Nosema ceranae
The “Nosema Twins” – Part 1
© Randy Oliver It appears that a new bully has moved into town, and we didn’t even realize it! Maybe now we can explain some of the nasty things that have been going on. As of a few months ago, I knew diddly squat about nosema. Sure, I bought Fumidil-B some twenty years ago when...
Nosema Ceranae: Kiss of Death or Much Ado about Nothing?
Nosema Ceranae: Kiss of Death or Much Ado about Nothing? Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com First Published in ABJ in Aug. 2009 Once again I’m interrupting a series of articles to update beekeepers on breaking news that has practical applications in bee management. This time the information is about Nosema ceranae, and I felt that the readers...
The Suck-a-Bee
The Suck-a-Bee Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com First Published in ABJ in Aug. 2008 This sleek sucker makes nosema sampling a breeze! And you can build it yourself for about $40. Randy Oliver [ ** Suck-a-Bee update: Dirt Devil makes a nearly identical, but more expensive, vac that operates with a 15v battery and has greater...
A Test of The Drench Method for Nosema
A Test of the “Drench” Method of Nosema Treatment Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com First Published in ABJ in Oct. 2008 In previous articles in this journal, I’ve summarized what we know about Nosema ceranae, its pathogenicity, detection, and treatment. I wondered whether N. ceranae would prove to be as virulent in North America as it appeared...
Nosema Ceranae: Additional Reports and Ramblings
Nosema Ceranae: Additional Reports and Ramblings Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com First Published in ABJ in Oct. 2008 Allow me to swap hats, and now speak to you as a beekeeper. As I was writing this article, I was asked similar questions by a number of beekeepers. Here they are, with answers to the best of my...
Nosema Ceranae—Not Your Father’s Nosema!
Nosema Ceranae—Not Your Father’s Nosema! Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com First published in Bee Culture Published in ABJ in Jan. 2009 Most beekeepers are aware that a new form of nosema has established itself in North America (and throughout the world). Amazingly, Nosema ceranae was able to spread worldwide without anyone even noticing until recently—it has been...
Field of View Count Correlation
Field of View Count Correlation Report to the California State Beekeepers Association by Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com First Published inABJ in Oct. 2008 Determination of “spore count” Nosema infection level is reported in a standardized “spore count” of “average number of spores per bee,” generally given in millions (1 million = 1 x 106). The...
Field Trial of Several Nosema Treatments
Field Trial of Several Nosema Treatments Progress Report by Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com First Published in ABJ in Oct. 2008 2023 Update There are several products on the market claiming to reduce nosema loads and improve colony health and performance. A recent compilation of lab and field studies has been published: Evaluating the Efficacy of Common...
The “Nosema Twins” Part 1
The “Nosema Twins” Part 1 Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com First Published in ABJ in December 2007 Nosema ceranae update The debate continues as to how deadly N. ceranae is. I’ve been corresponding with Antonio Pajuelo (CONSULTORES APÍCOLAS (Broken Link!) http://www.pajuelo.info/). He notes that in Spain there are citations of collapses of colonies in autumn and winter...
The “Nosema Twins” – Part 2 Detection & Microscopy
The “Nosema Twins” – Part 2 Detection & Microscopy © Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com First Published in ABJ in Jan. 2008 Last fall, getting wind of Nosema ceranae, I carefully collected a few bees from a dozen or so hives from each yard, and sent the whole pooled sample of 500 bees off to a lab...
The “Nosema Twins” – Part 3 Sampling
The “Nosema Twins” Part 3 –Sampling © Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com First Published in ABJ in Feb. 2008 My previous articles about Nosema ceranae may have grabbed your attention. Let me be clear that I’m not trying to be alarmist—not all operations have problems with nosema. In fact, I’ve got some colonies doing poorly despite having...
The “Nosema Twins” – Part 4 Treatment
The “Nosema Twins” Part 4 Treatment © Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com First Published in ABJ in March 2008 Beekeepers had a hard enough time dealing with Nosema apis. What can we do about N. ceranae? Unfortunately, we are currently not very far up the learning curve. The best we can do is to take what we...
The “Nosema Twins” : Part 5- Alternative Treatments
The “Nosema Twins” Part 5 Alternative Treatments and Prevention © Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com First Published in ABJ in April 2008 Update: see https://scientificbeekeeping.com/field-trial-of-several-nosema-treatments/ The more I learn about CCD and other colony maladies, the more I am impressed by the fact that honey bees are currently dealing with a complex of novel parasites, pathogens, vectors,...
Sick Bees – Part 13: Simple Microscopy of Nosema for Beekeepers
CONTENTS Equipment Needed Taking Bee Samples Processing the Samples Bringing the Spores into Focus Spore Identification Counting the Spores Care and Feeding of your Microscope Coming Up Sick Bees – Part 13: Simple Microscopy of Nosema for Beekeepers Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com First published in ABJ November 2011–this article extensively revised in March 2019. It...
Sick Bees – Part 14: An Update on the “Nosema Cousins”
CONTENTS Worldwide Status and Distribution Ceranae vs. apis Coinfection Seasonality Sample Interpretation What if You’re Dealing with N. apis? Seasonality Recommendations Acknowledgements References Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com In my last article, I described how to quickly sample for nosema. So what do the spore counts actually mean as far as colony health is concerned? I wrote...
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