Bees for Development Journal 108
PRACTICAL BEEKEEPING
GOOD BEEKEEPING PRACTICE - HYGIENE IN BEE COLONY MANAGEMENT Wolfgang Ritter, CVUA-Freiburg, Am Moos Weihez, D 79108, Freiburg, Germany PHOTOS © J SCHWENKEL
Keywords: American foulbrood, chalkbrood, feeder, propolis The second in the series of Dr Wolfang Ritter offering advice for Good Beekeeping Practice during the management of bee colonies and honey processing.
Hygiene Hygienic conditions within the nest are very important for a honey bee colony: ill or dead bees are quickly removed, die far away from the hive during foraging, or die as crawlers at the entrance hole. This prevents ill bees from defecating inside the hive and avoids the spread of germs (pathogenic micro-organisms) within the colony. Worker bees are constantly busy cleaning the inner space and covering it with propolis to disinfect the area. The beekeeper interferes with the bees’ own well-functioning hygiene system when he or she lifts out and replaces frames or combs, and also when using devices for management, feeding or honey harvest. Neglecting cleanliness endangers both the health of the bees, and also the production of clean and healthy food items. This point is valid regarding also equipment used in the processing of bee products. There are different ways to reach a certain standard of hygiene. In Germany, only when an apiary has to be sanitised after an outbreak of American Foulbrood (AFB) does the veterinary medical officer or the bee expert in charge, determine the method for cleaning and disinfection.
Wooden frames are disinfected quickly and easily using a commercially available gas burner and a rented bottle of propane gas
Clean feeders If a feeder is integrated into the hive system, or if a receptacle is introduced, it must be cleaned regularly and thoroughly because bees do not regard this section as being part of the nest, and they clean it less carefully. Also leftovers containing sugar are an ideal home for all kinds of germs and can easily start to ferment. Therefore remnants of food should always be removed quickly.
Good coat of paint For good public relations concerning honey production you should keep the outside of hives looking good. Use only safe, pollution-free, preferably natural materials, for painting hives. Though the exterior surface does not come into direct contact with the inner parts of the hive, evaporation may influence bee health and bee products. Good hygiene at the entrance of the hive is important because it is the area most frequented by bees. However a healthy colony of normal strength will take care of this for itself.
Cleaning tools and small equipment Beekeepers’ hive tools, bee brushes or feathers imply a special risk. They easily transfer diseases from one colony to another. Cleaning them well and regularly is an important part of Good Beekeeping Practice. You can interrupt a chain of infection from apiary to apiary by using separate sets of tools at each place. In the case of queen breeding and rearing do not forget to clean mating hives and breeding frames - because they are used only for a short time they tend to be disregarded.
Fire and lye Coating hives inside is not necessary because in new hives the bees take care of hygiene. However, a balanced relationship between colony strength and space must be respected. As with all used hive parts, frames put on top for expansion should be cleaned by scraping them out and preferably disinfecting them. Wooden hives are cleaned simply by torching. Hive parts can be washed with a 2% soda solution (lye). For plastic frames, lye is the only possibility. After the outbreak of a disease, especially AFB, you should preferably use 5% lye or other officially recommended chemicals.
Careful cleaning The bottom of the hive is usually cleaned by the bees themselves. However in weak colonies or in hives with deep bases, faeces on the floor board may go unnoticed. The bees cannot clean underneath the bottom grid, and here the beekeeper must take action. Chalkbrood mummies removed by the bees from the brood cells represent a permanent source of infection. If they are not removed, the fungal spores penetrate the brood section by circulation in the air. Other mildew moulds affect bee health and the quality of bee products.
Remnants from a dead colony have to be removed and the hive disinfected before a new colony is introduced 3
