Viruses in Bees

Diana Cox-Foster who is the lead scientist for the study of the honey bee viruses came the conclusion that the bees who had CCD “’were harboring every known virus that we could detect using our methods,’” she explained.  Cox-Foster theorized that because of the “rapid spread of colony collapse disorder and on the variety of infections found, … [that] a fast-spreading and powerful virus had infected the bees”.

The scientists discovered “that one of the known honey bee viruses was present in almost all CCD samples”, they also found that the “virus was absent from almost every healthy sample”.  The name of the virus that they found is the “Israeli acute paralysis virus or IAPV”.  IAPV provides scientists with a way to diagnose honey bees who are infected with CCD.  Cox-Foster proposed an experiment to infect a colony with the virus and find out if it caused CCD.  She didn’t want to just introduce the virus to a colony because “bees live outside and are, for the most part, free to roam anywhere”.  This means that an infected control bee in the experiment could potentially pass the virus on to a healthy colony that resides in the wild.  Cox-Foster then concluded that it is possible to have a hive in a controlled environment, that is, in a green house.  The green house also serves the purpose of trapping the bees because bees that are infected with CCD are rarely found.  Once the bodies of the bees are recovered, the scientists can do further research.  The scientists came to the conclusion that IAPV is just a factor that causes CCD (Burns, 2010, pp. 36-38).

Parasites in Bees

Another field that was explored by scientists led by Jeffery S. Pettis was the possibility that known hive pests such as the Varroa mites, tracheal mites, and Nosema.  First the scientists researched what role the Varroa mites play on the bees.  The Varroa mites are tick-like insects that feed on the blood of the bee (p. 30).

The experts revealed that the “amount of mites in the CCD colonies and the healthy colonies” were closely matched.  The tracheal mites were examined next, they also feed off the blood of the honey bees, but they are much smaller and often hide in the trachea or breathing tubes of the bees.  When the team finished their research, they concluded that the counts were almost nonexistent in both healthy and CCD bees.  The final infection that the scientists looked for was Nosema, which is a parasite that causes diarrhea in bees.  Normally bees “rarely empty their bowels in the hive” the bees usually “fly outside and away from the hive to relieve themselves” even when it is cold outside.  When a bee is affected by Nosema, they cannot “control their bowel movements; they are forced to defecate in and around the hive, leaving a distinct red-orange splatter”.  The team of scientists looked for the parasite itself, but their results came to the same conclusion as did the previous pests, there was “no connection between Nosema … and CCD” (pp. 30-31).

Healing the Bees

Beekeepers administer many medicines to heal bees when they are sick.  There are many things that make bees sick such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, and poor nutrition (Evans, 2010, p. 154).  In order to treat bees for Varroa mites, beekeepers will use coumaphos, fluvalinate, formic acid, and oxalic acid.  Some of the environment-friendly home remedy medicines include: mineral oil (food grade), vegetable oil, and vegetable shortening.  Another disease, Nosema is treated by using the chemical, fumagillin.  Another common parasite is tracheal mites, which are treated using menthol, formic acid, vegetable oil, and vegetable shortening (agf.gov.bc.ca).  When treating bees, beekeepers will use the least amount of chemicals as possible.  For example, if a hive is plagued with Varroa mites and tracheal mites, a beekeeper may use vegetable oil or vegetable shortening, as these are both used to treat the pests and vegetable oil and shortening are eco-friendly.

Bee Checkups

In order to get into the “supers,” a “small metal crowbar” is used to pry the honey supers apart, “beekeepers call [the crowbar] a hive tool” (Burns, 2010, p. 4).  It is necessary to use the “hive tool” because the bees “seal every crack and crevice in the hive with propolis” which is a substance that they collect from the sap of trees and other plants.  The propolis is air, and water tight; it also keeps the pests out.  The honey bees make a wax and use it “to cover, or cap, honey-filled comb cells” (p. 5).  The majority of the hive can be found in the brood nest, “where developing bees are cared for” (p. 7).  In order to determine that a colony’s queen is healthy, beekeepers look for “eggs, larvae, and capped brood”.  It is important for “beekeepers [to] keep careful records of their hive activities in order to better manage their bee colonies throughout the year” (p. 8).  The entrance to the hive is located “at the bottom of the brood nest” there is a platform “outside the opening” called, “the landing board” (p. 9).

Beekeepers administer many medicines to heal bees when they are sick.  There are many things that make bees sick such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, and poor nutrition (Evans, 2010, p. 154).  In order to treat bees for Varroa mites, beekeepers will use coumaphos, fluvalinate, formic acid, and oxalic acid.  Some of the environment-friendly home remedy medicines include: mineral oil (food grade), vegetable oil, and vegetable shortening.  Another disease, Nosema is treated by using the chemical, fumagillin.  Another common parasite is tracheal mites, which are treated using menthol, formic acid, vegetable oil, and vegetable shortening (agf.gov.bc.ca).  When treating bees, beekeepers will use the least amount of chemicals as possible.  For example, if a hive is plagued with Varroa mites and tracheal mites, a beekeeper may use vegetable oil or vegetable shortening, as these are both used to treat the pests and vegetable oil and shortening are eco-friendly.