Alternative Varroa Treatment?
There is no such thing as optimal and sustainable varroa control. Every known method creates a side effect one way or another. We therefore recommend diversifying both beekeeping and varroa treatment.
The bee is a being that we cannot grasp with our current possibilities. We can therefore not calculate it or make it a pet / farm animal. Nor can we force him to do anything we like. Recipes and concepts are logical, human-made compositions and methods. The bee is not human. The question about the concept of varroa without treatment arises again and again. According to a concept that has been tried and tested and scientifically confirmed. This varroa concept will not exist, but it is possible to offer the bees an environment, housing and care that does not harm them. In such an environment, the balance between bees and mites is also created. With some peoples it goes faster, others take longer, or don't make it. This is nature. These are natural processes. For this, the beekeeper needs a feeling, tolerance and a willingness to observe. An old beekeeping saying goes: "You are born as a beekeeper." "Norbert Dorn"
Varroa treatment based on essential oils for natural beekeeping. The swarm instinct serves as the basis and thymol as a treatment agent during the breeding break: Alternative Varroa control concept
"Anything that prevents the varroa mite only delays the desired balance between host and parasite," says Dr. David Heaf, a dedicated beekeeper from England. As various scientific studies show, the western honey bee is quite able to live in equilibrium with the varroa mite.
In addition, the treatments are lacking because of the necessary pressure on the bees to adapt to the mites.
In our opinion, the parasite (varroa mite) would pursue an absurd strategy if it could pose a serious threat to its host (bee). The mite would eliminate itself.
The scientific evidence suggests that Varroa is neither an external problem nor a cause of bee deaths. The Varroa problem is homemade! Under certain circumstances, we are breeding a kind of super-Varroa in the current beekeeping with our current Varroa control strategy, which does not exist in nature, as studies by Prof. Dr. Show TD Seeley from the Arnot Forest (USA).
In addition, we weaken the bee colonies with the current "bee medicines" such as synthetic pesticides, formic and oxalic acid and also with thymol. The organic acids, which may also be used in organic honey beekeeping, are harmless for human consumption of honey, but they represent severe acid attacks on the beehive.
Unter anderem berichtet die Wissenschaft von biologischem Zelltod an der Bienenbrut. Und was das Kind vernichtet, dürfte auch die Eltern und insbesondere die mehrere Jahre lebende Königin schädigen oder zumindest schwächen.
Completely untreated colonies are important for the honeybees' ability to adapt to current conditions. According to several experiments, some with a scientific background, untreated colonies have a chance of survival of around 30%! It is therefore not true that an untreated people are doomed to die, as one hears again and again.
The derivation of these very roughly summarized statements can be taken from the concept of contemporary and targeted beekeeping methods in full execution and scientific background.
In our opinion, it is not the strongest races that survive, but those that are best adapted to their environment. Especially if we assume that since the last ice age, north of the Alps, no honey bees have naturally brooded through the winter.
The climate here does not allow our bees to breed through. It assumes that fresh pollen is permanently available in order to breed healthy offspring. By nature, only those colonies survive here that stop the breeding business when there is no longer any forage (pollen and nectar) available in sufficient quantities. This means breeding stop by September at the latest. Then the winter bees are in the hive and since the mites gradually run out of hiding places due to a lack of brood, they become easy prey for the bees outside the brood and land with bite injuries on the diaper.
Wenn der Imker die im Juli und August erbrüteten Jungbienen ständig mit Säuren vielfältiger Art abzuätzen versucht, dann sind das keine langlebigen Winterbienen mehr, sondern welche, die spätestens im Oktober zum Sterben abfliegen oder wegkrabbeln. Genau wie die Jungbienen, die auf gepanschtem bzw. vergiftetem Wachs erbrütet wurden. Allein diese Vorgehensweise sollte zum Nachdenken anregen.
Hinzu kommt die Ausbeutung. Auf natürlichem Wege gibt es keine Völker, die einen jährlichen Überschuss von 50 kg oder mehr erwirtschaftet hätten und sich dabei bester Gesundheit erfreuen. Wenn man 50 Kg Honig ernten möchte, dann kalkuliert man eben mit 5 Völkern, denen man jeweils 10 Kg/Jahr "abknöpft" und nicht nur mit einem Volk, das damit in allen Belangen massiv überfordert ist. Der so produzierte Honig dürfte qualitativ auch deutlich hochwertiger sein, weil die enzymatischen Vorgänge abgeschlossen sind, die den Honig haltbar machen. Vielleicht können wir daraus lernen.
Bee researcher Thomas D. Seeley calls for more swarms of bees
Many beekeepers have not seen a swarm of bees for years because they use various methods to prevent them from swarming.
"Preventing the natural swarming instinct is an unnatural intervention that leads to consequential damage," explains bee researcher Thomas D. Seeley in an interview. Comment or share this article: by Jürg Vollmer
Im Frühsommer schwärmen sie wieder, wenn man sie lässt. Zehntausend Bienen verlassen um die Mittagszeit zusammen mit der alten Königin die Bienenbeute. Einen Steinwurf entfernt sammeln sie sich als Schwarmtraube zum Beispiel auf einem Ast und warten, bis die Kundschafterbienen ein neues Nest gefunden haben.
"The swarm of bees is a fascinating phenomenon and it keeps the bee colony healthy," explains the renowned American bee researcher Thomas D. Seeley in an interview with the bee podcast by Swiss journalist Jürg Vollmer. Seeley is the author of the bestseller «Bee Democracy».
«Swarms reduce the Varroa!» (Bee researcher Thomas D. Seeley)
"These measures to prevent the swarming drive are unnatural interventions," explains the American bee researcher Thomas D. Seeley: "If the beekeeper prevents swarming, this leads to direct consequential damage!" Swarm prevention is only good for beekeepers, but not for bees. In his experiments he found that after the swarm, the varroa mites in the mother colony are markedly reduced. "One of the reasons is certainly that around 60 percent of worker bees leave the mother colony with the swarm - and thus also 60 percent of the Varroa mites sitting on them."
But the number of Varroa mites is also significantly reduced in swarms because the swarm bees warm up to 35 degrees Celsius before they fly off. Only with warm muscles can they reach 250 wing beats per second, which generate the necessary lift. It is possible that the heat-sensitive Varroa mites in the beehive drop from the "heated" bees.
Seeley entdeckte noch einen anderen positiven Effekt: «Wenn der Schwarm ausgeflogen ist, muss im Muttervolk zuerst eine junge Königin schlüpfen und auf den Begattungsflug gehen. Bis diese Königin die ersten Brutwaben bestiftet hat, gibt es keine verdeckelte Brut, in welche die Varroamilben ihre Eier legen können. Auch dies reduziert die Varroa markant.»
Varroa-Bekämpfung mit einfachsten Mitteln: Bienenvölker weiter auseinander stellen
In an interview, the bee researcher reveals a suggestion for combating Varroa that initially amazes because it is so simple: "If the beekeepers were only ten to twenty meters apart, the Varroa could be effectively reduced," explains Thomas D. Seeley.
“We observed two groups of bee colonies without Varroa treatment. In the first group we put the beehives close together, in the second group each ten to twenty meters apart. In the densely packed group, the colonies died because the nearby neighbors were immediately infected with Varroa. In the loosely established group, the Varroa population remained below the critical limit and the colonies survived. "
“This simple trick is even more effective when the beehives are set up in different flight directions,” explains Seeley. In the densely populated colonies, 20 percent of the foragers end up in the wrong hive after each flight. In the evening, 82 percent of foragers sit in the wrong beehive - and bring in new Varroa mites. If the beehives are set up loosely and (!) Oriented in different flight directions, there is only four percent flyover according to Seeley. This comes very close to wild bee colonies that are at least 850 meters apart and therefore do not know any fly at all.
At the end of the interview, Thomas D. Seeley leans back and explains self-critically: “We are still at the very beginning in bee research. A lot of basic research is needed before we understand the bees. " And then Seeley laughs his dry laugh: "The crazy thing is that research on cows is 100 years ahead of us."
The bee parasite
With many means against the Varroa mite
Wissenschaftler der Universität Hohenheim bekämpfen die Varroa-Milbe mit deren eigenen Mitteln: mit Ölsäure wird das Paarungs-verhalten der männlichen Milben gestört.
Oleic acid is a component of the Varroa sex pheromone. The experts Peter Rosenkranz and Bettina Ziegelmann from the State Institute for Apiculture bring them into the bee brood cells. Here this scent confuses the newly hatched male mites ready to mate. The Varroa females are no longer all mated and produce fewer female offspring. As a result, this significantly reduces the increase in the Varroa population in the bee colony.
The two scientists are working on a simplification of the application method. Among other things, the fragrance is melted directly into the beeswax. This would make it easier to use this promising treatment method under practical beekeeping conditions.
A scorpion against the death of bees
The Hamburg biology teacher Torben Schiffer has rediscovered the book scorpion: It eats the Varroa mite, which afflicts bees. Chelifer cancroides kills up to nine mites in this way. Torben Schiffer has founded an association in order to gain experience with the five millimeter large pseudoscorpion all over the world.
Ameisensäure hilft zu 80 Prozent gegen die Varroa Milbe.
Für Bienenlarven bedeutet eine winzige braune Milbe den sicheren Tod
85 percent formic acid combats the Varroa mite, which is deadly for bees, without endangering the bees. "This enables us to achieve a treatment success of more than 80 percent," says Dr. Stefan Berg from the specialist center for bees in Veitshöchheim. "That is definitely an order of magnitude at which the peoples really have a chance of being able to survive with it."
Forscher in Berlin experimentieren mit Oxalsäure
An acid is said to protect bees from the mite
Bee researchers at the Free University of Berlin, on the other hand, are experimenting with oxalic acid. "This is the substance that will help us in the future to preserve the bee colonies with their great benefits for the general public," says biologist Eva Rademacher. Researchers led by Prof. Robin Moritz from the University of Halle-Wittenberg have discovered bees on Gotland that are resistant to infestation by the deadly Varroa mite.
The researchers suspect 95 percent of the resistance to three genes. "When we have the genes, we have a molecular, breeding tool that every beekeeper can use to check his colony to see whether these resistance genes are contained."
Electrostatic attraction against varroa mite
British scientists want to use small particles and electrostatic attraction not only to master the varroa mite, but also other insects. "If the outer shell of an insect is positively charged and there is something negatively charged nearby, then the two attract each other," explains entomologist Prof. Philip Howse from the University of Southampton. A negatively charged powder made from the finest wax particles sticks the entire insect body together. It consists of vegetable wax and a natural vegetable oil.
The honey bees carry the powder with the active ingredient throughout the burrow and distribute it there. The bees clean themselves quickly - the powder sticks to the mites. "We are introducing a natural product into the building that is often used as a flavor enhancer. It is completely non-toxic for humans or bees. But it is highly toxic for the Varroa mites."
Bee parasite:
Forscher entdecken Medikament gegen Varroa-Milbe
Lithium chloride promises breakthrough in the fight against dangerous bee parasites / Publication in the internationally renowned specialist journal “Scientific Report” PRESS PHOTOS at www.uni-hohenheim.de
Hope for beekeepers: For the first time, researchers at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart succeeded in developing a potential drug that can free infested beehives from the dreaded Varroa mite with little effort by feeding them. The Varroa mite is one of the most dangerous enemies of bees worldwide: it can completely exterminate a colony of bees within one to three years. Up to now, beekeepers have had to treat infected beehives with aggressive organic acids or chemically produced mite control agents, which cause resistance problems and residues.
The promising substance is readily available lithium chloride. After more than 25 years of research, a new active ingredient is now available for the first time in the global fight against the Varroa mite, which has a completely different effect than previous agents. Talks with companies are currently under way with the aim of product development and approval. The scientists published their first results in today's online edition of the journal "Scientific Report", www.nature.com / articles / s41598-017-19137-5.
An inexpensive, easy-to-use active ingredient against the dangerous mite, which, according to the current state of knowledge of the researchers, has no dangerous side effects for bees, beekeepers or consumers and occurs in abundance in nature: this is what the results of the research project promise. With lithium chloride, the research team has found an active ingredient for such a drug that is easy to obtain and administer. So far there are no signs of any deposits in honey either.
Dr. Peter Rosenkranz, Head of the State Institute for Apiculture, explains the advantages of the active ingredient: “Lithium chloride can be fed to bees dissolved in sugar water. In our experiments, even small amounts of the saline solution were sufficient to kill the mites on the bees within a few days - without any side effects for the bees. "
Auch die Verfügbarkeit spricht für den Wirkstoff: Die weltweiten Vorräte des Leichtmetalls Lithium
werden auf über 40 Millionen Tonnen geschätzt, als Lithiumchlorid-Salz findet es sich in Salzlaugen, Salzseen und Heilquellen, und das zum Teil in erstaunlich hoher Konzentration. Das 1/2 leicht in Wasser lösbare Salz wird unter anderem als Trocknungsmittel und Enteiserlösung verwendet. In der Humanmedizin kommt es seit Mitte des 20. Jahrhunderts als Antidepressivum zum Einsatz.
Before the active ingredient can come onto the market as a drug for bees, further tests are still necessary in order to determine the best dosage and to rule out side effects for bees and users as well as the risk of residues. We are currently in talks with companies that want to continue this development.
Discovered by accident Actually, the team around Dr. Rosenkranz pursues a much more complex approach: “Together with the biotechnology startup SiTOOLs Biotech, we tried to switch off specific genes using the RNA interference method, or RNAi method for short. This method received the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2006 and has been used worldwide to combat diseases since then. "
The idea: RNA fragments are fed to the bee and then ingested by the Varroa mite while sucking blood. In the mite, the fragments switch off the parasite's vital genes in a targeted manner. “These RNA fragments are harmless to the bees because they only interact with varroa-specific genes. In the case of the Varroa mite, however, central metabolic processes are disturbed and the mite is finally killed, ”says Dr. Rosary.
The approach shows success, but then the scientists noticed something strange: "In control experiments, we were able to kill the mites with unspecific RNA fragments that were not supposed to find a genetic target in either the bees or the mites," reports Dr Rosenkranz. "Something in our" gene mix "didn't get the mites, while the bees didn't get any harm."
It took almost two years until lithium chloride was found as the secret miracle weapon against the parasite. The researchers had used the chemical as an aid in isolating the RNA fragments that were used to turn off the genes in the bee's body - a momentous discovery because the RNAi method would work but would be expensive and time-consuming. "Lithium chloride, on the other hand, is easy to manufacture, relatively inexpensive, and easy to store."
Mittelwände gefährden Bienenpopulationen
[Eine Mittelwand ist eine gewalzte oder gegossene Platte aus Bienenwachs]
The video below indicates that artificial wax center walls are naturally used in frames. Instead of letting the bee build its own walls completely by itself, namely with its own wax. Because this consumes energy or honey.
This video shows what happens when people 'optimize' the middle walls even further - of course according to their personal, economic benefit. So with wax, which is no longer 100% beeswax for cost reasons. Result: the bees cannot use this artificially modified wax properly and get sick.
So there is an outcry around the world, there is talk of the wax scandal. Although the demand for pure wax is absolutely correct, the question must be asked whether a more fundamental rethinking is not required.
But there are also other factors that speak against the use of wax center walls. For example, artificial honeycombs only ever specify a certain size for the cells. In Germany this is usually 5.4 mm. Bees should also be allowed to build smaller or larger regardless of the given cell size. A natural honeycomb made by bees themselves has cells of different sizes. The size of the cells from the artificial middle walls is too small as a brood cell for drones. Avoiding drone brood, however, leads to the decimation of genetic diversity. And thus restricts the bee's right to decide for itself which genes should reproduce.
Either way, there is always a risk of contamination and the like, as long as people prevent natural honeycomb construction with artificial dividing walls. Precisely because they are of the opinion that it is more worthwhile. In this way, a huge wax cycle arises with innumerable participants and thus also weak points and manipulation possibilities. Does it make sense to always trust that laws can always be adapted so effectively that loopholes in favor of the economic interests of individuals do not arise in the first place and harm others?
That is why we do not always need new laws, but a fundamental rethink in favor of the bees. A rethink based on voluntariness. And this voluntariness would simply be the logical consequence of the insight that in the long term humans also benefit from giving the bees back their freedom to behave naturally.
https://www.swr.de