Chris Cripps Honey Bees Basic Biology Christopher J Cripps, DVM Betterbee The Northeast Center for Beekeeping, LLC Greenwich, NY chris@betterbee.com Started beekeeping with the Boy Scout Beekeeping Merit Badge in mid 80 s in New Hampshire Cornell classes in Bee Biology with labs Ohio DVM OSU Inspector for 2 counties (Columbus area) Make appointment with owners, look over hives for diseases, take samples for lab as needed, report health status to owner and recommend any treatment needed. Moved 6 hives to a horse farm in Ohio from NH Chris Cripps New York Greenwich Arrived in 1995 with 6 hives, all my stuff, and $10 in the back of a U haul Kept up to 12 hives, sold honey, moved bees for pollination Worked as dairy veterinarian at Battenkill Veterinary Bovine September 2012 bought Betterbee (bee supply business) and left veterinary practice??? Now partners with veterinarians Joe Cali and Jack Rath and 2 others. Chris Cripps & Betterbee Betterbee Beekeeping supply business that sells bee hives, frames, foundation, extractors, queen rearing supplies, fencing, honey bottles, bears, caps, books, classes Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers President Southern Adirondack Beekeepers Assn Member NYS Apiary Industry Advisory Committee Member NYS Tech Transfer Team Advisory Board Honey Bee Veterinary Practices With 3 veterinarians, I thought we had the largest group of veterinarians in honey bees Visited Wilbanks Apiary in Claxton, Georgia 7 veterinarians worked there one year Argentinians
Honey Bees Veterinary curricula in many countries include honey bees USA and Canadian schools do not include bees Don t worry, you did not miss it, it is not offered New antibiotic labeling and registration requires a veterinarian to write an order for any antibiotic to be fed to animals Honey Bees are Food Producing Animals that have been fed antibiotics Only insect listed as food producing animal Honey Bees and Antibiotics How did it work previously? Antibiotics with labels for Honey Bees: Oxytetracycline Tylosin Lincomycin Indications: for the control of American or European Foulbrood Self reporting survey 2015 of ~5000 beekeepers about 1/14 reported antibiotic use They averaged ~900 hives Honey Bees and Antibiotics How did it work before? Commercial beekeepers feed antibiotics to prevent disease mostly oxytetracycline mixed in sugar that has been over the counter Little understanding of bacteriology Oxytet to start Tylosin used if oxytet doesn t work Lincomycin seldom used Gather hives in highly populated areas for pollination California almonds, Maine blueberries Cesspools of disease that cannot be avoided because the pay is so good and may mean the difference between having a profit or loss for the year Honey Bees and Antibiotics How does it work now? Prior to transportation, must obtain a certificate of inspection Issued by state apiarist Bee inspectors visit apiaries, remove brood from a percent of hives (~10%). Submit samples to USDA if any concerns or issue health certificate if no concerns Veterinary epidemiologist might help what percentage of frames should be inspected to find disease assuming 1% prevalence? Honey Bees and Antibiotics How does it work now? Positive American Foulbrood (AFB) may invoke state mandated burning of affected hives Long lasting spores are contagious to other hives within 3 mile radius Burning beehives worth $500 each makes beekeepers wary of outside inspection
Beekeepers Like Other Food Producers Important Points in Bee Biology Frugal Expect value for money spent Veterinarians sell what? Knowledge and disease control techniques Signature on antibiotic orders that they did not previously need to have If you come to the table to offer services, make sure you offer value Get Educated! Complete Metamorphosis Eggs, Larvae, Pupae, Adult 1 to 2,000 eggs per day Worker egg to adult 21 days Queen egg to adult 16.5 days Drone egg to adult 24 days Important for Varroa Mites! Larvae Eggs Pupae Important Points in Bee Biology Bee Sex and Genetics 3 distinct castes of bees: Queen (diploid) fertile female that lays eggs Workers (diploid) infertile females that care for young (brood), gather food, clean and defend hive. Drones (haploid) males that breed queens Worker Drone Queen Queen emerges from cell After a week of maturing in the hive, starts mating flights Mates with 8 20+ drones over next week Never mates again Does not mate with drones in hive Sperm must live many years in queen s spermatheca Langstroth 1852 Bee Space = 3/8 inch Movable Frame Hives Wax Production Carbohydrate drives glands on abdomen in young workers Feeding sugar can push more wax production Wax used to make all comb Paper used by wasps and hornet, not bees! Lipophilic chemicals persist in wax Chronic pesticide exposure
Propolis Lots of brood leads to a lot of bees which lead to a lot of honey Package of bees is 3 lbs Common way to start Contains ~10,000 bees Colony that survived winter will be small and grow through the year Randy Oliver, http://scientificbeekeeping.com/understanding-colony-buildup-and-decline-part-2/ Starter Bee Colonies Active Bee Colonies Honey Bee Food Storage Honey Bees, Directions and Food Protein = pollen Need variety of pollens for a balanced Amino Acid profile Carbohydrates = nectar Perhaps 20% solids converted to 17% water Invertase, dehydration Mixture, ferment = bee bread Do fungicides hurt bees? Drifting Bees make orientation flights to determine where their hive is before foraging. Bees may return to wrong hive if many in same area Welcomed if they have food Robbing Strong hives defend themselves from robbing Weak hives robbed by strong hives Drifting and Robbing can lead to disease spread
Winter Time Winter Time Honey bees keep cluster heated throughout the winter ~95deg F when raising brood in January Hornets and wasps overwinter on or under ground as individuals Bees don t defecate in hive Process honey to keep hive warm Need to fly to defecate Cleansing Flights Once below 50⁰F, cannot operate muscles, fall out of air Veils Blinking attracts bees Gloves Leather cannot be cleaned Nitrile gloves Coveralls and jackets with incorporated veils Protective Clothing Smokers Calms bees Burn many different materials Light with a propane torch Store safely if driving between apiaries Clean bellows well to avoid disease spread Bee Stings Stinger is modified ovipositor Drones do not sting Worker sting barbed Rip insides of bee out Only one sting then dead Swelling normal reaction More times stung, less swelling Anaphylaxis possible Epinephrine Diphenhydramine I think I am allergic to bee venom Work with your physician Medications Desensitization Are you allergic or did you have a normal response? Pick another species to work with Chihuahuas do viciously bite, but do not make venom
Beekeeper Behaviors Work bees in a calm manner Sudden jarring motions elicit defensive behavior Falling barometric pressure, rain increase bee defensiveness Black colored clothing not good Wool or fleece not good Bees get legs caught Suit of armor and go hard at bees Wear nothing but veil and be gentle Crushing bees can lead to more disease issues Opportunity: Teach calm bee handling Open Hive Frames toward outside typically honey/pollen stores Frames in middle typically where brood is And thus the queen also. Remove either outside frame or second frame to make room Place it on a frame holder or somewhere safe Leaves room in box to work the frames Set boxes aside so frames do not collapse or offset on cover Beekeeper Behaviors Work bees in a calm manner Sudden jarring motions elicit defensive behavior Crushing bees can lead to more disease Fecal oral spread as bees clean up dead Photos: Randy Oliver www.scientificbeekeeping.com
Look for the Normal/Abnormal Interface Chalkbrood Look for holes or sunken cappings Normal, Varroa or AFB? Remote Exam Not allowed for establishing a VCPR, but can be used within VCPR FDA interpretation of their rules for VCPR say you must physically visit apiary and cannot do this with video/pictures alone. Some may challenge this due to lack of front line veterinarians or distance between veterinarians and apiaries Pictures of Frames With Bees Lighting Close ups? Focus Florida is proposing an online prescription service operated by the state/university/extension Actual Case Chris, I have AFB, right? A Better Picture look into bottom of cells to see AFB scale
Pictures of Frames Without bees shake bees off Look from top towards bottom cells are angled Focus on right thing Can take good pictures with smart phones Can take out of focus pictures without hope for diagnosis with the most expensive camera Veterinarians and Bees Bees need Preventive Care Parasite Control Disease Diagnosis Disease Treatment Beekeeper education Who is in a better place to provide this than veterinarians? To provide those service, gain knowledge If you understand the disease and its nuances, the beekeeper may view you as a source of knowledge rather than another bill Join the Honey Bee Veterinary Consortium New group to help beekeepers find veterinarians, teach veterinarians about honey bees Some Books Some Websites on Bee Disease 2015 Rumors that 5 th Ed is in works http://www.honeybeeveterinaryconsortium.org www.beevets.com or www.hbvc.org https://beeinformed.org/ http://scientificbeekeeping.com/ Randy Oliver https://www.ars.usda.gov/is/np/honeybeediseases/ honeybeediseases.pdf http://extension.psu.edu/publications/agrs 116 Honey Bee Veterinary Consortium www.hbvc.org Thank you! chris@betterbee.com HBVC Join other veterinarians interested in honey bee medicine -and- Get listed on the HBVC vet finder