# nosema in winter



## Axtmann (Dec 29, 2002)

I would burn the frames, because the spores spreading easy in other hives and infecting the colonies.
Nosema spores can survive more than a year on frames outside the hives.

Appearances:

Mainly in spring
After long periods of bad weather
After a long winter period without possibility to fly 
To early start breading 
To early putting the next super on
Bad pollen supply
Unsuitable position for the hives

Spreading from the bees:
Spores in food (honey) 
Robbery
Bees from other hives
Watering place

Spreading from the beekeeper:

Dirty combs from other hives
Combine weak and strong colonies
Dirty tools and hives
Feeding leftovers from weak or dead colonies to others

Clean the hives and your frames with 60% acetic acid.

Put the empty combs in the supers and pile them up.
Take a bowl with the acid in the top super for at least one week. The acid is heavier then air.
2 cm³ per 1-liter volume and cover the pile tight with plastic for at least 1 week and after take the frames 1 week an air before use again.

I hope I could help you?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Not much you can do until a warm day. On a warm day you can make some medicated syrup and dip some empty fully drawn comb in it (there's probably some in the hive right now). Make sure the syrup is lukewarm to cold so it doesn't melt the wax. And put the frame of syrup back into the middle of where you think they will cluster. Also, on a warm day you can feed the syrup.

Nosema is an opportunistic disease. Ususally the cause is stress. When they aren't so stressed it goes away. Unfortunately it's difficult to remove the stress in the middle of winter. Maybe the root problem is something else like tracheal or varroa mites.

[This message has been edited by Michael Bush (edited February 28, 2003).]


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

Hi -

Unless you are made of money bags, I would NOT burn the frames. How do you know the bees have Nosema and not just dysentery? The bees can handle both these problems on their own if given a chance. You can treat with Fumidil B as soon as you can. I have used frames that had large amounts of feces on them and the bees cleaned them up fine. You may even want to wash off as much as possible to help out.

Regards,
Barry


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## Axtmann (Dec 29, 2002)

If your not burning the frames and the hives your bees probably have Nosema the next year too.
Take a small torch and heat the wood till you can see the wax and propolis is boiling thats hot enough. Stop right before the wood starts getting black. 
Norseman spores cant survive a temperature more than 65° Celsius / approx 150 Fahrenheit.

To find out whether it is Nosema or not: 

It is an intestinal disease; squeeze a bee so the gut is coming out. 
Nosema spores are 6/1000 mm big and milky white.
The spores destroying the bowel skin, you cant cure infected bees with Fumidil; this only protects the non-infected from getting sick too.

If your colony is high infected destroy it and clean the parts from the hive.


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## The Honey House (May 10, 2000)

A simple way to make combs free from viable Nosema spores is to use acetic acid. A 60% solution can be used for this purpose, with approximately 2 ml per litre volume to be treated. The acid is put on top of a stack of boxes in an empty box that is closed with a lid. The acid is allowed to remain in an open container on the combs until it has evaporated or until the combs are to be used again.

The antibiotic Fumagillin kills the active stages of Nosema, but not the spores, and it's effect diminish over time. Experiments show that even when fumagillin is administered both in the autumn and spring, infection levels might still be harmful. Wintering bees on clean or disinfected combs are therefor advisable with or without medication.


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## Robert Brenchley (Apr 23, 2000)

Are you sure they have nosema, or are you just assuming this? If there was a high proportion of honeydew in the honey, say, and it had a high ash content, this could cause diarrhoea.


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## hoosierhiver (Feb 27, 2003)

wow,thanks for all the responses.you guys are like my nosema supoort group.i think i have to agree that i ain't burning my frames,i've read that really nosema spores are always present,i've just got to get my bees back on their feet.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I also agree with the question: "How do you know they have nosema?" Diarrhea is not necessarily nosema. There are a lot of things that give them transient diarrhea. Just because you get the runs for the day does not mean you are dying of giardia.


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## hoosierhiver (Feb 27, 2003)

fumidyl is an antibiotc,i'm guessing that it may be effective against bacteria ,other than nosema, that may cause diarrhea/dysentary.if of course bacteria is the cause.


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## Thyme (Mar 16, 2003)

I'm a new beekeeper with just one hive, which Ihave just lost. I am guessing it is Nozema as there was plenty of honey in the hive, but the inside walls of the hive were covered with feces. However, the bees' bellies weren't distended and I could see the stripes, which would not be the case with Nozema, I think. The wax in the lower box was brown despite this being all new equipment. Itis very damp where I live and I have a site with poor air circulation. I am confused as to what to do at this point.


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## clintonbemrose (Oct 23, 2001)

I have lost 4 hives this year that were on new foundation this last spring. The comb that was a light yellow this fall has turned a very dark brown to black. All hives had at least 100 pounds of honey in then for food but all the bees were dead in the lower brood box like from starvation. I have taken a 6 inch by 6 inch piece of this comb and sent it to the bee lab in Maryland to be checked for diseases or a reason for the hives to die. These were 4 of 5 hives that I had regressed to 5.1 mm.


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Clinton Bemrose
just South of Lansing Michigan


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## hoosierhiver (Feb 27, 2003)

dead hives can look terrible in the spring,i've been looking through alot of them recently,if there is a pile of dead bees on your bottom board,or even stuck between frames they rot and seem to retain moisture,clean them out as soon as possible,stick your dead hive on it's side for an afternoon on a nice day and let it air out.a new package or nuc hived in that box will clean up the frames in no time,feeding them with fumidyl syrup at that time wouldn't hurt.


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## rbruno (Mar 4, 2002)

I had the exact problem you're describing hoosier.

Does a treatment of menthol in a dead hive kill any tracheal mites or will they die on their own?

Rich

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## hoosierhiver (Feb 27, 2003)

tracheal mites and varroa die off when the hive dies off.


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