Nosema help

orin · May 30, 2016, 06:07:24 AM

Anyone know of some good natural treatments i could use on my hives? Im really trying hard to stay away from chemicals, i was told that putting tea tree oil in sugar syrup works well is this true?

BeeMaster2 · May 30, 2016, 07:31:07 AM

What makes you think that your bees have Nozema?
Jim

orin · May 30, 2016, 02:18:20 PM

I noticed a bunch of brown spots around the entrance and I also noticed a few bees on the ground in front of the hive and one of them had K wing.

Oblio13 · May 30, 2016, 11:27:43 PM

Nosema isn't the only type of "bee diarrhea", and Nosema doesn't cause "K wing".

Maybe you're seeing "Deformed Wing Virus".

Have you done a mite count? That's where I'd start.

Gunny-T · May 30, 2016, 11:40:46 PM

"Complete Bee" is a combo supplement. It's supposed to help in many areas especially digestion and overall health. It's a bit pricey but came highly recommended from several large commercial operators. We put a teaspoon in their sugar water. It can also be drenched or sprayed.

GSF · May 31, 2016, 04:07:36 PM

Sometimes other hives will let loose and it'll hit someone else's hive. Nosema is a virus, not a disease. Part of the cause of nosema is the floral of their gut is out of whack. One reason could be sugar water. I always put one teaspoon of organic(from the mother) apple cider vinegar with each quart of sugar. This makes the ph of sugar water closer to that of nature.

The K wing could have come from fighting or mites. Have you noticed any bees that looked like their wings had been singed, like with a lighter? That's DWV (deformed winged virus) which comes from mites. Let us know what you see and we'll try to make some suggestions.

orin · May 31, 2016, 07:29:56 PM

I havent spotted anymore bees with messed up wings. I popped open the hives today and checked some drone brood and found no mites, not quite sure whats going on. I think i might go ahead and try the vinager and see what happens with that.

PhilK · May 31, 2016, 07:50:02 PM

Quote from: GSF on May 31, 2016, 04:07:36 PM
Sometimes other hives will let loose and it'll hit someone else's hive. Nosema is a virus, not a disease.

FYI:

"Nosema apis is a microsporidian, a small, unicellular parasite recently reclassified as a fungus that mainly affects honey bees. It causes nosemosis, also called nosema, which is the most common and widespread of adult honey bee diseases".

Not a virus, very much a disease!

GSF · June 01, 2016, 11:13:17 AM

Phil, you may be right, I've always heard it referred to as a virus.