Mouse Droppings

[DrKurtG]

The area in my garage, where I crush and strain, is small. After the last crush and strain, and after the clean up, a small spatula, with honey on it, was accidentally left on the table. This morning, I saw the spatula which now had about 20 or 30 bees flying around it but it also had some mouse dropping near it. I am worried about the bees taking "infected" honey back to the hive. Should I be?

This brings up another question. I have often read on here that some people take their frames and other equipment used to harvest honey, and bring it back to the hive for the bees to clean up. How do you know that during the evening "critters" haven't also sampled the frames and equipment? Possums, squirels, dogs, cats, etc...Some possible carrying diseases.

[Cindi]

DrKurtG.  Those are some good questions, and I would be very interested in hearing some responses too, we are all listening and learning.....beautiful and wonderful day, in our great lives.  Cindi

[randydrivesabus]

are you concerned about the bees picking up the diseases and then incorporating it into the honey and then it being passed on to humans when the honey is consumed?

[DrKurtG]

Yes, that is my concern. I know that honey has lots of antibacterial properties and that no beekeeper can guarentee that some animal, at some time, hasn't poked his/her nose, paws, etc, into the opening of the hive. I also know that professional beekeeps have lots of equipment sorta laying about the yard. Frames that have been extracted but not yet put back into the hive. Supers that are waiting for frames that have honey residue on them. I'm sure that critters have samples these items at night.

In my case, we've never seen mice, nor any sign of them prior to this. I think that the door was left open one night and mice got in because of the honey on the spatula. We also drape the table with new plastic garbage bags every time we extract. No uncovered honey is ever left in this space. But, better safe than sorry. I have one hive that's active that has a super on it now that is full of honey but uncapped. I have no problem with throwing that honey out if necessary.

however...I'd really rather not... :(

[KONASDAD]

Can't answer first part other than to say It is not first time bees have come across mouse droppings and other waste matter. If this was a disease vector, it probably would have reared its ugly head before now.
as for second part, if you place extracted frames above inner cover or on top od supers the bees will clean and defend the frames until the weather starts to get cooler. I put extracted frames above a partially capped super, they remove excess honey from extracted ones and redeposit into brood and supers wherever needed. A strong hive will keep at bay wax moths and other critters.

[randydrivesabus]

i've seen the bees in my compost pile which has chicken droppings and who knows what else in there and there have never been any ill effects from consuming their honey. are there some specific diseases you have in mind?

[DrKurtG]

Nope. No specific ones. But, yeah, you both make a lot of sense. With as long as bees, mice, and other critters have been around, and tending to occupy the same enclosures so that their interractions were common, you'd think if it was an issue, it would have been more widely addressed.

Thanks a lot for the information.

[Jerrymac]

And bees raid trash cans and dumpsters all the time looking for sweet stuff, as do many animals.

[Bill W.]

You don't really have to worry about bacterial problems, since there aren't a lot of bacteria that will infect both bees and mice.  Honey is a hostile environment for bacteria, so even if something survives the trip into and out of the honey stomach, it will not survive in the honey.  Spore forming bacteria could leave spores, but there aren't likely to be spore forming bacteria in mouse poop.

Viruses are another matter.  Mouse poop may contain Hanta virus, which is bad news.  However, the odds are pretty low and the amount of virus that might contaminate the honey is so small that is probably would not represent the minimum infectious dose.  So, if it were a lot of mouse poop in a lot of honey, I might be concerned.  A little mouse poop in a little honey is probably not worth worrying about.

Plus, mice frequently enter bee hives and we don't generally see transmission of disease from that.

[mark]

there is very little that can actually live in honey. that is one of the reasons  it is such a good dressing for wounds.