Nosema strategy

[Jon]

What is everyone else doing re. nosema?
I normally don't take preventative measures but this year I am dithering about whether to use fumidil, thymol in the sugar syrup or nothing at all.
Last winter I lost half a dozen nucs which just failed to build up from late summer and I strongly suspect nosema was the cause of the dwindle.

[Jimbo]

I treated for nosema last year for the first time. This year I am going to count the nosema from samples of bees that I have left after using the sample for morphometry. It is quite an easy method to do. The result will either give me low, medium or high levels. If it is high then I am going to treat.

[Jon]

Sounds like a good plan. I take it you will be checking samples within the next week or so before it gets too late for feeding fumidil or thymol in the syrup.
I will definitely treat any apideas I intend to overwinter as apideas are very susceptible to nosema, I imagine due to the stress of being in an unnaturally small sized colony.

[madasafish]

I followed the advice of Hivemaker on another forum and fed thymol syrup this year and last..Easy to do and cheap...

[Rosie]

I do nothing at all about nosema. I don't seem to have much trouble with it and my tests have always proved negative although the NBU found some when they did their random apiary survey. I am hoping my inaction is giving me resistant bees.

Rosie

[Neils]

When it comes to thymol in the sugar syrup, what's a recommended dilution?

I've not actively tested or treated for Nosema before, but as I have a bit of spare thymol lurking about thought it might be worth using it in the syrup, especially for the Nucs.