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Bee Nutrition and Bee Health

Presented By EAS Master Beekeeper

CAROL HOFFMAN Essential Honey Bees LLC

Ceresco, Michigan essential_honey_bees@earthlink.net

Phone: (248) 385 - 3248

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Autobiography - BackgroundWho am I and Why am I here ?

Three (3) years experience testing microbials (bacteria, enzymes and yeast)

Genuinely passionate about honeybee microbials

I’m here to share my experience and data with bacteria inoculation

Direct Fed Microbials - DFM

I’m not here to prove anything !

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Agenda I• First (1) we shall discuss what Microbials

are and where they come from • Second (2) we will investigate both

pathogens and the beneficial bacteria found in the hive

• Third (3), we will explore the relationship that honeybee health has with bee diseases

• Fourth (4) Share information about treatments and their effect on honeybee beneficial Microbials

Agenda II

• Discuss honeybee nutrition requirements • List hive inputs from the foraging activity • Explore supplemental nutrition options • Define some of the microbial activity in the hive • Explore supplemental treatments that

impact the Microbials • Look at the impact that Microbials have on

honeybee health

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Types Of Microbials

Microbes can be divided into six main types: Archaea, Bacteria, Fungi, Protista, Viruses, and Microbial Mergers.

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Bacteria IBacteria (one of them is a bacterium) are very small organisms.

Bacterial cells do not have a nucleus, and most have no organelles (small parts) with membranes around them. However, they do have DNA, and their biochemistry is the same as other living things.

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Bacteria II• There are probably more individual

bacteria than any other sort of organism on the planet

• Most bacteria live in the ground or in water, but many live inside or on the skin of other organisms, including Honeybees

• Some bacteria can cause diseases, but others help us in everyday activities like digesting food (gut flora)

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Bacteria III

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Bacteria IV• Bacteria enters into the hive from forager

bees • Both good and bad bacteria are found in

collected nectar, pollen and water • Other sources of bacteria are robber bees visiting bee hives that are full of pathogens • Bacteria dormant spores are very resilient

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Fungi – YEAST I• Yeasts are unicellular fungi

• Yeasts are very common in the environment, and are often isolated from sugar-rich materials.

• Examples include naturally occurring yeasts on the skins of fruits and berries

• Yeasts are also present in the gut flora of mammals and some insects

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Fungi – YEAST II

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Chalkbrood I• Chalkbrood, a disease that can kill

honeybee larvae, is caused by a fungus, Ascophaera apis. It occurs worldwide, but is most serious in some warmer climates.

• Chalkbrood kills larvae which then shrink and dry to form a white or grey-black chalk-like mummy.

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Chalkbrood II

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Chalkbrood III

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Chalkbrood IV

• Larvae are most susceptible to infection at 3-4 days of age and infected larvae die within 2 days of cell capping.

• Chalkbrood spores are often transferred in contaminated pollen or by drifting or robbing bees from contaminated hives.

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European foulbrood I• (EFB) European foulbrood disease is

characterized by dead and dying larvae which can appear curled upwards, red, brown or yellow, melted, and/or dried out and rubbery

• The causative bacteria, Melissococcus plutonius is ingested by honey bee larvae after which the bacterium competes for food inside the larvae.

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European foulbrood II

• European foulbrood should not be confused with American foulbrood (AFB), which is caused by a different bacteria that produces different symptoms and control requirements

• More problematic in situations where forage nectar is sporadic, or other situations that result in fewer nurse bees in colonies to feed larvae.

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European foulbrood III

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American foulbrood I

• American foulbrood - AFB caused by the spore- forming Paenibacillus larvae ssp. larvae (formerly classified as Bacillus larvae), is the most widespread and destructive of the bee brood diseases.

• Foulbrood also has a characteristic odor, and experienced beekeepers with a good sense of smell can often detect the disease upon opening a hive or even entering the bee yard!

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American foulbrood II• American foulbrood spores are extremely

resistant to desiccation and can remain viable for more than 40 years in honey and beekeeping equipment

• Chemical treatment is sometimes used prophylactically, but this is a source of considerable controversy because certain strains of the bacterium seem to be rapidly developing antibiotic resistance

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American foulbrood III

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American foulbrood IV• Hives that are contaminated with millions of

American foulbrood spores have to be prophylactically treated indefinitely

• Once the treatment is suspended the American foulbrood spores germinate successfully again leading to a disease outbreak

• Terramycin (oxytetracycline) is not working

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American foulbrood V

American foulbrood - inspection time American foulbrood - we found it!

American foulbrood - microbial battle

• We removed infected combs

• We applied Lactobacillus spp Bacteria to the hives every week for several weeks

• We did not apply antibiotics

• The bacteria abated the AFB

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American foulbrood - and Probiotic

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Beneficial (GOOD) Bacteria ILactic Acid Bacteria – LAB

• Lactobacillus spp Bifidobacterium spp

Alpha 2.2 (Acetobacteraceae) 4 antimicrobial peptides in bees:

Defensin Apidaecin

Hymenoptaecin Abaecin

Lactobacillus + Bifidobacterium increase abaecin 28-fold in 48 hours Reference: Evans JD, Lopez DI, Journal of Economic Entomology, 2004

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Beneficial (GOOD) Bacteria II

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Beneficial Bacteria III• Microbes Work for Honey Bees, other

fungi, yeasts, bacteria, and molds help to produce important enzymes, vitamins, antimicrobial and other essential substances.

• Lactic acid bacteria from the honey stomach are the first step in preparing both pollen (by fermentation and pH) and nectar (protecting against fermenting).

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Bee Health I• Honey bees, Apis mellifera, face many

parasites and pathogens and consequently rely on a diverse set of individual and group-level defenses to prevent disease

• One route by which honey bees and other insects combat disease is through the shielding effects of their microbial community (symbionts)

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Bee Health II• The novel mechanism for recently

described social components behind disease resistance in honeybee colonies, and this points us toward a potential control strategy for important bee diseases - Microbial inoculation !

• Honey bee bacterial symbionts have clear bacteriostatic effects against the most virulent and widespread honey bee pathogen, the gram-positive bacterium Paenibacillus larvae larvae 34

Treatments I• Nosema – Nosema apis / ceranae is a

microsporidian, a small, unicellular parasite recently reclassified as a fungus that mainly affects honey bees

• The spores are sensitive to chemicals such as acetic acid – Anhydrous Vinegar

• Fumagillin is a complex biomolecule and is used as an antimicrobial agent

• It was originally used against microsporidial parasites Nosema apis infections in honey bees

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Treatments II

Nosema

Treatments III

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Treatments IV• Fumagillin treatments significantly reduce the

beneficial bacteria found in the Honeybee

• A Ten 10 fold drop in Good Bacteria is evident

• Secondary infections from bacterial pathogens are possible once the bacterial balance is lost

• Since the bee digestive bacteria is suppressed by the treatment, normal honeybee activity is negatively impacted

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Treatments V - Summary• All Antibiotics significantly reduce the

beneficial bacteria found in the honeybee

• The emergence of resistance bacteria to antibiotics is a common phenomenon

• Antibiotics only mask the symptoms, they are not a cure

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Treatments that impact MicrobialsEssential oils are anti microbial by nature

Formic Acid Mite treatments harm bacteria Oxalic Acid Mite treatments harm bacteria

Fumagillin is a complex biomolecule and used as an antimicrobial / antifungal agent

Terramycin oxytetracycline - Antibiotic Drug Tylosin tartrate - Antibiotic Drug Lincomycin Lincomix - Antibiotic Drug

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Bee Informed PartnershipEmergency Response Kit Report

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Bee Informed PartnershipEmergency Response Kit Report Question – How did we get the mite count down ?

– Answer Amitraz ! (Apivar strips) Treated in 2013, none in 2014, Treated in Spring 2015

Question – What are the two (2) hive groups ?

Healthy was bacteria inoculated three (3) times during the year Weak was not inoculated with bacteria - just dry MegaBee

The Healthy group had 21 % winter loss The Weak group had 40 % winter loss

All Hives were over wintered in Southern Michigan

Michigan Data for Winter Loss Michigan Data for LAB concentration

Honeybee NutritionHow microbial activity affects honeybee nutrition and health

Presented By EAS Master Beekeeper

CAROL HOFFMAN Essential Honey Bees LLC

essential_honey_bees@earthlink.net

Honeybee nutrition requirements I• Honey bees, like any other insects, require

essential ingredients for survival and to thrive

• Honey bees require carbohydrates (sugars in nectar or honey), amino acids (protein from pollen), lipids (fatty acids, sterols), vitamins, minerals (salts), and water

• These nutrients must be present in the correct ratio for the honeybees to be able to use them

Carbohydrates I

• Honey bees need carbohydrates as an energy source

• All carbohydrates are first converted to glucose, which is the fuel in nearly all cells, with carbon dioxide and water as by-products

• While used as an energy source, glucose can also be converted to body fats and stored

Carbohydrates II

• A worker bee requires about 11 mg of dry sugar each day ( This is equal to about 22 micro liter of 50% sugar syrup per worker per day)

• A colony with 60,000 bees consequently needs 1.5 liter (about 3 pounds) of 50% sugar syrup per day

• A hive of this size, therefore will consume almost 800 pounds of nectar per year

• This does not include brood rearing and other activities like bees wax comb creation

Carbohydrates III

• Bees can consume glucose, fructose, sucrose, trehalose, maltose, and melezitose, but bees are unable to digest rhaminose, xylose, arabinose, galactose, mannose, lactose, raffinose, melibiose or stachyose

• Roughly 40% of sugars found in soybeans are toxic to bees

• Some plants are toxic to bees due to the presence of alkanoids in the nectar.

Protein ISignificance of Pollen

• Pollen provides bees with protein, minerals, lipids, and vitamins

• All honeybees need essential amino acids, which must be obtained externally and cannot be synthesized by insects

• Honey bees also need the same 10 amino acids as other insects

Amino Acids Protein IISignificance of Pollen

• When honey bees are provided with inadequate pollen, or pollen with low nutritional value, brood rearing decreases

• Dearth of pollen during rainy seasons can cause colony decline or collapse

• Studies have shown that Spring pollen supplement can work as assurance (when weather is bad) for better spring buildup and higher honey yield

Protein IIISignificance of Pollen

• Pollen is collected by pollen foragers, which specialize in pollen collection

• Due to secretions added by bees, the pollens in each cell go through a lactic fermentation

• Effects of fermentation appear to be the decrease of starch

• Fermentation reduces sugars and fiber, and helps with reduction of ash and pH

Protein IVSignificance of Pollen

• Pseudomonas, Lactobacillus, and Saccharomyces are the three bacteria that do contribute to lactic acid fermentation that we find in bee bread

• A hive will collect more pollen if it has more brood pheromone, more queen pheromone, or is genetically disposed to collect more pollen

Protein VSignificance of Pollen

• Pollen is mixed with glandular secretions to produce “bee bread,” which is consumed by young bees

• Diverse pollens have different nutritional value for honey bees

• Some pollens are toxic to honey bees, with some killing the adult bees

• Pollen consumption rates and crude protein levels are correlated with the capability to improve longevity

Protein VISignificance of Pollen

• Pollen substitute for honey bees should have the same features as a good pollen

• Digestibility (it is simply digested by bees) • Balance (it has the correct the amino acid

balance and enough crude proteins • Palatability (bees will willingly consume it)

Sterols and Lipids

• Sterol, 24-methylene cholesterol, is common in bee pollen and is the major sterol source for honey bees

• Sterol is the precursor for important hormones such as the molting hormone, which regulates growth

• Pollen with low fat content is less likely to be consumed by honey bees, but can be made more attractive to bees with the addition of lipids

Vitamins

• Young nurse bees are understood to need the following vitamin B complex for brood rearing: thiamine, riboflavin, nicotinamide, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid, folic acid, and biotin

• Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) also seems indispensable for brood rearing

• Microbials naturally present in the alimentary canal of bees play a role in providing vitamins and other essential substances.

Minerals

• High amounts of potassium, phosphate, and magnesium are required by insects

• Extreme levels of sodium, sodium chloride, and calcium have been shown to be toxic to honey bees

• Minerals can be obtained from pollen, even though nectar also contains minerals

• Pollen with more than 2% ash inhibits brood production

Water

• Honey bees forage for water • To thin honey so that honey can be added

to the brood food • Use water to cause evaporative cooling by

fanning over a thin layer of water when the ambient temperature is over 95 Degree F

• When bees have a choice, they usually favor water with some salts

Hive inputs from foraging

• Nectar - Honey

• Pollen – Bee Bread

• Water – thin honey and for cooling

• Propolis – anti microbial and sealing

• Microbials – Fungus, Yeast, and Bacteria

contemplate supplements

• Provide mineral salt blocks on the ground • Collect rain water and provide safe access • Offer Sugar water during dearth periods • Feed dry pollen substitutes (Mega Bee) • Collect pollen and make protein patties • Inoculate the nurse bees with Probiotics • Provide bee vitamins either wet or dry • Offer dry sugar on inner cover or candy

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Treatments that impact Microbials

• Essential oils are anti microbial by nature • Formic Acid Mite treatments harm bacteria • Fumagillin is a complex biomolecule and

used as an antimicrobial agent • Inert dusting with powder sugar • Terramycin - Antibiotic Drug • Tylosin tartrate - Antibiotic Drug

Impact Microbials have on Health

• The Microbials in the honeybee are diverse and complex in their interactions • Beneficial bacteria are required to

suppress pathogens like chalkbrood, nosema, and foulbrood

• Bacteria is required for healthy honeybees • Inoculation with beneficial bacteria has the

potential to reduce the occurrence of disease

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Summary

• The Microbials in the honeybee are diverse and are very complex in their interactions

• Beneficial bacteria are required to suppress pathogens like chalkbrood, nosema, and foulbrood

• Bacteria is required for healthy honeybees

• Inoculation with beneficial bacteria has the potential to reduce the occurrence of disease

Microbials are NOT a Silver Bullet• Bacteria is only a tool in the tool box • Bacteria only suppresses disease

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What Questions do you have ?

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Thank you for your time!

Presented By EAS Master Beekeeper

EARL HOFFMAN Essential Honey Bees LLC

Ceresco, Michigan essential_honey_bees@earthlink.net

Phone: (248) 385 - 3248