Small Town News

Bee Health

---

If you watch the news, each day you hear of something new we are told we need to worry about. The plight of the honey bees is one crisis that has been in the news for a while.

For good reason, we depend on these little "Angels of Agriculture" for pollination of a wide range of crops. In fact, one-third of the food we eat is produced from plants that need to be pollinated by insects, honey bees do 80 percent of the work. Honey bees are the unsung heroes of agriculture and we should all be worried about their health. And it's not just honey bees, as many wild pollinators are threatened, too.

Many compare the loss of honey bee colonies to the parakeet in the mine. Some say that it is a warning sign that something is amuck. Bee researchers have been trying to solve the puzzle of why honey bees seem to be disappearing, leaving the hive and not returning. In reality, that scenario can be caused by a number of reasons. Sick honey bees intentionally leave the hive to die to protect the colony from the spread of disease.

Most beekeepers agree that Colony Collapse disorder is not caused by any one thing. It is the combination of many factors--the perfect storm of problems plaguing the bees. Just as in humans, a virus probably won't kill you unless there are some other underlying health issues. Stresses of many kinds can contribute to sickness.

Some of the major issues impacting honeybees are:

Pesticides which, of course, do kill bees. But now the concern is of low levels of pesticides that don't kill the bees on contact but weaken the immune system of the insects and shortening their life. New classes of pesticides used as seed treatments are systemic. The concern is it may be present both in the plant and in the pollen the bees collect. Honey bees also collect water to cool the hive, which may be contaminated by a variety of pesticides, herbicides or fungicides.

Nutrition is just as important in honey bees as it is in humans. Honey bees need not only a good nectar source to produce honey, but also require a variety of pollens collected from plants to satisfy the need for complete proteins in their diet. Some pollen is of high quality, like almond tree pollen, some are poor quality, like corn pollen. It is getting more difficult to find areas with adequate food sources for the bees. Beekeepers are finding that feeding protein substitutes such as soy flour or brewers yeast are of great benefit to the health of the colonies.

Controlling pests and diseases are a constant battle. Varroa mites, tracheal mites, and various brood diseases can weaken a honey bee's immune system and cause secondary virus infections. Small hive beetles infest colonies and stress the bees.

Nosema, which is a single cell parasite, but actually closer to a fungus, infects the bee's digestive system and can cause death in seven days. New strains of Nosema are especially worrisome since they are difficult to predict and can reduce the population of a colony in a matter of days.

Viruses are present everywhere and they may or may not be a problem--we don't know. When a Varroa Mite feeds on the blood of a developing bee in a honeycomb cell the feeding hole is an open wound that can easily be infected with a virus or bacteria.

If honeybees are healthy they can withstand a lot of stresses. Beekeepers are working harder and harder to keep their colonies healthy. As anyone knows who works in agriculture, Mother Nature keeps you on your toes. For more information on the honey industry visit www.honey.com.



Copyright 2009 The Courtland Journal, Courtland, Kansas. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.

© 2009 The Courtland Journal Courtland, Kansas. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

More from The Courtland Journal