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Bee Disease Handbook: Recognition and First Aid

Proper diagnosis and a swift response to pathogens are the foundation of an apiary’s survival, allowing beekeepers to avoid economic losses and the complete extinction of bee colonies.

Classification of Threats in the Apiary

Bee diseases are divided into two main groups: non-infectious, resulting from errors in feeding and management, and infectious, caused by microorganisms and parasites (infectious and invasive). An additional factor limiting productivity are predators and pests that destroy food stores and directly attack bees.

I. Infectious Diseases of Brood and Adult Bees

1. American Foulbrood (Malignant) and European Foulbrood

The most dangerous bacterial brood diseases.

  • Recognition: American Foulbrood is characterized by sunken, perforated cappings, beneath which lies a putrid mass with the smell of carpenter’s glue, stretching for 10–15 cm. European Foulbrood attacks unsealed brood; larvae turn yellow, lose their shine, and twist in the cells.
  • First Aid: Isolation of the colony, transferring bees to a clean hive with foundation, and disinfection of equipment with fire.

2. Nosemosis (Microsporidiosis)

A disease of the digestive tract manifested by mass weakening after the spring cleansing flight.

  • Symptoms: Diarrhea (stains on the front wall of the hive), distended abdomens, bees crawling in front of the entrance.
  • Treatment Procedure:
    1. Administer medication: Fumagillin preparation (or related). 1 vial (20 g) per 25 liters of syrup (1:1).
    2. Dosage: 250–500 ml of medicated syrup per colony daily for 3 weeks.
    3. Disinfection: Disinfecting combs with acetic acid vapors (200 ml per hive body, exposure for 3 days at 16–18°C).

3. Sacbrood Disease

A viral infection of brood aged 5–6 days.

  • Symptoms: Brood dies under the capping, larvae turn into “sacs” filled with gray fluid. Upon drying, they form boat-shaped scales, easy to remove.
  • Aid: Strengthening colonies with sealed brood, insulating the brood nest, and replacing the queen.

II. Parasitic Infestations

1. Varroosis (Varroa destructor)

A parasitic mite feeding on the hemolymph of brood and bees.

  • Diagnosis: Visible brown spots on bees and drone brood; bees with damaged wings.
  • Control Methods:
    • Oxalic acid: 2% solution (20 g of acid per 1 liter of water). Spray bees on frames (1 liter for 15–20 colonies).
    • Formic acid: Used in spring and autumn at temperatures of 14–25°C.

2. Acarapidosis (Tracheal Mite)

Mites attacking the tracheae of bees.

  • Symptoms: “K-wing” deformity, bees falling from the entrance to the ground.
  • Treatment: Disinfection with ether sulfonate vapors or Tedion-type tablets (1 g burned in the hive, repeated 10 times every other day).

III. Pests and Predators

  • Mice: Enter hives in autumn/winter, destroy combs, and disturb the winter cluster. Prevention: Metal entrance reducers with a 7 mm gap.
  • European Bee-eater: A bird eating 700–1000 bees per day. Aid: Acoustic or visual deterrents (falcon decoys).
  • Wasps and the Bee Wolf (Philanthus triangulum): Attack bees on flowers or rob honey. Control: Bottle traps with fermenting liquid.
  • Greater Wax Moth: Larvae destroying beeswax. Protection: Storing frames in acetic acid or sulfur fumes.

IV. Non-infectious Diseases and Poisoning

  1. Chemical Poisoning: Mass bee mortality after field spraying.
    • Response: Close hive entrances (ensure ventilation and water!), provide thin syrup (30%) and remove frames with fresh nectar.
  2. Starvation (Carbohydrate Dystrophy): Dead bees with their heads in cells.
    • Rescue: Spray bees with warm syrup, provide warmed frames with honey to the center of the brood nest.
  3. Chilled Brood: Occurs with sudden cooling and an overly weak colony.
    • Aid: Reduce the brood nest size and provide intensive insulation.

V. General Disinfection

Effective disease control requires sanitary rigor:

  • Wooden equipment: Charring with a blowtorch to a brown color.
  • Small tools: Boiling in a 3% soda solution for at least 30 minutes.
  • Ground under the hive: Digging to a depth of 15 cm and sprinkling with chlorinated lime (5 kg/m²).

Maintaining cleanliness in the hive and regularly replacing at least 30% of the comb annually drastically reduces pathogen pressure in the apiary.

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