Honey hygiene Flashcards Preview

VPH > Honey hygiene > Flashcards

Flashcards in Honey hygiene Deck (20)
Loading flashcards...
1
Q

What does eusocial mean?

A
  • Not just a cooperation between individuals but in bee society they depend on the cooperation
  • The different casts each have a role to fulfill to ensure colony survives
2
Q

What does a bee colony comprise of?

A
  • Queen
  • Drones
  • Workers
3
Q

What forms honey combs?

A

The honey bees scrape off wax from their wax gland

4
Q

How long do adult bees from different casts take to emerge from their cell?

A
  • Workers= 21 days
  • Queen= 16 days
  • Drones= 24 days
5
Q

Which cells are flat and which are domed?

A
  • Drones= domed

- Workers= flat

6
Q

What is nectar?

A
  • Mainly made of sucrose
  • Invertase converts sucrose to glucose and fructose
  • Nectar regurgitated into storage cells
7
Q

Where is pollen collected?

A

Into baskets and packed down into cell by worker bees

8
Q

What does pasteurising the honey do?

A

Removes some of the yeast contamination

9
Q

Describe the composition of honey

A

-20% or less water (more causes fermentation problems)
- 80% sugar
1% potent antimicrobials

10
Q

What restricts microbial growth in honey?

A

Low water content

11
Q

What is meant by migratory beekeeping?

A

The beekeeper takes their hives to a certain location e.g. up to the moors if they want specialty honey such as heather honey

12
Q

Discuss honey and botulism

A
  • Viable spore of Clostridium botulinum found in honey, can cause infant botulism
  • Immature gut flora can’t compete so shouldn’t be fed to those under 1 year.
13
Q

List the NFD of bees

A
  • European Foul Brood (Present in UK)
  • American Foul Brood (Present in UK)
  • Tropilaelaps
  • Small hive beetle
14
Q

Describe European foul brood

A
  • Melisocossus plutonius
  • SHOTGUN pattern
  • Dead larvae brown/ tan colour with a melted appearance
  • Shook swarm technique- shake bees into a new colony then burn the comb.
  • In severe cases colony must be destroyed
15
Q

Describe American foul brood

A
  • Paenibacillus larvae
  • Spore forming gram neg
  • Brood dies after being capped
  • Ropiness test diagnosis: take a stick and draw a string from infected cell
  • Destroy colony and burn equipment (if you don’t then bees from other colonies attracted to the smell of the honey from the infected colony and then become infected with spores and take it home with them)
16
Q

Describe Tropilaelaps mite

A
  • Not present in UK
  • Parasitic mites affect both adult bees and brood
  • Whole apiary must be destroyed
17
Q

What is the small hive beetle?

A
  • Aethina tumida
  • Laevae eat wax, pollen, honey, bee brood and eggs
  • Contaminates honey causing it to ferment
  • good husbandry = good defence
18
Q

What is the verroa mite?

A
  • Vector for pathogens e.g. wing virus

- Most colonies die if not treated

19
Q

How can you control verroa mite?

A

Formic acid

20
Q

What is Nosema apis?

A

Fungal parasite that infects guts of adult bees

  • Reduces honey yields
  • Causes diarrhoea
  • Self limiting