Bee diseases

Bee Diseases: Adult Bee Diseases

We have seen young Bee Diseases you can read the Article from here.

In this Article we will discuss some diseases in Adult Bees.

As young bees have diseases for sure adult bees have as well , there are some difference between the young and adult bees diseases. The first diseases we will talk about is…

  • Varroa

It is one of the pests that poses the greatest threat to beekeepers. Varroa is a parasite that measures 1.5 mm long by 1.7 mm wide that feeds on the blood of bees. Bee louse has six legs, but varroa has eight legs.

Varroa destructor - adult bees

Varroa feeds on the blood of bees while they are in their  larval and adult bee phases. Bees exposed to the Varroa pest, both adult and juvenile, are helpless and frail. Their feet, wings, and other body parts show some deformities. Because the bee’s life span is decreased, the bee family gradually dwindles and vanishes.
A bee may contain 6 or more.

The disease is typically spread by adult bees that have already contracted it. Other beekeepers and pertinent government agencies need to be informed as soon as the Varro pest is identified.
Because Varroa grows in infants’ closed eyelids, the medications used to control it are useless. Spraying should be done during the gestation period in order to assess the efficacy of the medicine and the success of the control. Because of this, the optimum times to treat varroa are early spring and late autumn, when the colonies have the fewest brooding activity and closed broods.

  • Nosema

NOSEMA! –-adult bees

One of the most significant diseases affecting adult bees is nosema, which is brought on by the spore Nosema Apis. It is harmful and communicable. The last few days of autumn and the beginning of spring are when this sickness is most prevalent. When carrying items like food, water, or other items that contain nosema spores, or when discarding the droppings of dead or infected bees, worker bees might contract the disease. The hive starts to deteriorate as the sickness worsens. Adult Bees stuck in nosema are unable to fly, are unable to move, appear paralyzed, and suffer from diarrhea.

Nosema disease is characterized by abnormal-appearing bees with divided wings on the frames, bees with bulging bellies on the hive bottom board, and bees on the hive flying tray. The appearance of feces- and dead-bee-stain marks on the hive flight board is crucial for identifying Nosema disease. Both preventive and therapeutic uses are possible for the medication Fumajil-A.

  • Common Diarrhea (Dysentery)

Honey bee dysentery and water - -adult bees

When bees are active in the spring, it is visible. A dark yellow, sticky, watery, and foul-smelling muck is produced by diarrheal bees. The main causes of the disease include spending a lot of time indoors, feeding the bees sour or spoilt syrup, dampness, cold, or not having enough honey in the hives throughout the winter. This illness is both microbiological and not communicable. As the season goes on, it naturally disappears. It is essential to get rid of the causes of the disease in order to prevent it.

Bee Lice

bee louse -adult bees

It is a slightly shorter, rounder, chestnut-colored louse with hooked feet that has the ability to move in all directions like a six-legged crab. Sticking to the bees’ backs and chests, they eat the honey they can take from their mouths. Weak bee families and queen bees are particularly vulnerable to this parasite’s infestation. Royal jelly is adored by bee lice. It robs young worker bees of their royal jelly by mimicking the bees’ food exchange.

  • Scabies (Bee Mite)

The mite, which can be seen under a microscope, is between 80 and 120 microns in size, lacks eyes, and enters the bees’ chests through the air openings to settle in the respiratory system. Here, the mite reproduces and causes harm. It can live for 30 to 40 days. In the trachea, the female mite lays 6–10 eggs. They mature within 12 to 15 days. Its mouth structure is piercing and sucking. Dried blood tissue, mite excrement, shirt fragments, and other leftovers obstruct the bee’s respiratory system.
Bees with mite infestations have sagging, shaky wings. He starts to crawl and loses his ability to fly during the advanced stage. The stomach is puffy. Under a microscope, the respiratory tube’s flat, clean, cream-colored appearance changes to a brownish-black tint.

These are some of the diseases related to adult bees. We hope that you have benefited from this article.

 

 

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