Season of Mists and Mellow Forgetfulness. Part 1: Ghastly Beasties

Last Autumn's Teachings now seem like they took place a geological age ago. So ahead of this Saturday's Actual Bee Encounter, LandofSpike has been retracing his steps back into the mists of time... well, as far back as last October at least.

LandofSpike has divided this account of Apiary Central's Autumn module into two separate Posts, theory and practical. 

Theory first, so stand by for LandofSpike's flimsy and lightweight rememberings of BeeGuru1's introduction to Parasites, Predators and their Treatments.

BeeGuru1 waded straight in with tales so grisly that if bees had ears to hear, and could understand the Queen's English, then their blood, or more precisely their haemolymph, would have frozen instantly in their little veins, if they had veins, rendering them stone cold dead from terror in the time it takes to say "Chalkbrood Mummies".

Poor old Mister Honey Bee, there are things that'll eat yer from the outside inwards and things that'll eat yer from the inside outwards. Dismemberment, Infestation and a Ghastly Death lurk round every dark, hexagonal corner.

The current most popular unpopular menace is the Varroa Destructor Mite, a nasty little spod which puts itself about a bit. The clue is in the name, the Destructor bit. It'll destroy your colony if you aren't on the ball with your beekeepery skills and potions.

The Varroa Destructor Mite is a nasty little spod

Among the other dangers, Wax Moth and Chalkbrood look pretty horrible, European Foul Brood isn't as bad as the American variety and Braula Coeca looks like it'll be under control if you get your Varroa treatment right. 

The ever-lovable Wasp will raid the hive for honey and will also dismember and drag off live bees to feed their own brood.

A dishonourable mention goes out to the mysterious Colony Collapse Disorder, and Mice aren't above a bit of hive destruction when they fancy a free feed or a warm and dry larder in which to spend the winter.

Also beware the hungry Woodpecker who can make a devilish mess of a hive in short order.

The ever-lovable Wasp prepares to raid the hive of the unsuspecting Honey Bee

Not all threats to the bee are deadly though and thankfully BeeGuru1 also detailed the many and varied treatments which the beekeeper can use to keep his hive happy and healthy.

However, the treatment for the horror that is American Foul Brood is pretty brutal in itself... Dig a big pit, chuck in yer bees, hive and bee gear, pour on the petrol and lob in a lighted match. You can stop short of burying the remains at a deserted crossroads and driving a stake through it but you get the picture. AFB is pretty nasty. 

Well, that's it for an extremely sketchy précis of last Autumn's introduction to Bee Botherers.

LandofSpike will be covering individual Predators, Parasites and How to Treat Them in greater detail and in glorious technicolour later on in the year when he gets some hands-on experience, and a bit more knowledge, of the little blighters.

The unhappy Apis mellifera mellifera infested with Varroa Mite

Didn't even mention pesticides... or destruction of habitats either.

Plenty of time for that later though.

Part 2 of last Autumn's Teachings, which will be along shortly, will cover what LandofSpike can remember about preparing the Bees for their winter break.