Why is it necessary to treat bees from a tick: how a tiny pest can destroy a bee family
Tick-borne diseases in bees can lead to the death of the entire apiary. Therefore, it is important to properly and timely process the hives. This article describes in detail how to treat bees from a tick in the spring.
Content
- General characteristics of bee mites
- The main types of tick damage
- Symptoms and signs of hive infection
- How do bees get infected?
- How does the disease develop
- What could be the consequences
- How to identify the presence of a tick in a hive
- Types of anti-tick treatment of bees
- Treatment with folk remedies
- Popular and effective bee treatment products
- How to properly spray beehives
- Terms and nuances of anti-tick treatment at different times of the year
- Preventive measures
General characteristics of bee mites
Bees are affected by several types of mites, all of which are very small in size, so it is simply unrealistic to see them on the bodies of insects. You can notice them only by the symptoms, the behavior of insects. Therefore, it is important to regularly inspect the hives so as not to miss them. After all, with a large colonization of a bee swarm by mites, it can simply die.
The main types of tick damage
Several types of tick-borne diseases in bees have been identified. In order to fight effectively, it is necessary to determine which parasite caused the condition of honey insects.
Symptoms and signs of hive infection
Tick control is difficult because the symptoms of an infection may not be obvious at first. However, if you periodically inspect the hives, you can find dead ticks in it - this is the first sign of infection. They kill the host insect, which means that dead bees and drones can also be found below. If the family is heavily affected by pests, there will be a large number of them.
During growth, mites weaken insects and parasitize them.
They live in both adults and young insects. Parasites overwinter on adult insects. They are often found between the chest and abdomen.
Other symptoms of infection:
- young bees are deformed or underdeveloped;
- the wings of working individuals are damaged;
- weakness of insects;
- death of families, especially young animals;
- reduced honey flow.
As a preventive measure, beekeepers carry out two treatments - in November before leaving for the winter and in early spring.
How do bees get infected?
Infection occurs from sick insects. Sometimes bees can steal honey from neighboring hives. If the hives are located near someone else's apiary, in which there is a hive with sick bees, then the probability of infection is high. And bees can also become infected through flowers. Sick honey plants can leave mites on the pollen.
How does the disease develop
The disease develops quite quickly, since there can be 7 mites on one adult bee. They affect the immune system of the insect, which contributes to the development of other infectious diseases of honey plants. Bees become lethargic, unable to fly. The brood is born weak, small, unable to fly.
What could be the consequences
Many dead bees appear in the hive, which the swarm gets rid of. With a large infection, if the disease is not recognized in time, you can lose the entire apiary.
How long does it take to treat bees
It is necessary to carry out the treatment in spring and autumn in order to both cure and prevent tick-borne insect diseases. In spring, processing is usually carried out in March to prepare the swarm for summer work. In autumn, therapeutic and preventive measures are also carried out, because if ticks are not destroyed at this time of the year, then the bees will not be able to overwinter and will die.
How long it will take to cure bees depends on the drug chosen. Chemical methods allow you to eliminate ticks in 1-2 treatments. Folk methods do not completely allow you to get rid of the disease. What measures to take to process the hives depends on the degree of infection of the bees.
How to identify the presence of a tick in a hive
The degree of infection of bees with a mite can be determined in this way. Take a liter jar and select 20 bees from several frames.
Close the jar with a lid with small holes, then follow these steps:
- Pour water into a saucepan, put on fire.
- Place the jar in a saucepan over a water bath.
- Bring water to 50℃.
- At this temperature, the mites fall away from the bees.
- Bring the water to a boil and remove the jar.
- Count the number of ticks.
If the infection is less than 0,5%, only preventive measures can be taken.
Types of anti-tick treatment of bees
To combat the tick, all means are good, because you can lose the entire apiary. Each beekeeper decides for himself how effective the treatment should be. She happens:
- thermal;
- biological;
- chemical.
Treatment with folk remedies
Currently, the survival of bees is directly affected by their ability to withstand four main environmental factors:
- pesticides;
- varroa mites and other parasites;
- diseases;
- severe weather conditions.
Modern beekeeping practice relies heavily on the use of chemicals to fight disease, but as a result, viruses and parasites become stronger and generations of bees are weakened by constant exposure to chemicals.
Therefore, some beekeepers prefer to use old, but well-established products:
- formic acid;
- pine flour;
- juice from fresh needles;
- essential oil;
- plants;
- oxalic acid.
Popular and effective bee treatment products
The most effective means, both among chemical preparations and among folk, have gained the greatest popularity. We describe what helps most to cope with bee mites.
Oxalic acid
Oxalic acid is a naturally occurring compound in many plants that can be used to effectively and inexpensively treat mites. Oxalic acid treatment can be applied in two ways.
Formic acid
Safe drugs
These are ways that you can resort to without risking your own health.
The drug, made in the form of thin strips of cardboard or wood, impregnated with a substance that has a detrimental effect on ticks, is convenient to use. The strips are hung in the hive between the frames, and they can hang there for a long time, all spring and summer. Bees actively spread poison for ticks throughout the hive, while parasites die. In autumn, when the air temperature drops below 10℃, the strips are no longer effective.
Leaves and roots of horseradish can be used in the fight against ticks. To do this, they are dried, crushed and placed in a smoke gun. In each hive, do 4 strokes 1-2 times a week.
Smoldering chips soaked in a solution that kills mites are placed inside the smoke gun. The hive is closed for 20 minutes and processed by pumping smoke. The procedure is repeated 3-4 times with an interval of 3 days.
How to properly spray beehives
First of all, you need to dilute the drug, strictly adhering to the instructions. Then take out all the frames and process the hive. If there is nowhere to move the frames with bees, then the frames are processed from above. Particular attention is paid to the corners that can be processed with a syringe.
What is not recommended
It is necessary to pay attention to the young, it should not be treated with liquid preparations. In the spring, it is better to take out the frames and process the hive or cover them with paper. When using a powdered product, try not to get it on the uterus.
Terms and nuances of anti-tick treatment at different times of the year
Tick-borne diseases of bees are very common, so their prevention and treatment should be given special attention. It is necessary to determine the degree of infestation with parasites. If less than 1% of the bees are infected, then prophylaxis with folk remedies is sufficient, otherwise treatment is necessary.
| Deadlines | Features |
|---|---|
| Lettom | Sometimes it is necessary to carry out the processing of bees in the summer, it is better to do this in June. At this time, you can not use aggressive chemicals, it is better to limit yourself to folk or use a smoke gun, since honey is actively collected during this period. |
| In the spring | The main treatment for ticks is carried out in the spring, in the month of March. This will ensure the healthy work of the bees in the summer. If mites are found, then the measures taken will prevent the loss of most of the worker bees. During this period, you can use all available methods. |
| In the autumn | Additional processing is carried out in the fall. If a tick is found, it will weaken the bees and they will not be able to overwinter. After pumping honey, you can chemically treat the hive. |
Preventive measures
Preventive measures are becoming increasingly important to minimize the risk of infection. First of all, it is worth considering the features of the landscape.
- Ticks love lowlands and humidity, and this should be taken into account when choosing a place to place an apiary. Preferably, grasses such as tansy, wormwood, and echinacea that are not carried by ticks grow in the area, and will be a useful barrier next to your hives. Do not place bee houses closer than 500 m from highways, residential areas, chemical enterprises.
- Treat in spring before honey harvest and in autumn before winter. Most chemicals work well with mites and are not toxic to honey bees. Take precautions and follow the instructions exactly, as any substance becomes toxic in large quantities.
- Pay more attention to the health of new bees and buy them only from trusted nurseries. If an infected hive is found, then it is necessary to process not only it, but the rest of the apiary. The uterus in such a hive must be replaced with a new one.
- Always pay close attention to bee disease prevention and health, especially when it comes to mite infestations. This will strengthen families and ensure high productivity.