jueves, 29 de enero de 2015
COMBATIR LA VARROA CON SUS PROPIAS ARMAS
Researches of University of Hohenheim (Germany) manage to create first effective biological protection against Varroa mites.
Healthy honey bees without varroa mites is literally said a dream of every beekeeper. It appears, from the initial findings that varroa mite can be effective eliminated with organic approach.
The mite is the world’s biggest problem
of beekeepers and at worst leads to the loss of entire bee colonies. A
new invention from the University of Hohenheim, manipulates the sexual behavior of the mites, this is the first biological varroa mite treatment to offer eco-friendly protection. The Technology Licensing Office (TLB) GmbH in Karlsruhe is working with the University of patenting and exploitation of the invention.
Are researches on the right way to eliminate varroa mite?
The new process will give the opportunity to more environmentally friendly way to ensure the survival of bee hives and produce honey, where no residues are expected,
said Dr. Iris herbs, innovation manager of the Technology Licensing Office (TLB).
How Biological Varroa mite Treatment works?
The inventor Professor Dr. Peter Rosenkranz and graduate biologist Bettina Ziegelmann could prove how the mites males tracking the females in the cell, due to female sex pheromones. The scientists have managed to isolate these substances and determine their composition.
The process is quite simple…
If the biological bait is sprayed on the brood cell, this irritated the
mites male so that it can make its reproductive less targeted: Not only
that, it shows less sexual activity than normal, but females are often
mated at the wrong time, namely when they are not yet sexually mature.
By sexually mature females, it has 60 percent less sex activity than without biological bait, because far fewer sperms are transferred. This varroa mites are less vital and cannot create any further female eggs. So because of that varroa cannot contribute in the reproductive cycle to the increase of the mite population.
Researchers said this method should be relatively inexpensive, harmless to humans and easy to handle.
Currently the process of biological
varroa mite treatment is optimized in collaboration with an established
specialist for varroa mite control in terms of dosage and the
application into the brood cell.
More about TLB release in german language visit: Biologische Varroose-Bekämpfung durch Störung des Begattungsverhaltens der Bienen-Milbe Varroa.
Source: http://idw-online.de/de/news608954
NOSEMA CERANAE enemigo público nº1
As one of the possible causes of honey bee losses, the gut pathogen Nosema ceranae
has proved controversial. It seems accountable for colony losses in
Spain, yet elsewhere it seems not to cause obvious problems despite
being widespread. Two papers published in the Journal of Apicultural Research help to shed some light on the problem, with close studies of this organism and its relationship with its host.
Nosema ceranae,
a microsporidian fungus, is a relatively new pathogen of honey bees,
having only been discovered in 1994 on the Asian honey bee Apis cerana.
It was found on the western honey bee Apis mellifera in 2005. It seems
to have spread rapidly around the world and apparently displaced
the similar species Nosema apis. This second parasite is a minor chronic
infection of the western honey bee, known for more than one hundred
years. However no-one is absolutely certain of the history of these two
species because their spores are indistinguishable under an ordinary
light microscope. So far, few laboratories throughout the world are able
to perform the costly molecular techniques necessary to reliably
determine between the two Nosema species.
In a new paper, Dr Aneta Ptaszyńska and
colleagues from the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Lublin, and the
University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland have demonstrated that
Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) provides a solution. Close
examination of the cell walls of Nosema spores revealed that they differ
between the two species, with Nosema ceranae having a
characteristic sculpted cell wall. The authors also studied the damage
caused by the parasite to the intestines of infected bees. They found
that the midgut of affected bees is completely covered with Nosema
spores. This sporemade layer may be the cause of bee malnutrition and higher mortality of foragers.
Scanning electron micrographs of Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae spores. Journal of Apicultural Research 53(5): 537-544 (2014).
In the second paper, Dr Predrag
Simeunovic and colleagues from the University of Belgrade,
Serbia, carried out a three year study on the laying capacity of queen
bees as affected by age and infestation by Nosema ceranae. The results clearly demonstrated not only that as queen bees age so colony productivity declines, but that interactions with Nosema ceranae
infestation also occur. Curiously, although queen bees decline in all
other respects during their third year, their egg laying capacity
was found to increase. This may be an influence of Nosema infection
which was greatest in the oldest queens. The authors suggest that the
infected queens may significantly increase their rate of egg laying to
compensate for the losses of heavily infected workers due to Nosema.
IBRA Science Director Norman Carreck says:
“These two new papers add to our knowledge of this problematic pathogen and how it adversely affects honey bees.”
Source: The International Bee Research Association (“IBRA”)
TRAMPAS PARA ESCARABAJO AETHINA TUMIDA
Beekeepers across Europe now face the
threat of a new pest, the Small Hive Beetle (SHB), but a new tool to
combat the pest is already available from Vita (Europe) Ltd.
The Small Hive Beetle trap comes with commercial name
The Beetle Blaster is a
low cost, simple and very environmentally friendly device that can
alert beekeepers to the presence of SHB and help to control its numbers.
A plastic trough filled with food grade oil is inserted in
the hive and SHBs present will be attracted to it as a hiding place and
trapped. The beekeeper can then dispose of the trapped beetles. Since
the beetles tend to first attack the periphery of a colony, the 23 cm
long traps are designed to hang between outer frames in the brood box
and thereby have minimal impact upon normal honeybee activity.
Italy is the first country in Europe to be confronted with Small Hive Beetle
This autumn, the Small Hive Beetle (Aethena tumida) was discovered in southern Italy
and is already established in parts of Sicily and Southern Italy. The
SHB cannot be eliminated once present in large numbers, so it is
probably going to spread, eventually, across Europe.
SHB can breed rapidly and its effects on honeybee colonies can be devastating. It eats brood, honey and pollen, destroying comb as it does so and spoils honey by causing fermentation. Uncontrolled, the SHB can wipe out a weak colony.
The beetle originated in sub-Saharan Africa where it is regarded as only a minor pest because the native honeybees are able to control it.
But when SHB spread to other countries, the local bees could not cope
so well. It was first identified in the USA in 1998 and in Australia in
2002. The impact in the USA was severe at first although many beekeepers have now adopted techniques to control it. In Australia the impact has generally been less acute, but in both countries it is still a very serious honeybee pest.
The mode of arrival of SHB in southern
Italy is unknown and its impact has yet to be fully assessed. Because of
substantial migratory beekeeping along the length of Italy, SHB is
expected to spread to other parts of Italy and, from there, its advance
into other parts of Europe seems inevitable.
The environmental range of SHB outside Africa cannot yet be predicted with any confidence. The beetle poses the greatest threat in warm humid climates
like Florida, but it has also been found as far north as Canada. Much
of Europe would therefore seem to offer a suitable habitat for the pest.
The Small Hive Beetle can spread in various ways including with honeybee colonies, honeybee queens, bee products and, very significantly, ripe fruit. Sea ports are therefore a significant potential point of entry.
Source: Vita (Europe) Ltd.
FIPRONIL EN SUIZA
DETECCION DE ENVENENAMIENTO DE COLMENAS CON FIPRONIL EN SUIZA
In Switzerland (April month) was mass poisoning of bees
due to which they originally blame farmers, but it turned out that
farmers are not to blame. In the region Zäziwil and Möschberg 172 bee
colonies was poisoned.
They analyzed poisoned bees and found that the reason for that was insecticide Fipronil,
which is banned in Switzerland. Poisoning occurred during the flowering
of fruit trees, so the relevant departments of government continue to
seek and identify the active substance in the flowering trees.
Fruit growers had proper documentation from
which it was evident that they sprayed fruit trees with a fungicide
Folpet, which is allowed in Switzerland. But that didn`t stop
investigators, they discovered that approved insecticide Folpet was
imported from Israel, where the factory before filling fungicide (Folpet) filled Fipronil for the United States. It turns out that the equipment was not cleaned before they started to use Folpet. Therefore, the Swiss withdrew from the market all the fungicide those batches.
Hans Peter Baumann, Chief of Staff of the Office of Agriculture and Nature of the canton of Bern said:
It’s relatively important that we can determine the source of such a poisoning.
lunes, 5 de enero de 2015
Suscribirse a:
Entradas (Atom)