (house hold bleach is usually around 5%, so dilute household bleach 1 part bleach : 10 parts cold water). Rinse thoroughly and dry.
- Have a bonfire!
Wooden hive parts
- Scrape clean. Scorch with a blow torch.
Polystyrene hive parts
- Use washing soda solution above with a few drops of washing up liquid. Use a stiff bristled brush. Rinse and dry.
- Polystyrene hives can also be sterilised with the bleach solution above, but wax and debris must be removed first. Rinse thoroughly and dry in the sun.
Hygienic handling techniques
Avoid contaminating any bee equipment by putting it on the ground (except an upturned roof). Why?
Learn handling techniques that avoid squashing bees.
Squashing bees spreads disease.
When inspecting, make enough space at one end of the box to be able to lift frames without rolling bees.
When replacing frames, gently move bees out of the way (smoke) and squeeze frames together to maintain bee space.
Putting boxes back can be tricky. Find a way that works for you. We will demonstrate different methods using smoke, cover cloth, almond essence, etc.
From time to time, replace boxes, floors, boards and roofs to remove any build-up of wax and propolis (and disease). Clean all dirty equipment before reuse.
Have a strategy for frame renewal
A few at a time.
Bailey frame change.
Shook swarm.
These techniques will be discussed / demonstrated at the second Improvers meeting on May 31st.
Use of varroa tray
How often do you clean the tray?
Do you leave the tray on in winter, in summer, all the time?
How often do you monitor/count varroa mites?
What else can you tell from the tray?
- Brood emerging (dark cappings).
- Stores being used (light cappings).
- Pollen coming in (pollen loads on floor).
- Position of brood nest (over dark cappings).
- Wax moth problem (larvae in ‘tubes’ of debris).
- Hygienic behaviour (damaged mites).
Practical session
The techniques discussed above were demonstrated and participants were able to practice in the branch apiary. In addition, we watched a couple of workers with symptoms of ABPV being prevented from re-entering the hive.
Improvers Day 2, hosted by Nick Silver and Simon Foster
These notes cover the topics of the second Improvers Day session, looking at some of the non-notifiable diseases which can cause bee health problems, how to recognise these problems and what you can do about it.
We will also look at parasitic mite syndrome, the foul broods and the two main methods of comb change for maintaining healthy hives. Links are given for further reading and information.
Non-notifiable diseases
- Sac brood – a viral infection
- Chalk brood – fungal infection
- Nosema – a microsporidian fungal infection
These cause occasional problems and are usually dealt with by improving the hygiene of the hive and/or changing the genetic stock of the queen. Read all the details in the NBU common pests and diseases advisory leaflet. Treatment options include maintaining large colonies, improve ventilation, comb change (see later), brood breaks, improved varroa management.
Varroa and parasitic mite syndrome
Varroa is still a major cause of bee colony decline and mortality. It is important to monitor varroa mite infestation in your colonies and take action before the number of mites becomes damaging, leading to parasitic mite syndrome. All details can be found in the NBU Varroa advisory leaflet.
Notifiable brood diseases – EFB and AFB
EFB is caused by bacteria that invade the larvae while still uncapped in the comb.
AFB is also a bacterial infection which manifests after the larvae are capped. It also has a spore stage that can remain viable on hives and equipment for many years.
Read the NBU foulbrood advisory leaflet.
Disease characteristics to look out for
- Patchy or erratic brood pattern.
- Perforated, sunken or greasy-looking cappings.
- Larvae not segmented and white but discoloured and laying awkwardly in the cell.
- Dark scales at the bottom of the cell.
- Advanced infection may smell putrid.
General advice for disease prevention
- Try to maintain a hygienic strain of queen.
- Promote good ventilation and avoid excess humidity.
- Isolate swarms for 6 weeks to check for foul brood and other problems.
- Change gloves and sterilise equipment between apiaries. Wash bee suit regularly.
- Avoid transfer of frames and equipment.
- Never feed honey from outside your own apiary.
- Practice regular comb change and sterilising of hive parts.
Additional benefits of comb change: - Reduces build of Varroa and associated viruses leading to improved tolerance and resistance.
- Repeated use of old comb reduces cell size producing smaller bees.
Requirements for drawing foundation
- Bees need to be 2 weeks old to ensure wax glands developed. Older foragers less efficient – glands atrophy.
- Clean boxes, floors, frames & foundation.
- Syrup or 1kg sugar / 600ml water, large bucket feeder.
- “Warmish” weather, April onwards.
- Strong colonies, lots of bees – no use with small colonies.
Shook Swarm
Note that this technique is invasive as it interrupts brood laying and colony population growth. It is not ideal if used in April or May as the main honey crop foragers will be reduced in number. Can do in June gap but not recommended in late summer (too late to rebuild colony).
Ideally needs a strong colony and by reducing disease vectors is seen as ‘re-invigorating’ a colony.
Technique
- Move hive to one side and place clean floor, queen excluder, brood box and frames with foundation on original site (remove the queen excluder after a week when brood evident).
- Find and cage the queen.
- Shake ALL the frames into a 4 frame gap in the new brood box.
- Replace the 4 frames and release the queen into the new box.
- Add crown board and feed. Add roof.
Destroy the old frames and sterilise equipment before reuse. Removing the first frame of capped brood will eradicate Varroa.
Bailey Comb Change
This technique is less brutal than shook swarms as the queen can lay normally, the colony can build normally and with less seasonal dependence.
Technique
- Place a clean box of foundation on top of old brood box, removing any empty or mostly empty old frames.
- Feed.
- Move the queen into the new box when there is at least one drawn frame (about 1 week). Place a queen excluder above the old brood box and a new entrance between the queen excluder and the new brood box. Any supers should be above the new brood box.
- Remove, clean and recycle old frames and brood box after 3 weeks.
- Some people leave a small entrance in the old box to allow drones to fly.
Links to additional information
National Bee Unit website, leaflets and guides.
Managing Varroa: A comprehensive synopsis on the most up to date information on the honey bee parasite, Varroa, including monitoring, treatments and the biology of Varroa mites.
Foulbrood Disease of Honey Bees: Information on how to recognise European foulbrood and American foulbrood and how to help prevent these diseases from spreading. It also has information about the other common brood diseases of honey bees, including how to recognise, prevent and treat them.
Common Pests, Diseases and Disorders of the Adult Honey Bee: Learn about how to identify, prevent and manage the most common diseases and disorders in adult honey bees; take a look at our ‘Common pests, diseases and disorders of the adult honey bee’ advisory leaflet.