# Metarhizium anisopliae spores?



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Search this site on anisopliae for discussions of this. The latest seems to be that the results have been inconsistent and more research needs to be done to understand why.


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## Beemaninsa (Jun 9, 2004)

It is my understanding that the fungus, (kind of like a flu virus), has many variations. That is over simplified, but I am simple minded, just ask my wife. The company supplying the spores for research may have provided an incorrect variation of the fungus and the field testing will need to be redone. The best guess I have heard, if everything goes great (and rarely does), it will be another year.
Bob Allen


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## Morris (Oct 12, 2004)

Nancy, the spores you are looking for are still about 2 years from being distributed to the public. Yes you can grow your own but you would need some microbiology back ground, lab equipment, and a source of the spores. It can be isolated from nature, but this would be quite a challenge.


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## Fat Nancy (Nov 1, 2004)

I have a contact that may be able to grow some should I be able to give him something to start with. Anybody got any F52 strain laying around?????


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## magnet-man (Jul 10, 2004)

Fat Nancy, this is what my research turned up. Any researcher that has worked with it just does not answer e-mails. I finally got one researcher on the phone, via a referral from Yale University, and found where they got their samples from. 

Here is a link to the USDA-ARS fungal cultures catalog. http://www.ppru.cornell.edu/Mycology/catalogs/Fungus.pdf The PDF list all of the strains available but other stains are banked but not available. Some strains such as ESC1 are being passes among researchers. Metarhizium anisopliaeopliae is rated BL-1 (Biohazard Level) and is available to researchers and business for research purposes with out to much grief. Unfortunately the curator for this collection is hesitant to release anything except to university and known industrial labs. 

I suspect the USDA-ARS has the two var. you are looking for but you have to contact the curator if they are available. If you want to do some research with these I would suggest you team up with the local entomology professor at the nearest university or interested ag-agent.

Another source you can check out is HTTP://WWW.ATCC.ORG . Their cultures are a bit more expensive. ATCC also gives the growing medium and will also list the host. While they dont list the var. you are looking for I bet one of the var. for locust might just work because it uses the same method to kill the host. 

You could always grow the spores your agar medium or better yet just toss a dead and infected locus in the hive. 

Well that all for now.


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## Beemaninsa (Jun 9, 2004)

Even though it may never be available, I want to express my appreciation to the people at Sue Bee, Weslaco, and many others for working to get this available to the beekeeping community for the last 4 years. I thought one reason a chemical company would invest in trying to bring this product to market is because it is difficut to properly reproduce. I believe there are attaching agents to make "shelf life" useable. As far as I know this product has not been approved for use in bee hives by the FDA,USDA,EPA,CIA,USPS,SPCA or the NAACP


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## magnet-man (Jul 10, 2004)

I doubt this product will ever make it to market in the United States. The cost and length of time to have it approved by the EPA for pesticide use is just too much and the annual certification cost will also kill it. 

One might say you could make the same argument about Check Mite and Apistan and those products are available to the beekeepers so why not Metarhizium anisopliae spores? The difference that I see is that the active ingredients in Check Mite and Apistan are already in use in other products. The plants are already built to make the active ingredients in great quantity and at low cost. The product might even be made on the same processing line as flea and tick collars but I dont know that. The only cost to bring them to the bee industry in the cost of the registration and certification process. 

As for growing your own spores its not that hard. The growing medium is readily available in sterilized peti dishes so you will be able to know what is growing is the culture sample that you purchased. Every so often you will have to start a new peti dish to keep your line going. 

Unfortunately, you will not be able to freeze your spores for storage from year to year because your freezer does not get cold enough. Apparently spores need to be kept very cold if they are to be stored. I forget what the temperature level is but I believe ATCC.ORG has the information posted somewhere. If memory serves me they recommend storing it in liquid nitrogen vapor and those containers cost money, just check eBay.

I honestly believe if you were running at least 500 hives it would be worth your time and money to grow your own. As for treating your hives with it, I wouldnt. I would be putting twenty dead grass hoppers on the landing boards if you get my drift. 

But you are back to your main problem. Getting a var. that is known to kill varroa mites.


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## Fat Nancy (Nov 1, 2004)

Thanks to all who posted a reply. A company by the name of Earth Biosciences has a product called Taenure Granular Bioinsecticide. This is the link to their Biopesticides Registration Action Document, on file with the EPA for Metarhizium anisopliae F52

http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/biopesticides/ingredients/registrants/registrant_029056.htm 

As you can see from the data, the product is safe for honey bee exposure (both adult and larva). 

Will it work on Varroa? 
Is this the right strain?
What strain did they use in Weslaco?
Anyone have a written report from the studies in Weslaco?

While I am a scientist by profession, this isn't exactly my field. However I have run my fair share of Toxicity studies (17 yrs worth) and I would like to take a look at the data if I could. Not that I think for an instant that the Folks in Weslaco don't know what they are doing. I'm sure they are very dedicated scientists, and I think I speak for all of us when I say that their efforts are very much appreciated.

Why?

Because I like bees. And I would like to help solve this thing, and I like puzzles, and I run experiments for a living, and I have a friend who can most likely grow it and because the Red Sox won the world series this year! 

Not that I have any grand scheme in mind to produce and distribute this stuff (God knows someone will label me a terrorist!), but because who knows? The more people looking at this thing, the better the chances that we find something that works.


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## dcross (Jan 20, 2003)

I couldn't find anything on Earth Biosciences that was newer than 2003, are they still in business?


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## Fat Nancy (Nov 1, 2004)

I too am looking for their number, however this was posted on gardensalive.com. I will e-mail this website requesting more info about the company and owner.

Fat Nancy

& Coming Soon (we hope!), a Totally Natural Tick Killer!

In last year’s September issue of his indispensable journal The IPM Practitioner, our old buddy Dr. Bill Quarles reported on the hot new trend of using naturally-occurring fungi to control insects AND those nasty members of the arachnid family, ticks. Bill explained that a strain (designated ‘F52’) of a green-colored fungus named Metarhizium anisopliae (“Meta-rise-e-um Ana-sof-a-Lee”)-discovered way back in 1879 in a cereal beetle that the fungus had sent to its eternal reward-has been shown to be toxic to ticks as well as many other pests. Both it and a closely related species are already being used to control locusts in Africa, termites in the US (under the brand name “Bioblast”), and greenhouse pests worldwide. And it’s already EPA registered for use on ticks.

Earth Bio Sciences, a company based in New Haven, is developing both a spray and granular form for commercial use. I spoke with company president Tom Corell last week, and he confirmed that some field tests on the product, called “Tick-Ex”, have already been completed, more are underway, and he hopes that the fungus might be available on a limited basis in some areas as early as next Spring!

The EPA’s official “environmental risk assessment” found the fungus safe for humans to touch, ingest and inhale; and to have no detrimental effect on birds, mammals, fish, plants, or earthworms-not even bees and beneficial insects! And like I said, its already in use against other pests; we’re pretty much just waiting for a few more studies to be finished and a distribution system to be put in place. So stay tuned-I’ll keep you posted on this promising new method of controlling ticks without toxins! 

You Bet Your Garden ©2004 Mike McGrath


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## fat/beeman (Aug 23, 2002)

I don't like puting thing in my hives that I can't put into my own mouth. I stopped useing all pesticides since 1993 and treated only with esence of oils and fogged regularly. and started out useing 4.9 small cell foundation 4 yrs ago. it has helped and now I invested in a wax mill of my own. just because I didn't want to take a chance with all the chinese wax coming into the USA.that had pesticide in it. I intend to sell organic produced honey. maybe not a lot but clean honey.===Don


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## Fat Nancy (Nov 1, 2004)

Beeman,

>"I don't like puting thing in my hives that I can't put into my own mouth". 

I can appreciate that. 

From above

"The EPA’s official “environmental risk assessment” found the fungus safe for humans to touch, ingest and inhale; and to have no detrimental effect on birds, mammals, fish, plants, or earthworms-not even bees and beneficial insects!"

How have your hive's faired with respect to Varroa using your current treatment regimen?

Fat Nancy


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