Subject area U - V

Umlarvae: To breed queen bees, the beekeeper converts young larvae from the brood larvae into artificial queen cells or queen cells. The nurse bees then feed the larvae like queens. Since the genome of the larvae is identical, their position in the brood or queen cells alone decides how they are raised by the workers. In this way, any number of queens can be raised.

Umweisieren: If the beekeeper exchanges the queen, it is called Umweiseln. If this exchange is carried out by the bee colony itself, one speaks of a silent transfer.

Moving a beehive: There is a simple rule for moving a beehive:

"You should move the beehive less than 5 meters or more than 5 kilometers."

The reason for this is also simple: bees get to know their new environment very well. If you move the beehive more than 5 meters, the bees will fly back to their old place, but will no longer find the beehive there and will eventually die.

However, if you move the beehive more than 5 kilometers, the bees will no longer perceive their surroundings as normal. You will get used to the new location, there is little chance that the bees will return to the old position of the beehive.

This is how the beehive is moved: The best time to move a beehive is winter because then the bees do not fly out. However, if necessary, you can move the beehive during the flying season. Here are some rules for moving:

Wait until dusk when all the bees of the colony are back in the beehive. Block the entrance with the entrance blocker. Make sure the lid and covers are secured. Move the beehive to the new location - less than 5 meters or less more than 5 kilometers, once the beehive is in the new location, wait 15 minutes for the bees to calm down, then open the entrance; stuff some grass into the entrance to slow down the bees' escape. This will help them notice that the position has changed. The grass will wither over time and will fall off the entrance.

Varroa mite: native to Asia. In 1977 she was introduced to Europe. The disease caused by the varroa mite, varroosis, is one of the typical brood diseases in bees. The mite sucks the body fluid out of the bee, thereby depriving it of important nutrients. The result: a high number of crippled bees and dead larvae. Varroa is a parasitic disease of the bee colony. Adult bees and brood are attacked at the same time. The disease is caused by the external mite Varroa destructor, which was discovered in 1904 as a parasite of the Indian bee "Apis cerana". It was introduced to Germany by the Oberursel Bee Institute. In 1977/78 hundreds of bee colonies in the vicinity of the institute in the Taunus district were infected.

Das Milbenweibchen ist 1,2 mm lang und 1,6 mm breit und hat einen nach außen gewölbten Körper. Die Farbe bei jungen Milben ist hellbraun und wird später dunkler. Die Körperoberfläche der Milbe ist mit einer großen Anzahl Borsten und feinen Härchen besetzt. Die vier Beinpaare sind kurz und kräftig und am Ende mit Saugnäpfen versehen. So können sie sich fest am Bienenkörper anheften. Die Milben halten sich meist an der Bauchseite des Hinterleibes auf den Bienen auf. Die vorderen Laufbeine tragen Geruchsorgane und Tasthaare. Mit den stechenden und saugenden Mundwerkzeugen werden die dünnwandigen Körperteile der Biene und Maden durchschnitten, um Blutflüssigkeit (Hämolymphe) aufzunehmen. Das Varroa-Männchen ist wesentlich kleiner als das Weibchen. Es ist 0,85 mm lang und 0,8 mm breit. Sein Körper ist rund und von gelblicher bis grauer Farbe. Die Männchen nehmen keine Nahrung auf, ihre Mundwerkzeuge sind nur zum Transport der Spermien umgebildet. Die Varroa-Männchen sind nicht auf den Bienen zu finden, sie leben nur kurze Zeit in den befallenen Brutzellen! 

Shortly before the bee brood is capped (maggot age 5 ½ days), the adult female mite enters the cell; drone brood is preferred. The mite slips under the bee maggots and settles in the fodder juice. It is assumed that it is a protective reaction of the mite against the brood-caring bees. It goes into a resting phase that ends when the cell is covered. After the bees have covered the cell and the maggot begins to spin in, the mite moves between the cocoon and the cell wall. Only now does the mite prick the spider maggot in order to take in food. The ovarian activity is stimulated by the absorption of blood (hemolymph). In this way, the mite synchronizes its reproduction with the development of the bee. The mite lays its first egg around 70 hours after being covered. The first egg is always male because it takes longer to develop to sexual maturity than female mites. This is followed by 4 -5 female eggs every 30 hours. After hatching, they go through nymph stages and repeatedly ingest hemolymph from the bee pupa developing in the brood cell. The mating of the mites takes place in the sealed brood cell. After copulation, the male Varroa mite dies. With the hatching young bee, the mother mite and the already mated daughter mites leave the brood cell. Males cannot survive outside the brood cell!

How does the Cerana (Asian bee) live together with the Varroa mite?

The mite only reproduces in the drone brood. During brood care, the nurse bees search the cells. If a mite is found, it will be bitten into. The drone cell is covered with wax and has a small hole in the center. If the maggot is too infested, the bees close the hole so that the larva and mites die. If a bee notices a mite on its body, it calls other bees. These feel the body with their feelers until the mite is found and bite it. If the varroa burden is too great, the colony leaves the prey.

Varroosis: If a colony of bees is infested with the Varroa mite, it is called varroosis. The beekeeper combats them by removing the drones from the bee colony. Your brood is particularly badly infested by the Varroa mite. For some years now, the use of formic acid has also been approved to combat varroosis. However, the treatment with formic acid should only take place after the last honey harvest. Then the beehive is steamed twice about a week apart with the acid that kills the mites.

Control: treatment against varroosis

Perform control:

Varroa slider or diaper among the people, counting fallen mites.

Until mid-July: Less than 5 mites per day; no immediate danger to the peoples. With 10 or more mites per day; Volk should be treated soon. More than 30 mites a day; the people can no longer be saved.

Oktober / November: Mehr als 1 Milbe pro Tag; Nachbehandlung im Winter bei brutfreien Zustand der Völker.

Qxalic acid (clover acid) is one of the most common vegetable acids. It is a water-soluble organic carboxylic acid. The best-known oxalic acid carriers are rhubarb, spinach, beetroot and celery. Oxalic acid is also found in Swiss chard, sorrel, sorrel, kale, leek, in many roots and plant bark, chocolate and cocoa beans.

Application Per colony, depending on colony strength, 30 to 50 ml of a 3.5% oxalic acid dihydrate (oxalic acid solution made from water, sugar and oxalic acid) are instilled into the honeycomb alleys with the help of a dosing device (e.g. syringe). The dosage is 2 ml per honeycomb lane, this corresponds

- 30 ml for a small colony (less than one box) - 50 ml for a strong colony (more than one box). The treatment with oxalic acid is carried out once in late autumn. The outside temperature should be below 0 ° C when dripping, the bees sit tightly in the winter grape. There must be no brood.

Warnings When working with oxalic acid, wear acid-resistant gloves and protective goggles.

Formic acid (methanoic acid) is a colorless, clear liquid with a pungent odor. Due to its strong polarity, the acid can be easily dissolved in water. It is a strong carboxylic acid and can dissolve base metals such as iron, zinc and magnesium, producing hydrogen and the corresponding salts, the formates. At high temperatures, in the presence of a catalyst, it breaks down to carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Formic acid is contained in many animal and plant organisms as a poisonous secretion (sodium formates in nettles and formic acid in ants)

Application Short-term treatments with the sponge cloth

After the last spin, at outside temperatures above 12 ° C. apply in the evening. (Do not treat in rain or high humidity) Treatment from above. Place a piece of foil on the frame top carrier (so that the AS does not drip through and the cloth is not firmly built up), place the sponge cloth on top. Apply formic acid (60%) with a syringe. Dosage: 2 ml formic acid per honeycomb occupied by bees, 1 time before feeding, 2 times after feeding, interval between treatments 5 days, the sponge cloth must be dry.

In the event of severe infestation (mite control), treatment should be carried out at the end of September / beginning of October. (Segeberger mode of operation) Formic acid is corrosive! Wear acid-proof gloves, protective goggles and a respirator during preparation and treatment! Wash off acid splashes with water immediately. Label containers.

Valve funnel: The valve funnel is part of the honey bladder. It delivers filtered fluid to the mid-bowel, where digestion takes place. The valve funnel also provides the liquid portions that the bees exchange with each other in the social exchange of food.

Verdauungstrakt: Der Verdauungstrakt der Honigbiene besteht aus Vorderdarm, Mitteldarm und Enddarm. Hier wird die aufgenommene Nahrung zuerst aufgeschlossen, also für den Körper zugänglich gemacht, und dann absorbiert. Die Honigblase spielt dabei eine besondere Rolle. Sie ist beim Vorderdarm angesiedelt. In ihr transportiert die Biene Flüssigkeiten wie Wasser, Nektar oder Honigtau. Ein Druck auf die Honigblase ermöglicht die Weitergabe des Inhalts an andere Bienen.

Behavior: The typical behavior of a bee colony includes the social exchange of food (see also "social food exchange" and "trophallaxis"), but also the exchange of pheromones. The bees use pheromones to mark unwanted attackers, as well as the fore and the hive. Alarm pheromones are issued in the event of a defense and lead to an increased aggressiveness among the bees.

Reproduction: When the size of the people reaches its peak and mass costumes provide sufficient food, the time has come for reproduction. The new queens grow up in the months of May and June or July. The old queens leave the hive with their swarm. The bee colony divides and multiplies.

Reinforce: Bee colonies are reinforced by adding bee material. Furthermore, this can influence the age composition in the beehive. Reinforcement is achieved: by adjusting (flying bees), by turning away (stick bees), by hanging around (brood combs with or without attached bees)

Unite: If two complete peoples are brought together, one speaks of a union. Often, offshoots are used to unite. For this purpose, a queen is removed as a preparatory measure.

Vitamins: There are few vitamins in honey. Only vitamins B1, B2, B6, C and K can be detected here. In addition, honey also contains niacin and pantothenic acid, a vitamin from the B complex that is important for metabolism.

Viruses: small, disease-causing particles. They essentially consist of genetic information (DNA or RNA) and packaging made of proteins. The packaging protects the genetic information and enables host cells to be recognized, docked and merged with the host cell (infection) so that the genetic information can get inside. Many new viruses are then produced in the host cells. Without a host cell, viruses have no way of performing their vital functions or of reproducing; they are parasites of living organisms.

Colony management: The beekeeper not only has to regularly observe and control his colony, but also reduce its size by creating offshoots and artificial swarms, if necessary, and winterize the hive in late summer. Protecting the beehive from prey is also one of the important tasks of a beekeeper.

People's control: The beekeeper has numerous possibilities to influence his bee population. As a rule, the intervention is preceded by a popular control and then appropriate measures are initiated.

Vorgabe eine Wabenansatzes: Die Bienen erhalten lediglich einen Ansatzpunkt für den Waben Bau, der die horizontale Richtung des Wabenwerks beeinflusst. Anwendung findet dies in Kombination mit einer Mittelwand- oder Wabengabe bei der biotechnischen Varroabekämpfung mit sogenannten Drohnenrähmchen.

Colon: A honey bee colony usually consists of up to 40,000 bees, almost all of which are female. Drones are only used in the summer months. The bee colony or bees form a unit. Some compare it to a living organism. Each cog engages the other. The division of labor among the bees ensures that all tasks are carried out: for example, looking after the brood, collecting food, processing it into honey and building food supplies. The most important instrument for this is functioning communication.

Colony strength: The honey bee is the only European bee species that overwinters as a colony. The colonies of all other bees and wasps collapse in autumn. In these species, only the young queens overwinter. The only insects other than honey bees that hibernate in our latitudes as a state are ants. Hibernating as a colony gives the honeybees a major developmental advantage over the competition on the flowers in spring. As soon as the first warm days come, the honeybee can start feeding in nectar and pollen at colony strength. If a colony with around 6,000 to 10,000 workers has overwintered, around half will fly out as forage bees.

In the course of spring and early summer, the honey bee colony grows very quickly to around 45,000 with less than 60,000 animals. This means that on good foraging days a colony can send out around 30,000 flying bees to bring in nectar and pollen. Estimates are difficult, but once assumed: a forager bee flies out 10 times a day and visits around 100 flowers on each flight. Then a bee pollinates 1,000 flowers a day. According to this, a colony can pollinate 30 million flowers on an ideal day