Acarapidosis of bees

Acarapidosis of bees is one of the most insidious and destructive diseases that can be encountered in the apiary. It is almost impossible to diagnose with the naked eye and very difficult to cure. Most often, the disease is discovered too late, which leads to the death of a bee colony, or even an entire apiary.

What is acarapidosis in bees

Acarapidosis is a disease of the respiratory tract of bees. The causative agent of the disease is the tracheal mite, whose peak activity occurs at the end of February - beginning of March, when bee colonies are weakened after wintering. Wandering drones and bees act as carriers of the parasite. Infection also often occurs after uterus replacement.

After the female mite penetrates the insect, she begins to lay eggs. In a matter of days, the hatched offspring fill the respiratory tract, causing the bee to suffocate. The result of infection is the death of the insect. When the bee dies, the mite moves on to another victim. Thus, the disease gradually spreads to the entire family through contact of insects with each other.

The disease spreads most intensively during the winter months, when bees huddle together to keep warm. This is especially noticeable in the north, where winters are long.

Symptoms of acarapidosis in bees

Detecting acarapidosis is difficult, and yet it does not seem impossible. It is enough to carefully observe the bees for some time. The first signs of the disease are the following changes in the appearance and behavior of insects:

• the bees do not fly, but clumsily climb around the apiary, every now and then jumping convulsively;
• bees cluster in groups on the ground;
• insect wings look as if someone deliberately spread them apart;
• the abdomen of insects may be enlarged.

In addition, after the hive is infected with acarapidosis, the walls of the house become defoliated in the spring.

Life cycle of the tracheal mite

The entire life cycle of a tick is 40 days. There are 3 times more females in the population. One female lays up to 10 eggs. Development and fertilization occur in the respiratory tract. Fertilized females emerge from the trachea, and when the host bees come into close contact with another bee, they move onto it. One insect can have up to 150 mites.

After the death of a bee, the parasites leave its body and move on to young healthy insects.

The photo below shows the trachea of ​​a bee clogged with mites during acarapidosis.

Why do bees crawl on the ground and cannot fly up?

One of the most obvious symptoms of acarapidosis is when bees suddenly stop flying and instead begin crawling on the ground.

With the onset of cold weather, fertilized female mites leave the trachea and move to the area where the wings are attached to the bee’s body.The fact is that the chitin at the junction of the wings is softer than in other areas, and therefore more attractive to the parasite. Female mites feed on them in the winter, which leads to dehiscence in bees - a developmental pathology in which the symmetry of the wings is disturbed. Because of this, the bees cannot fold them, and therefore quickly fall, without really lifting off the ground, and begin to crawl randomly around the apiary.

Difficulties in diagnosis

The difficulty of diagnosis lies primarily in the fact that the tick is not visible to the naked eye. To do this, it is necessary to examine the bees under a microscope with multiple magnification. For this reason, the spread of acarapidosis most often occurs unnoticed. Mites can parasitize an apiary for several years before the hive owner notices something is wrong.

Before starting treatment, you need to make sure that it is really acarapidosis. To do this, you will have to collect at least 40-50 insects with a flap for examination in the laboratory.

The collected samples are carefully placed in a plastic bag and taken to specialists. If the laboratory determines that this is indeed acarapidosis, it is necessary to collect another batch of bees for re-checking, only this time you will have to go around all the hives.

If the laboratory confirms the diagnosis, the apiary is quarantined. Then treatment of the hives begins.

Treatment of bee acarapidosis

Acarapidosis is classified as a chronic disease of bees. Due to the fact that the mite practically does not leave the bee’s body, it is very difficult to cure the disease - the parasite cannot be treated with contact substances, and those drugs that can penetrate the mite through the lymph are not strong enough. Therefore, in the fight against acarapidosis, volatile gaseous agents are used. They cause the death of the tick, however, it is impossible to remove the parasite from the bodies of insects. This leads to the fact that the corpses of mites clog the respiratory system of the bees and, as a result, infected individuals die from lack of oxygen.

Thus, it is impossible to cure bees from acarapidosis in the full sense of the word. Treatment involves immediate or gradual destruction of diseased insects before the mite spreads to healthy bees.

How to treat

Sick families are treated with pharmaceutical drugs in the summer, from mid-June to August, in the evening hours - at this time the bees return to the hives. Before starting treatment, it is necessary to remove 2 frames from the edge of the bee houses for better access to insects.

The following agents and chemicals have proven themselves to be the best in the fight against acarapidosis:

• fir oil;
• "Teda Ted";
• "Ant";
• "Akarasan";
• "Polisan";
• "Varroades";
• "Beeping";
• "Methyl salicylate";
• "Tedion";
• "Folbex".
• "Nitrobenzene";
• "Ethersulfonate";
• "Ethyl dichlorobenzilate."

All these drugs differ in the strength of their effect on the parasite and the duration of treatment. In most cases, several treatments of the apiary will be required to completely destroy the mite.

Bees are treated against acarapidosis as follows:

1. Fir oil. Of the variety of fir-based oils with different flavored additives, it is recommended to opt for ordinary fir essential oil. This is a strong-smelling product that the tick cannot tolerate - the death of the pest occurs almost instantly. At the same time, the rich pine smell does not affect healthy bees in any way. Before treating the hive with oil, it is covered with film. The upper entrance is closed completely, the lower one is left slightly open. Then a piece of gauze is dipped in oil and placed on the frames. Recommended dosage is 1 ml per hive. Number of treatments: 3 times every 5 days.
2. "Teda Teda". This is a chemical drug that contains amitraz. Release form: thin impregnated cords. The cords are laid out on a flat surface and set on fire, after which they are placed inside the hive. The lanyard stand must be fireproof. Number of treatments: 6 times every 5-6 days. The advantages of the drug include the degradability of the substance and harmlessness to bees.
3. "Ant" – a product made from formic acid, as the name suggests. The drug is absolutely harmless to bees. One package is enough for 5-8 hives. The contents are laid out in the center of the hives on frames. At the same time, the entrances are not closed - treatment with “Muravinka” assumes the presence of good air circulation in the house. Number of treatments: 3 times every 7 days. The downside of the drug is that it is harmful to queen bees.
4. "Akarasan" are special plates that are placed inside the hives and set on fire. Number of treatments: 6 times every 7 days.
5. "Polisan" also available in the form of small plates. The processing method is the same, but the number of treatments is much less: only 2 times every other day.This is one of the fastest ways to treat acarapidosis in bees using pharmaceutical products.
6. "Varroadez" - another drug in the form of strips. They are impregnated with a composition based on coriander oil, which has a detrimental effect on ticks. Two strips are enough for an average of 10 frames. For small families, 1 strip is enough. After placing the strips inside the hives, they are left there for a month.
7. "Beepin" - a drug that is used to treat an apiary using a smoker. You need to drop 3-4 drops of the substance into the smoker, after which smoke is released into the hive. Processing is continued for 2 to 4 minutes. To destroy the tick, it is necessary to repeat the procedure 6-7 times every other day.
8. "Ethersulfonate", “Ethyldichlorobenzilate” and “Folbex” are presented in the form of impregnated cardboard strips. These strips must be fixed on a wire and set on fire, after which they are carefully brought into the hive. "Ethersulfonate" is left in the house for 3 hours. “Ethyl dichlorobenzilate” has a more intense effect on the tick - it is enough to keep it inside for only 1 hour. Folbex is removed after half an hour. "Ethersulfonate" is used 10 times every other day. "Ethyldichlorobenzilate" and "Folbex" are placed every 7 days 8 times in a row.
9. "Tedion" Available in tablet form. It is also set on fire before being placed in the hive. The drug is sold together with a special plate on which the tablet is placed immediately before ignition, so as not to damage the house. Processing time: 5-6 hours.

All treatments, regardless of the chosen product, are best carried out in the evening, but in good weather. In conditions of high humidity, hives are poorly ventilated, which can affect the health of bees.

In the spring months, the apiary is processed after the flight is over.In the fall, it is recommended to first remove the honey, and only then begin treatment. In no case should you treat the hives less than 5 days before collecting honey, as some substances can accumulate in the waste products of bees.

The fight against acarapidosis lasts for several weeks. Immediately after the last treatment, the bees must be taken back to the laboratory for examination. The study is carried out the same way twice as the first time. Only after acarapidosis is not detected 2 times in a row, the veterinarian lifts the quarantine.

How to treat correctly

Fumigation of bees with acaricidal preparations is considered one of the most effective ways to combat acarapidosis. Processing is carried out according to the following rules:

1. The hives are fumigated at an air temperature of at least +16°C. This condition is mandatory - otherwise all the smoke will settle to the bottom of the house.
2. Before fumigation, each crack must be sealed with a special putty, purchased or made independently, or with scraps of paper.
3. The frames must be slightly moved apart, as the smoke excites the bees, and they begin to rush restlessly around the hive.
4. When fumigating during the summer months, bees must be provided with sufficient water.
5. The dosage is calculated strictly according to the instructions for the substance. An overdose can lead to the instant death of a family.
6. The impregnated plates are first carefully lit and then extinguished. After this, the plates are hung in the hives.
7. Before fumigating the hive, the entrance must be closed in most cases. On the other hand, the instructions for a number of products indicate that this cannot be done.
8. The optimal time for fumigation is late evening or early morning.
9. After treatments, it is necessary to promptly collect the bodies of dead bees. Those collected by the special one are subsequently burned.

Treatment methods for acarapidosis may be different, but one condition applies to all variations of apiary treatment - the uterus will have to be replaced. 80% of individuals, after leaving the hive in the spring, will not return back, while the queen does not leave the apiary. She can pass the tick to her offspring and thereby renew the epidemic.

Prevention measures

Treatment of acarapidosis is a long process and is not always successful. Therefore, it is important to make every effort to prevent the apiary from being affected by this disease.

Prevention of this dangerous disease involves following a few simple rules:

1. It is recommended to install the apiary in open sunny areas. Hives should not be located in lowlands where moisture accumulates and dampness appears.
2. Layers and queens must be purchased exclusively from nurseries that can provide a guarantee that their bees are not sick with acarapidosis.
3. If there have already been outbreaks of acarapidosis in the region, it would be useful to treat bee colonies with any of the pharmaceutical drugs every spring.
4. If at least one family is infected with acarapidosis, it is necessary to treat all the others, even if they do not show symptoms of the disease.
5. After disinfecting the honeycombs and hive of an infected family, it is necessary to wait 10-15 days. Only then can you use them again.

You can learn more about how to strengthen the immunity of bees in the apiary from the video below:

Conclusion

Acarapidosis of bees can, under certain conditions, mow down entire colonies and quickly spread to others. This is one of the most dangerous bee diseases, difficult to treat.In the initial stages, it is not so difficult to defeat the disease, but in most cases, the infection is discovered too late, when all that remains is to destroy the sick bee colonies. That is why it is so important to carry out preventive measures from time to time to reduce the risk of contracting acarapidosis to a minimum.

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