# Natural treatment for nosema



## gingerbee

Any suggestions> how and when to treat?


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## CSbees

Fumigilin-B.
Approach your hive as naturally as possible and put it, dissolved in sugar syrup, in the top feeder. Fumigilin-B to my knowledge has no chemical residuals or undesirable repercussions.


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## Kieck

Do your bees show symptoms of nosema, gingerbee?

I don't know, really, whether Fumigilin-B is a "natural" treatment. If it is, I suppose penicillin should be considered a "natural" treatment, too.


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## Michael Bush

My theory is, first you should see if you actually have nosema.

Thymol syrup seems to be as natural as you get. I also know of a beekeeper (David Eyre) who uses vinegar in syrup.

Clorox might be helpful, but I can't say for sure.

http://www.shropshirebees.co.uk/november2006.htm

Thymol syrup recipe


1 ounce thymol crystals dissolved in 5 fluid ounces of alcohol to be
added to a winter feed mix of 1 cwt sugar in 7 gallons of water. For
those of us who want slightly more modest quantities this equates
roughly to one ounce of the thymol/alcohol solution to 1 gallon of a 2:1
sugar/water solution (but do your own calculations!).

I have read elsewhere that it is quite difficult to get the two elements
of this recipe to stay evenly mixed so that the concentration of the
thymol component may be much higher in the lower layers of the feeder
than the upper. This is not good news for the bees since thymol can be
poisonous to them in higher concentrations. Is there a member out there
who uses this form of treatment who could tell us his/her experiences?

http://www.bbka.org.uk/articles/spring_management.php

Thymol added to late feed will prevent fermentation (20g in 100 ml
surgical spirits - 1 ml of this to 3 litres syrup)

Chlorine and Nosema:

http://www.modares.ac.ir/elearning/Dalimi/Proto/Lectures/week15/control.htm

As far as fumadil: 

"Targeted gene disruption of methionine aminopeptidase 2 results in an
embryonic gastrulation defect and endothelial cell growth arrest"
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/103/27/10379

Fumagillin can block blood vessel formation by binding to an enzyme
called methionine aminopeptidase.

Google: "methionine aminopeptidase" fumagillin
"methionine aminopeptidase" fumadil


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## Grant

MB: How can we find out more about David and vinegar?

Grant
Jackson, MO


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## Michael Bush

Here's David's forum:
http://www.beeworks.com/forum/


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## Grant

I tried searching David's forum for Nosema and Vinegar. Couldn't locate the post. Can you be more specific?

Thanks,

Grant
Jackson, MO


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## Michael Bush

It's his forum. I'd post the question and ask him.


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## backer bees/CT

Have been informed that the thymol would not mix will in a water based syrup, along with some essential oils, for use in a spray for mite control.
Toxicity levels and their measurement is a question I have too.

Doing some research to find the highest thymol concentrations in an essential oil now, and may find that several concerns will/can be addressed at once...or at least this is a goal.


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## Michael Bush

>Have been informed that the thymol would not mix will in a water based syrup, along with some essential oils, for use in a spray for mite control.

I believe (but have not tried it) that mixing the thymol with alcohol will solve the problem of getting it to dissolve.

Lecithin will get the essential oils to dissolve. I've mixed it with honey and then mixed the honey with syrup to get essential oils to dissolve.


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## ian m davison

Hi all

You can disolve Thymol in a little surgical spirit and then add and mix easily to syrup. A while ago one of the research journals carrried an article showing trials with thymol and other alternative/preventative treatments for Nosema. Thymol came top! It also has the benifit of slowing mould growth in syrup and meaning large batches can be made and used as needed.

Regards Ian


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## Ben Brewcat

Though Randy Oliver reports that in a trial he conducted, the dosages commonly used did NOT control Nosema. I'm really hankering to try Thymolated syrup for Nosema, but has anyone heard about effective dosages?


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## ian m davison

Hi all

I think it needs to be said that Thymol is included in the feed as a preventative rather than an actual treatment for hives showing symptoms.


Regards Ian


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## backer bees/CT

Agree with you that alcohol will get the thymol to dissolve.

Have also just read tonight here on the site that there are some published equations/recipes for making a base syrup. I think concentrations pose questions though, as you stated, and probably would leave this for the more experienced.

Last year, my first, I did utelize lecithin with my oils (with honey too).
This worked fairly well. Guess I am on a decent path for a more natural IPM.


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## pahvantpiper

Where can one buy thymol crystals?


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## Michael Bush

>Where can one buy thymol crystals?

Try a search that question has been asked at least a thousand times.


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## Troy

Michael Bush,

I tried following the links above about the Clorox and it did not work.

Do you know of other sources of info on the use of Clorox?


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## Michael Bush

The link got broken up into another line. I've fixed it.


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## Bud Dingler

*Update*

brand new ABJ this month has an excellent overview of Alternative Nosema treatments by the rising star RandyOliver.com

i would go with his exhaustive research before using someone's folk lore.


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