Our next webinar will have a slightly different format than those you’ve seen in the past. Get comfortable because it will be two hours long. The first hour will focus on overwintering bees. We will discuss location (urban, rural), pests and predators, feeding, temperature extremes, as well as much more. This discussion features Michael Palmer, a commercial beekeeper in northern Vermont, to help us with the northern climates, and Harry Fulton, retired State Apiarist from Mississippi, who will bring the southern perspective. To fill in the bits and pieces, Kim Flottum, editor of Bee Culture Magazine will be joining us. That is the first hour. The second hour will be a panel discussion of sorts on all things beekeeping. We have had numerous requests for just an Q;& A session. With this panel, there is not a question they won't be able to answer .
This Webinar is brought to you courtesy of Brushy Mountain Bee Farm
Overwintering bees and Panel Discussion
Date: Sept 21, 2010
Time: 6:00-8:00PM EST
Space is limited. Registration is free so reserve your Webinar seat now at: For more information and registration Click Here
CATCH THE BUZZ
The National Honey Bee Disease and Pest Survey:
2009 – 2010 Pilot Study Summary Report
ROBYN ROSE USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
JERRY HAYES Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Plant Industry
JEFF PETTIS, KAREN RENNICH, NATHAN RICE, DAWN LOPEZ, JAY EVANS, AND VIC LEVI , USDA Agricultural Research Service
DENNIS VANENGELSDORP, MICHAEL ANDEE, NISHIT PATEL , Pennsylvania State University
Executive summary
This pilot study was conducted to 1) validate and trouble shoot the sample collection process we proposed to use for a national survey effort, 2) assess the infrastructures related to shipping, storing and analyzing the specimens, and 3) gather baseline data for a broader survey of honey bee pests and pathogens that was initiated in 2010. The participating states were California, Florida, and Hawaii and a total of 87 samples were collected.
We found that our collection protocol worked well, and found that shipping lives bees is a good and viable alternative to collecting and shipping bees on dry ice; however, the rate of surviving bees decreases dramatically with transit times longer than 5 days.
In all, samples from 13 different organisms with known associations with managed honey bees were examined. We found three viruses, Deformed Wing Virus (DWV), Acute Bee Paralysis Virus (ABPV) and Kashmir Bee Virus (KBV) in all surveyed states. Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus (CBPV) and Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) were found in both California and Florida, but not in Hawaii. Slow Paralysis Virus (SPV) was not found in any samples. While N. ceranae was ubiquitous in all samples, N. apis was notably absent, none being detected in any samples. Tracheal mites and Tropilaelaps mites were also not found in any samples. Varroa mites were found in all states, and were found particularly abundantly in some Hawaii samples.
This survey was not designed to be comprehensive representation of the country, and the results should not be interpreted to mean the absence of certain pathogens in the US or in any one particular state.
Introduction
A pilot survey of honey bee pests and diseases was funded in 2009 by the USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and was concluded in 2010. This survey was conducted in an attempt to document which bee diseases and parasites of honey bees are currently present in the U.S., and to examine all samples for Tropilaelaps, a parasitic mite not thought to be in the U.S. This pilot survey was initiated to validate and trouble shoot the sample collection process, assess the infrastructures related to shipping, storing and analyzing the specimens, and to gather baseline data for a broader survey of honey bee pests and pathogens that was initiated in 2010. The three states surveyed by this limited effort were California, Hawaii and Florida and a total of 87 apiaries, representing 696 colonies were sampled.
California, Florida and Hawaii were chosen because they represent high-risk areas that have many potential ports of entry, long growing seasons, and diverse agricultural crops. Twenty-five samples were collected from different voluntary apiaries throughout Florida, and fourteen samples from Hawaii. Forty eight samples were collected from California, twenty seven from hives originating in that state and twenty one from migratory beekeepers who were in California under pollination contracts or other reasons.
Coordination of this survey is in collaboration with USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Bee Research Lab (BRL) in Beltsville, MD, Pennsylvania State University (PSU), the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) and USDA APHIS.
Survey Description
Live samples taken in the field were sent to USDA BRL and immediately frozen at -800C upon arrival. The frozen samples were held until molecular analysis was conducted. Molecular testing of the samples was focused on identifying the following viruses, and pathogens:
1. Acute Bee Paralysis Virus (ABPV)
2. Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus (CBPV)
3. Deformed Wing Virus (DWV)
4. Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV)
5. Kashmir Bee Virus (KBV)
6. Slow Paralysis Virus (SPV)
7. Trypanosome sp.
8. Nosema ceranae
9. Nosema apis
The samples taken at the apiaries and preserved in alcohol were later inspected using microscopic analysis at Pennsylvania State University and USDA BRL to:
1. Quantify Nosema spores
2. Quantify Tracheal Mites loads
3. Detect Tropilaelaps Mites
4. Quantify Varroa Mite loads
Beekeepers participating in this survey were provided with a summary report on the average apiary level Nosema, tracheal mites, and Varroa loads in addition to the presence or absence of
Tropilaelaps. This report was also furnished to each state-level apiary specialist. A separate report that presented the results from the molecular analysis of the sampled bees was distributed to the participating beekeepers and state-level apiary specialists. This report provided the participant with a positive or negative result for the six bee viruses targeted, the two Nosema species targeted, and the presence or absence of Trypanosome in the sampled apiary.
Part of the survey included a visual inspection of the hives before sampling; therefore, the presence of the following symptoms, pests and brood diseases was also recorded, but not analyzed, at the apiaries for each sample taken:
1. American Foul Brood
2. Black Shiny Bees
3. Chalkbrood
4. Deformed Wing Virus
5. European Foul Brood
6. Parasitic Mite Syndrome
7. Sac Brood
8. Small Hive Beetle Adults/Larvae
9. Wax Moth Adults/Larvae
Evaluation of sampling protocol
Live bees were shipped via the U.S. Postal service from each apiary to Beltsville, MD for molecular testing. In each live bee ‘kit’ was a petri dish that contained both a small amount of water and some hard “queen” candy for food for the bees. This kit contained approximately 12000 live adult bees at sampling time. The percentage of bees lost in transit was directly affected by the length of time samples were in transit. There was a noticeable decline in the percentage of live bees surviving in sampling boxes when they took 5 days or longer to arrive. It is not known whether this was due to temperatures experienced during shipping or a lack of food or water or a combination of all three variables. Survivability ranged from 90 – 100% after only 2 days in the mail, to 0 – less than 20% after 6 days in the mail.
Samples were drawn from south, central and northern California, and south, central northern and panhandle area of Florida.
Average Varroa load in all bees sampled was just over 2 mites/hundred bees, but the range was from 0 – 19 mites/100 bees. Nosema ceranae spore counts averaged just over a half million spores/bee, but ranged from 0 – over 4 million spores/bee. Only moderate levels of IAPV, KBV, ABPV CBPV were found, buy average levels of DWV, Nosema ceranae and especially Trypansomes sp. Were elevated. No tracheal mites or tropilaelaps mites were found in any samples.
Conclusions
The sample protocol developed worked well and the shipping and storage methods were sufficiently robust to justify the initiation of a national effort. The sample size and sampling effort were not robust enough to make any categorical statements about the absence of parasites in the US. So, while no Tropilaelaps mites were found in these efforts, neither were honey bee tracheal mites nor Nosema apis, both of which are known to be present.
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