What are the symptoms of bee paralysis? How to prevent and treat?

Bee paralysis, also known as black bee disease and paralysis, is an infectious disease of adult bees caused by chronic paralysis virus or acute paralysis virus. So what are the symptoms of bee paralysis?

symptom

Because the nerve cells are directly damaged by the virus, the diseased bees suffer from paralysis and spasm, slow movement, constant twitching and trembling, and loss of flying ability. Their wings and legs are stretched out, they flap weakly, and they crawl powerlessly. Some have swollen abdomens, while others have thin bodies. They are often driven out of the hive by healthy bees. In the later stages, their body surface turns black, their fluff falls off, and their abdomens shrink, as if they had been fried.

characteristic

It is rapidly contagious, has severe pathogenicity, is stubborn and difficult to treat, and is very harmful to bees. In the worst case, it will cause a serious reduction in honey production, and in the worst case, a large number of bees will die.

Mode of transmission

Bee paralysis is transmitted to healthy bee colonies through nest building, replacement of honeycombs, and use of sick colonies to raise queens. Too much rain, excessive humidity in the beehive, long droughts, and dry climate can all lead to the occurrence of bee paralysis. Healthy bees may also become infected if they come into contact with sick bees or eat contaminated feed.

Prevention and control measures:

☆ Improve the resistance of the bee colony

It is necessary to select and breed disease-resistant and disease-tolerant bee species, and choose healthy and disease-free bee colonies to breed queen bees. When there is a lack of nectar and pollen sources in nature, it is necessary to supplement feeding in a timely manner and provide a certain amount of protein feed to strongly reduce the risk of disease.

☆ Deal with sick bees promptly

Check the activities of bees regularly. If any bees are found to show symptoms of paralysis, they should be eliminated immediately to prevent the paralysis from spreading to healthy bees.

☆Prevent bees from eating contaminated feed

Bees should be fed with high-quality, pollution-free feed. If the nectar-producing plants have been contaminated, you must quickly move away from the source of contamination. At the same time, we must strengthen the insulation of the beehive to prevent the bee colony from getting damp.

☆Replace the beehive with a clean new one

The beehive should be disinfected regularly, and about 10 grams of sublimated sulfur powder should be evenly sprinkled on the frame beams, the nest entrance and the box entrance.