Alberta Bee News
February 2022
BIOSECURITY – BOXES AND FRAMES By Dr. Renata Borba, Tech Transfer Program Lead, Alberta Beekeepers Commission
One of the key factors affecting colony loss is the presence of multiple pathogen and parasite loads, as well as the background levels of their infective agents within hive substrates, such as: wax, pollen, honey. Many pathogens can survive in hive substrate for multiple years, so beekeepers must adopt management practices that minimize disease spread. In this article we will list key management practices that will help you prevent a disease outbreak in your operation and keep your queen breeders strong and healthy.
from an apiary and isolate/quarantine all infected colonies in a common apiary, a hospital apiary. Hospital apiaries should be established at least 2-3 km from other apiaries. This practice will not only reduce the spread of the disease to healthy colonies in its original apiary, but also facilitate disease monitoring and treatment since beekeepers will no longer need to drive throughout their operation to inspect and treat infected colonies. • Before reusing or storing equipment, make to clean and disinfect them properly. Equipment should be cleaned from any wax and, if needed, rinsed with warm water. But if you are looking for a deep clean option, equipment can also be sanitized using a 9:1 bleach solution.
‘Purchasing bees and used equipment’ • Buy bees and used equipment only from reputable sources and inspect equipment before purchase. • Check with your provincial authority if you can obtain a sale inspection report to confirm that bees and/or equipment are disease free. • Contaminated equipment and pollen purchased from commercial sources should be irradiated to ensure bacterial spores are rendered non-viable. • If importing from out of province, follow provincial and federal regulations. You must obtain a permit from the Provincial Apiculturist in order to move equipment and/or bees from one province to another. • And don’t forget to register with your local provincial authority. Owning equipment, even without bees, requires registration.
‘Storage’ • Store used bee equipment in a close off area, inaccessible to bees and pests. • Remove all unused be equipment from bee yards ASAP. • If equipment must remain in the open for a short period, close of the top and bottom of boxes with lids or bottom boards. • And store empty honey supers and brood honey in an enclosed cool area with good air flow.
‘Maintenance of beekeeping equipment’ • Replace broken frames or boxes as needed. Always carry extra boxes and frames with you when visiting the apiary in case you need it. • Regularly inspect colonies to identify diseases, pests, and equipment in need of repair. • Scrape off burr comb and dispose of in a sealed garbage. • Spread of disease can also occur by splitting strong infected colonies. When splitting colonies, inspect all frames and only use colonies that are healthy. • Infected colonies are often weak and when food is scarce these colonies are robbed by nearby strong colonies. American and European foulbrood can be easily spread through robbing, as bees robbing weak infected colonies can carry the pathogen back to their healthy colonies. • Beekeepers must monitor for signs of disease and remove all contaminated equipment from colonies. A disease can also be spread within an apiary through drifting of bees. It is a good management practice to remove sick/infected colonies 5
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