Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 23

Thread: Oil seed rape honey help

  1. #11
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Scottish Borders
    Posts
    439

    Default

    OSR. The Spring Sown type. Coming into flower around the Borders too. Murray recons it can produce quite well but personally never had much off it in Aberdeenshire. Might be better this bit further south but not moving bees for it.

    PH

  2. #12

    Default

    How about mustard? I think I have seen this in Angus fields in late summer. Fife being a completely different part of the world then maybe the timing is right. FS - having asked the question I presume you now have a plan to get the answer with experimental evidence cause now we want to know.

  3. #13
    Senior Member fatshark's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Ardnamurchan & Fife
    Posts
    1,693

    Default

    While I'd normally plan a well-funded random double-blinded study with sufficient biological repeats to ensure robust statistical significance I think this time I'll just not blast past at 60mph but will have a closer look.

  4. #14

    Default

    Thats possibly Spring sown oil seed rape
    or it may be just a beekeeping mirage caused by the blazing sun on the dry desert sands of Fife (global warming)

    slight tangent
    Why are there no effective chalkbrood treatments
    It time there was a bit of research on that front instead of non existent issues like why bees are disappearing

    Question 2 which museums house the collections of Viking bees I would like to see some

    Question 3 why after all these years do I still lift broodboxes off the ground an do my back in

    written sitting in the sun being pestered by birds (feathered)


    Sent from my LIFETAB_S1034X using Tapatalk
    Last edited by The Drone Ranger; 14-07-2017 at 04:01 PM.

  5. #15
    Senior Member fatshark's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Ardnamurchan & Fife
    Posts
    1,693

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by The Drone Ranger View Post
    Why are there no effective chalkbrood treatments
    It time there was a bit of research on that front instead of non existent issues like why bees are disappearing
    Fungal gut infection. Fungal infections generally more tricky to treat than bacterial - certainly in humans where there are compelling reasons (a million Cryptococcosis cases/annum with 20-70% mortality) for improved treatments. Closer evolutionary relationship of pathogen to host means cross-reactivity/side-effects is an issue. Lots of other problems. With poor range of anti-fungal treatments for humans I have little hope for chalkbrood.

    At least we can requeen our colonies, which I think is the favoured 'solution', suggesting a strong genetic component to susceptibility.

  6. #16

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by fatshark View Post
    Fungal gut infection. Fungal infections generally more tricky to treat than bacterial - certainly in humans where there are compelling reasons (a million Cryptococcosis cases/annum with 20-70% mortality) for improved treatments. Closer evolutionary relationship of pathogen to host means cross-reactivity/side-effects is an issue. Lots of other problems. With poor range of anti-fungal treatments for humans I have little hope for chalkbrood.

    At least we can requeen our colonies, which I think is the favoured 'solution', suggesting a strong genetic component to susceptibility.
    I was hoping that there would be conditions unfavourable to fungal spores developing on dead mummies
    Perhaps an acidic environment (following a line of thought from Eric McArthur some years back)
    I have tried a few things without much success in the past
    I think any combs that have had mummies are useless and might as well be burned (with any mummies)

    Is the fungus spread by stores of honey /syrup ?
    Or by pollen as I read somewhere

    Bee diseases by and large affect the bee at only one stage of its life either larval or adult
    Shook swarm should work in principle but doesn't seem to in the real world for some reason probably due to stress

    Resistance to other maladies is often tested by exposure to a measured dose of infectious agent and selecting the best performers

    I asked a friend if the Lasi hygenic bees showed increased resistance
    They felt they didn't, but on limited evidence

    There must be as you say fatshark a suceptability in some cases because out of the mininucs I have made this year two showed chalk brood which is something I never expected to see









    Sent from my LIFETAB_S1034X using Tapatalk

  7. #17
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    North Yorkshire
    Posts
    135

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by The Drone Ranger View Post
    Why are there no effective chalkbrood treatments
    It time there was a bit of research on that front instead of non existent issues like why bees are disappearing
    My little understanding is it is probably easier to change a queen to a diffrent one whose brood do not suffer chalkbrood, than cure those that do. In the dampness of the upland Yorkshire moorland habitat (not dissimilar to parts of Scotland, arid Aberdeenshire excepted) I find the local bees suffer very badly from it. Even after bananas skins have dried out and the weather has improved. Without casting nasturtiums I find the hives I have of our native bee (imported from ROI) are particularly susceptible to it, although I,m sure this is more my bad luck in the queens sent to me.

  8. #18

    Default

    Hi Thymallus
    I think you might be right on the queen front I have biased selection toward the black
    The dampness may assist the chalkbrood so possibly low humidity might be something to explore
    Eric Mcarthur thought an acid environment (formic) followed by heavy feeding held some promise
    That might be because the bees would have need of space and clear out mummies earlier
    Also the food stored in the cells might be more acid​ and affect the spores in old cells
    Plus its likely that the youngest brood might be killed by the treatment so a mini brood break at the same time ?
    just guessing because I dont know enough about the infection path yet

    Im adding lemon juice to any syrup I give to test the theory


    Sent from my LIFETAB_S1034X using Tapatalk
    Last edited by The Drone Ranger; 17-07-2017 at 08:44 PM.

  9. #19
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    North Yorkshire
    Posts
    135

    Default

    Dampness is a good environment for fungi to develop in. I see a bit in most colonies in the spring. It clears up apart from the local mongrels and Amm's which suggests there is more than one factor at work. Interestingly we are having a very dry summer in North Yorkshire and both locals and Amm;'s are currently showing no signs of Chalk-brood, which is unusual. Acidic would be good as many funal spores need slightly alkaline conditions, or so I seem to recall from a past life..of course memory plays tricks.

  10. #20

    Default

    Thymol is a good fungicide - helps keeps the syrup free of any fungal growth and I have wondered if this might help with chalkbrood. Thankfully been less in evidence this year with only one colony with noticeable levels. I followed DRs advice and gradually got rid of the comb.
    I don't use any thymol treatments in spring when the disease is most evident.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •