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The European honey bee, also known as the honey fly (Apis mellifera), is a domesticated honey bee species native to Europe. It is considered semi-domesticated. It is one of the bee species bred on a large scale for honey production.

Chalkbrood is a fungal disease that affects worker and drone brood. Contamination by spores occurs through larval feeding. The fungus germinates in the larval gut and spreads throughout the body in the form of filaments. The disease occurs mainly in weak colonies; it is promoted by sharp drops in temperature and high humidity. It may affect individual colonies or, under unfavourable weather conditions (cold, humidity), entire apiaries in the form of an epidemic. A site that is regularly and heavily affected by chalkbrood is considered unsuitable; hives should therefore be relocated to a sunnier location. Severe infestation can kill colonies.

By adjusting the volume of the brood chamber to the size of the colony—by reducing and enlarging it—an optimal hive volume is created for the bee colony. This allows the bees to regulate temperature more easily and to care for the brood more effectively.

Introducing a queen is not always straightforward. It is therefore worthwhile to plan this action carefully in order to successfully introduce queens that have been reared with great care and attention. Both the health status of the young queen and that of the colony play a decisive role in the success or failure of the operation. The bees inspect the young queen very closely. If she has any defect, for example a deformed or missing leg, or if she is insufficiently mated, the colony will reject her. In most cases, the bees allow the undesirable queen to lay eggs for a short period, but then build queen cells to rear a queen without defects.

The creation of an artificial swarm involves certain mechanisms that are essential for bee health and, above all, reduce varroa infestation. At least 1 kg of bees is taken from a colony together with the queen. The parent colony raises queen cells from its brood, or a reared queen cell is introduced. As a result, both colonies are broodless and can be treated effectively against varroa.

For a colony, winter is a critical season. To survive it successfully, healthy bees, strong colonies, and sufficient food reserves for several months are required. The beekeeper therefore takes the necessary measures for successful overwintering of the bees early in the year.

By repeatedly removing drone brood (on average three times), varroa infestation can be reduced by about half. This simple method makes it possible, without adding any products, to reduce the number of varroa mites in the hive without any impact on colony development or honey harvest.

 
Often, during the first removal, there are very few varroa mites present. Even if only 1 cell out of 50 is infested with a varroa mite, this already corresponds to a total of 50 varroa mites eliminated by cutting out a Bürki frame. It should be noted that 50 varroa mites in April can result in more than 400 by July.

This method can be repeated as often as desired without harming the bees. Within approximately 15 minutes, the level of varroa infestation of a colony can be determined.

Diarrhoea in bees is most often caused by Nosema or dysentery. Nosema is a fungal disease that can be caused by two different pathogens: Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae. Transmission occurs in the form of spores via food, water, and contaminated surfaces. The fungus germinates in the midgut and subsequently multiplies in the intestinal cells. New spores are transmitted through the excreta. In this factsheet, only diarrhoea resulting from Nosema apis is addressed and discussed. The disease is strongly season-dependent and occurs mainly in spring. The pathogen can be detected within the colony throughout the year even in the absence of clinical symptoms.

The wax moth is not considered a disease. In nature, wax moths play an important role by destroying old, abandoned combs, which are potential sources of pathogens. Attracted by odours, wax moth adults enter hives and lay their eggs there. The resulting larvae feed on pollen residues and on cocoon remnants that remain at the bottom of the cells.

Colonies often become queenless during winter or after swarming, when the new queen is lost during the mating flight. Queen losses may also occur following a formic acid treatment or due to inattention on the part of the beekeeper.