# CBPV Solution?



## Bob J (Feb 25, 2013)

The only thing I've read associates it with mites as a vector and possibly nutrition. Not a lot definitive research that I have seen... Interesting that it has targeted that one hive. How many other hives do you have in the same area?


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## AR Beekeeper (Sep 25, 2008)

What symptoms are you seeing? There is no treatment for virus problems other than trying to make the colony as stress free as possible and adding sealed brood and very young adults to strengthen the colony. You have requeened 3 times, does the new queen lay and her offsprings show the same symptoms as the previous queen?


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## Reef Resiner (Jun 9, 2015)

Their has been around 5 full hives in the yard at all times. And about 12 nuc's at random times. Currently at 5 hives and 2 nucs. Symptoms sound like CBPV. Trembling deaths, some bees look like they are covered in motor oil. Some bees can't fly and are in front of hive hanging on blades of grass.... Usually when I see a problem like this (without the oiled looking bees) it's the start of a bad mite infestation. I've been good at keeping the girls free of mites this year. The queen is laying a dynamite pattern right now. Colony strength never seems to dwindle but sure is a lot of deaths. Currently they have a 10 frame deep box packed. I'm pretty sure this 3rd queens offspring is exhibiting the same symptoms. She has been laying in this hive for over a little over a month.

It looked like they were making a turn around with this last queen, then a few days ago symptoms seemed to be increasing. I ended up slapping a few partially drawn out supers from my strong hives on them. Would that be good enough for a nutrition boost? Should I be looking into honey b health?


Only other solution I can think of is to make a bunch of nuc's with the colony and hope most of them float but it's kind of late in the season for that... Other than that, white knuckle it and hope they make winter?

The symptoms were horrible with queen #2. It almost seems like it's assocciated with that spot somehow or maybe it's mostly just infecting adult bees? I ended up moving the original queen across the yard because I had to do an artificial swarm. The original queens hive recovered from the symptoms in about a week after moving her.


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## Eikel (Mar 12, 2014)

I was looking up treatment myself and found little definative treatment/corrective actions. The link is to a british paper on cause, spread and control; it's not all that great but more than I had.

http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/downloadDocument.cfm?id=1158


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## Reef Resiner (Jun 9, 2015)

Excellent article Eikel, thank you! That's the most information i've seen on it as well and I been creeping the web on it for quiete some time now.


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## Eikel (Mar 12, 2014)

I've only seen one bee on the outside of a hive but I know there has to others. The good news was the hive was one of two that sit apart from the main apiary. The bad news is the hives are strong but not overly crowded and neither has pollen traps or been confined. Gotta love the hobby, always something new cropping up.


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## Reef Resiner (Jun 9, 2015)

Curve balls galore, for sure. My course of action for now is going to be to move about a quarter of the frames up to the second brood box and open up more entrances above as well. Didn't use pollen traps but they seem pretty crowded in the first box. Which for some reason they prefer it that way. Hopefully the ship rights going into winter.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

It is time to source breeders from more disease resistant stocks for next year.


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## Bob J (Feb 25, 2013)

From what I've been able to find the main transmission of the virus seems to be lateral (contact) and oral where the bees are trying to clean up contaminated feces... The last part (oral) would seem to explain why you are mainly seeing it in the one hive... Found this which might help:

www.nationalbeeunit.com/downloadDocument.cfm?id=1226

Fecal contamination would say to me that it is likely the hive that is contaminated... Given that I would consider using a "shook swarm" to move the bees into clean equipment and then decontaminating the original hive equipment... Not sure what would be best for viral but if it were my hive I would seal it up and use glacial acetic acid vapors to sterilize it. The link below is focused on using acetic acid to treat nosema but it does a fair job of describing the fumigation process:

www.nationalbeeunit.com/downloadDocument.cfm?id=194


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## Reef Resiner (Jun 9, 2015)

Just an update with that hive. They pulled themselves out of the gutter and are doing well. I didn't supplement with anything but a quarter of a pollen patty and sugar syrup... They even had the lid blown off for two days when it was windy and cold in Dec.

I guess the moral of the story is: Keep them mite free. Let them tough it out away from the other hives. Hope for the best.


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

I had a hive with it bad, video linked. The hive was VERY sick, not much I could do so I left it but thought it would die. It was like this for around 3 months, then suddenly, it was fine. There were 52 hives in the apiary and none of the others got it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAJVMao71P0


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

I've seen the same OT


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## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

Reef Resiner said:


> Some bees can't fly and are in front of hive hanging on blades of grass.... Usually when I see a problem like this (without the oiled looking bees) it's the start of a bad mite infestation.


On a different note. When I see these sort of symptoms….without oiled looking bees….it is usually an advanced case of mite infestation.


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## beekuk (Dec 31, 2008)

Michael Palmer said:


> I've seen the same OT


So have I, had one last season in an apiary of 35 hives, same to look at as the video linked by OT, similar time scale and recovered... and none of the others had any sign of it. 
Had a couple get it the year before in an apiary of 16 hives and, they all ended up with it, what a stink, they all recovered bar one that died out and, that one was the strongest at the start of the problem.


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