The health of the bees allows us to guarantee not only a large amount of high-quality honey, but also peace of mind for the beekeeper himself. To successfully breed little workers, the beekeeper must be aware of the diseases that these insects may have and how to combat them.
Signs of disease
The health of a bee colony can be determined through regular inspection. The main signals indicating the presence of diseases include the following signs:
- Bloated abdomen.
- Knocking bees into heaps.
- Presence of discarded brood near the hives.
- Manifestation of aggression.
- Holes on bellies.
- Inverted wings.
- Shortening the life of bees.
These signs give every reason to contact a veterinarian and perform laboratory diagnostics, which can provide more accurate data.
Bee diseases
There are several types of bee diseases. Diseases can be either contagious or non-contagious. The latter appear in insects due to violations of maintenance technologies and cannot be transmitted from one bee to another.
Infectious diseases of bees can be infectious and invasive. The occurrence of infectious diseases is influenced by microorganisms of plant origin, and the appearance of invasive diseases is influenced by organisms of animal origin.
The most common bee diseases are:
- Chemical toxicosis. This non-contagious disease occurs due to poisoning from plant fertilizers. With this disease, bees become aggressive, weaken and may die in the hive. As a remedy, bees need to replace combs with honey with combs with sugar syrup.
- Septicemia. This disease is infectious. The occurrence of this disease is influenced by the high level of humidity in the winter hut. The bees become restless, quickly weaken and die. Many bees have a swollen abdomen. If signs of diseased insects are detected, they should be moved to a dry, insulated hive.
- Varroatosis. This disease is classified as invasive. Its causative agent is a tick. Bees begin to experience severe anxiety, disturbances in the development of their larvae are detected, and the life cycle of insects is shortened. This disease must be treated with medications prescribed by a veterinarian.
Bees are susceptible to various diseases. However, speed of reaction and proper treatment can help the beekeeper maintain the health of the bee colony.
