Dangerous mites in bees: how to protect the apiary from a deadly pest
It is generally accepted that ticks are dangerous only for humans and animals. However, there are varieties that attack beneficial insects for humans. For example, varroa mites are small parasites that attack bee colonies and spread dangerous viruses. Previously, due to the invasion of varroa, beekeepers had to burn entire apiaries.
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What is a varroa mite
Varroa mites are ectoparasites and spend their entire life cycle on bees. The pest is small in size - 1-2 mm., The body is very flat, outwardly resembling an inverted oval saucer. The varroa has 4 pairs of legs covered with hairs, thanks to which it is firmly held on the bee.
What do males and females look like?
Individuals are clearly divided into males and females.
Morphological features of female varroa:
- a peculiar body shape, thanks to which the female is firmly held on the body of the bee;
- the presence of a movable perithrimal tube, thanks to which the insect can regulate breathing depending on environmental conditions;
- the presence of small teeth on the chelicerae, which are directed towards the body - thanks to them, the pest is firmly held on the body of the victim;
- a special springy cover of the body, which prevents the female from sticking to the sticky secret.
The body of males is round, the size of males is smaller than that of females - no more than 0,8 mm. The body color is grayish-white or yellowish. You can see males only in bee brood.
The oral apparatus is used only for the transfer of semen at the time of fertilization of the female.
The pharynx is practically not visible, devoid of powerful muscles.
Development and reproduction
The development cycle of varroa is only 5-7 days, so by the time a bee or drone leaves the cell, the male has time to fertilize several bees. The life path of a male individual ends at the moment of fertilization - they do not feed and soon die.
The females leave the bee cells on their own or on their prey. If the mite eggs were laid late, the hatched individuals most often die soon, because by this time the chitinous cover of the bee pupa hardens, and the pest cannot bite through it.
Tick resistance to adverse factors
Varroa females are able to live without food at a temperature of 22-25 degrees for 5-6 days. If the air temperature is lower or the air is saturated with toxic substances, the pest stops breathing and hides in a honeycomb cell, which greatly complicates the fight against it.
Wintering and development of the parasite in cells with brood
In summer, the female is able to live 2-3 months, in winter - about 5.
Due to the lack of bee brood in winter, varroas stop breeding and 7-10% of them die.
At the same time, during the winter, one female destroys several bees, since she needs about 5,5 μl of bee blood for nutrition, and the blood volume of one bee is only 4,3 μl.
Methods of infection and signs of infection of bees with a tick
Infestation of bees by mites causes the invasive disease varroatosis. Not only adults are susceptible to infection, but also pupae, larvae of bees.
The disease causes serious damage to beekeeping and is still considered a real scourge of this industry.
It is known that in regions with a hot climate, varroosis spreads faster. On average, the rate of spread of parasites is 10 km per quarter and depends on the number of apiaries in the vicinity. In the summer period, infection with bee mites occurs as follows:
- upon contact with an infected bee during pollination of flowers;
- thief bees;
- with improper storage of drone brood;
- when rearranging honeycombs from one bee family to another;
- with wandering bees;
- during the swarming of bees;
- when buying queens and bees;
- when the infected brood is introduced into the colony.
In the first 2 years, tick infestation remains almost imperceptible. Parasites actively multiply, which leads to the simultaneous appearance of a large number of ticks, more often this happens in the summer. Young individuals infect about 30% of bees at once.
Affected individuals exhibit the following symptoms:
- body deformation;
- variegated color of the brood;
- legs and wings are absent or underdeveloped;
- during wintering, the bees behave restlessly - they make noise, jump out of the cells;
- workers stop flying;
- at the bottom of the hive, a large number of dead individuals appear, on the body of which ticks are visible;
- in the autumn period, the number of individuals sharply decreases;
- after the main honey harvest, heavily infected individuals leave the hive, even though there is a sufficient amount of food.
Affected larvae do not have a fatty layer, have low viability, which is why smaller bees are hatched from them.
The harm that a tick brings to a single bee and the colony as a whole
The body weight of a young bee attacked by a parasite is much less than that of a healthy bee. Weight loss depends on how many mother mites attacked the cell during brood and how many times mating occurred between the offspring of the mother mites.
A single infection on average reduces body weight by 7%.
The life expectancy of an infected bee is much lower, in addition, its ability to navigate normally is reduced, which is why it cannot return to the colony for a long time.
Ways to deal with the parasite
To prevent infection of a bee colony with varroitosis, there are several methods that are usually divided into chemical, biological and biotechnical. Also, beekeepers know folk methods of dealing with bee parasites.
Acaricide chemicals
Acaricides are special chemicals used to kill ticks, disrupt their growth and development. In beekeeping, the following drugs are used to combat varroa:
Biological and biotechnical methods
These are methods of pest control that take into account the nature of the parasite. These methods have been shown to be effective against varroa and are considered safer than chemical treatments. Biological methods of combating ticks include:
- The predatory mite Stratiolaelaps scimitus. These insects feed on varroa, but in some cases they can attack the eggs and larvae of bees. However, they do not pose a significant threat to the bee colony.
- False or book scorpions. Animals eat bee lice, varroa mites and wax moth larvae. They form a symbiosis with bees and do not pose a danger to the bee colony.
The essence of biotechnical methods is to intervene in the course of the biological development of ticks in order to destroy them. Beekeepers use the following methods:
The queen bee is planted every 10 days on an empty comb in a frame cage. Thus, there is no open brood outside the cage with the queen, and the mites move to an open honeycomb trap for the purpose of reproduction. The brood on this "deceptive" comb is destroyed.
Trapping combs or all brood combs are heated to a temperature that is harmful to mites, but safe for bees. The method is laborious, but quite effective.
Certain printed brood combs where females lay eggs are destroyed by freezing. The method should be used in March and April.
Folk remedies
As a comprehensive measure to combat bee parasites, you can use folk remedies. There are the following recipes:
- Horseradish. For the processing of bees, properly dried horseradish leaves are used. Dry them out of direct sunlight along with low humidity. The dried material is placed in a smoker and 4 strokes are made in each house. Horseradish leaves contain formic and oxalic acid, which adversely affects the parasite.
- Kerosene. The combustible substance is mixed with Bipin in the following proportion: 4 ml. Bipin per 100 ml of kerosene. The specified amount is enough to process 50 bee colonies. The solution is poured into the cannon and the hives are processed.
- Pine flour. Dry any needles and grind into powder. The resulting product is sprinkled with bee hives at the rate of 50 gr. for a family. Processing should be carried out three times with an interval of 7 days.
- Dill oil. 2 cups crushed dill seeds mixed with 100 gr. vegetable oil. The resulting composition is heated in a water bath for 2 hours, then stand for a day. Next, the solution must be squeezed out and applied to a piece of plastic film measuring 30 by 20 cm. Place the film with the treated side on the frame, and put the same piece on top with the smeared side up. The procedure should be repeated after 7 days.
Features of processing bees and hives at different times of the year
The fight against ticks at different times of the year has its own characteristics. The main activities are carried out in spring and summer, but additional processing can be carried out in the fall so that the bees can safely spend the winter.
In the spring
An active fight against varroa should begin with the arrival of spring: it is during this period that the smallest amount of honey remains in the combs. Spring processing performs the following tasks:
- avoid a decrease in the number of bees;
- preparation for a full-fledged fight in the summer, prevention of infection of further brood.
Lettom
The full functioning of the hive is ensured by spring processing, which will not harm the health of the bees and will not affect the process of honey collection. However, if during this period it was not possible to completely get rid of varroa, he was not noticed due to insufficiently thorough inspection, processing can be carried out in the summer, preferably no later than June.
preventive measures
The varroa mite is an insidious parasite that can unnoticeably destroy an entire apiary. Fighting it is a laborious process and it is much easier to prevent its occurrence with the help of preventive measures. List of the main ones:
- the acquired bee colony or the caught swarm must be treated with pericin before settling in the hive;
- you need to regularly inspect the drone brood and the tray in the hive, trying to detect parasites;
- hives should be systematically cleaned and disinfected;
- it is desirable to carry out anti-mite treatments simultaneously with beekeepers located in the neighborhood.