APIS Volume 14, Number 5, May 1996
In this issue
- High Honey Prices--The Fallout
- American Foulbrood on the Increase?
- Royal Jelly--A Health Hazard?
- "Bee Aware" Software Updated
HIGH HONEY PRICES--THE FALLOUT
What appears to be shaping up as a world honey shortage, in addition to the Chinese antidumping suit effectively pursued by the beekeeping industry, are providing beekeepers with the best honey prices in a very long time. This has led to dislocations, however, as producers and packers change their business practices in response. For packers it has meant shorter contractual periods and shifts in inventory acquisition strategy. For producers, it has resulted in a return to honey as the principle enterprise in the beekeeping operation. For everyone, it will probably mean more economic adulteration (See August 1994 APIS).
Perhaps the most significant fallout from all this is a sudden shortage of colonies for commercial pollination. Mr. Laurence Cutts, Florida's chief bee inspector, reports a reduction in the number of pollinating units being sent to the northeast. This season, only 6,000 hives made the journey, far less than the traditional 35 to 40,000 of past years. In addition, no Florida bees were shipped this season to California for the almond bloom.
There is little question that it is more profitable to let bees stay on a honey flow than move them into far more risky pollination endeavors. The traditionally low commercial pollination prices simply don't measure up to the potential of a honey-producing colony at today's prices. The scarcity is apparently hitting northeastern blueberry growers hard and will affect other crops in that area as well. Even Florida watermelons, attractive for commercial pollinators in most seasons, could be affected. Although blooming after most nectar flows, the lateness of this year's nectar season means that many colonies may not be available early enough to pollinate those first and most-profitable watermelon blooms.
AMERICAN FOULBROOD ON THE INCREASE?
In the rush to make increase in colonies, another result of high honey prices seems to be a rise in the incidence of American foulbrood (AFB). Almost eliminated from Florida apiaries last year, according to Mr. Cutts, the disease has resurged. Complacency appears to be the culprit, as beekeepers have failed to preventatively treat and manage their colonies to control this disease.
All beekeepers in Florida are required to register with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (see November 1992 APIS). This provides for an annual AFB inspection. Many beekeepers also feed the antibiotic Terramycin(R) on a preventative basis (see September 1994 APIS). If the disease is found, the colony is required by law to be destroyed along with the bees and honey by burning, the most effective way to destroy reservoirs of infectious bacterium. The state inspection service provides a small remuneration for colonies it destroys.
Because the bacterium produces spores that can survive for many years in hostile environments, there is more danger of spreading AFB than other bee diseases. This is especially true because the spores can survive in honey. Although robbing bees do spread the spores, it is probable that careless beekeepers are more responsible for outbreaks of the disease. Constant vigilance is the key, but the recent focus on making increase to take advantage of higher prices may have distracted beekeepers, allowing AFB to again become epidemic.
Given this set of circumstances, it is instructive to see how Florida's disease control program compares with some others. Recently, Mr. Nick Wallingford, president of the National Beekeepers' Association of New Zealand, provided some information on the Internet concerning that country's activities in eliminating AFB.
According to Mr. Wallingford, there is evidence that AFB, caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus larvae, will not develop unless more than 500,000 spores are fed to a honey bee colony. [Editor's note: Other information suggests that resistance to this disease is quite variable and can be selected for by breeding programs (See July 1993, January 1995, April 1995 APIS)]. Mr. Wallingford quotes one author as saying that three possible states exist for a honey bee colony containing B. larvae spores:
- The numbers of spores brought into the colony are insufficient to infect honey bee larvae. As a result, they are not able to reproduce. The spores which are present will eventually be eliminated from the colony. These colonies are defined as not having AFB, but as being contaminated with B. larvae spores.
- Adult honey bees are able to detect diseased larvae before they exhibit any visual symptoms of AFB. They may remove these larvae so that the colony will not appear to be diseased when inspected. [Editor's note: This is the basis for selection programs that emphasize "hygienic" bees.] Because larvae are being affected by the pathogen and B. larvae spores are being produced, the colony is considered to have a non-clinical case of AFB.
- Where there are larvae or pupae in a honey bee colony exhibiting visual symptoms of the disease, the colony is defined as having a clinical case of American foulbrood.
Elimination of AFB has never been achieved on a national scale in New Zealand, according to Mr. Wallingford.
It is possible, however, for the following reasons:
- New Zealand has a relatively small population of the species that is affected by the disease. There are currently just under 300,000 registered beehives in the country. There are also an unknown, but nevertheless small number of unregistered beehives, and an unknown number of feral honey bee colonies. [Editor's note: Feral or wild honey bee colonies can be reservoirs for the disease. A recent colony found in a bait hive in Florida had AFB. Most reported cases occur in managed colonies.] The total number of colonies of honey bees is believed to be no greater than 400,000 in New Zealand, far fewer than other animal populations for which disease control programs were carried out.
- New Zealand is an isolated geographic area that receives no natural introductions of honey bees from outside its borders. Imports of honey bees and honey bee products into New Zealand are also restricted by agricultural quarantine measures. This makes the continual introduction of further B. larvae into the country unlikely.
- B. larvae has a low infectivity compared to many other pathogens. By destroying beehives with clinical cases of American foulbrood, carrying out proper and periodic inspections, and taking care with the transfer of beekeeping materials between hives, it is possible to reduce the concentration of spores below the level where they can become infective. As a result, the occurrence of AFB in beehives can be eliminated, even though spores of the causative organism can persist for long periods of time.
- There are a number of reported cases of New Zealand beekeepers successfully eliminating AFB from their beehives. If these beekeepers can do this, it is possible for others to do the same.
The goal of the New Zealand program, Mr. Wallingford concludes, is to reduce the reported incidence of AFB annually by an average of 10 percent of the first year's reported incidence, over the first five-year term of the strategy, and down to 0.1 percent by the end of the second term (the year 2006). The three keys to the success of this program are adequate inspection, proper diagnosis and the elimination of clinical cases, exactly the conditions found in Florida last year.
Given the Florida experience, New Zealand's program is theoretically possible. Maintaining the low AFB level once it has been achieved, however, will no doubt be the greater challenge.
ROYAL JELLY--A HEALTH HAZARD?
The April Apis Melbourne (see March 1996 APIS), from Australia, carried a story that caught my attention. ANOTHER DEATH FROM ROYAL JELLY, quoted from Foodmonitor, Vol. 1, No. 4, January/February, 1996, by Des Sibraa, General Editor:
"In September 1995 we published a report of the Coroner's inquest into the death of a twelve-year-old Cooma girl from an allergic reaction to royal jelly. In the report we indicated that royal jelly is a food standardised by the Food Standards Code, Standard K2, and is required by the Code to carry the warning statement: 'Warning -- not recommended for asthmatics or allergy sufferers as it can cause severe allergic reactions'. We also indicated that more than one year after the code was amended to require the warning statement a small survey indicated that there were no packages of royal jelly on sale which carried the required warning statement.
"In January 1996 it was reported that there had been a further death from royal jelly. A twenty-three year old woman was reported to have died in Hornsby Hospital after the consumption of royal jelly. Investigations revealed that the royal jelly had been purchased in Hornsby and did not have the warning statement as required by the Food Standards Code. The New South Wales Department of Health has now taken action to enforce the warning statement requirement and inspectors have been instructed to seek the co-operation of sellers by requesting that they remove from sale all product which does not have the warning statement until they place overstickers on the packages. If there if no co- operation the product is to be seized. The penalty provided for the sale of packages which do not contain the warning statement is $5,000 or six months' imprisonment or both fine and imprisonment. Perhaps if a little enforcement by prosecution for this offence had been taken when we reported this deficiency the life of the latest victim might have been saved. We will be interested to hear, and will publish, any explanation by the Department of Health of their failure to enforce the code. A further survey revealed that in February 1996 there are still packages of royal jelly on sale without the warning statement."
Recently, there have also been news stories about allergy to other bee-produced/collected products. Indiscriminate use of these materials is sometimes promoted by those with vested interests in apitherapy. As the cases above show, however, discretion is advised (see February 1994 APIS).
"BEE AWARE" UPDATED
The expert systems folks at the Pennsylvania State University have been busy. They are now releasing a major update to their Bee Aware program. This software is especially designed to help beekeepers identify and manage honey bee diseases, parasites and predators through the use of general information, specific diagnoses and a comprehensive list of references. The program is available for DOS and Macintosh. The new version is also available in CD-ROM (DOS format only). The advantage of the latter technology is that full-color graphics can be used to support the program, as well as the line drawings currently distributed on standard disk.
Mr. Stan Kain did a nice review of the "Bee Aware" program in the second issue of BEE BIZ magazine, No. 2, Feb. 1996 (see December 1995 APIS). His evaluation of the program concludes: "While Penn State University developed the program to assist agricultural advisors in assisting beekeepers, the program has something for just about everyone. Veteran beekeepers can always use a 'second opinion.' Novice hobbyists will find 'Bee Aware' a reliable tool to both study beekeeping problems and to evaluate the well-being of their bee colonies. Commercial beekeepers can certainly use the pesticide information to assist in placement of colonies in areas where spraying may occur. Of course, everyone can use some help in keeping up on mite problems, too."
"Bee Aware" on disk costs $35 for either Macintosh or DOS. The upgrade is available to registered users for $5. The CD-ROM version for DOS costs $50. For further information, contact Jan McClure at 814/863-0604. To order send check to Penn State University, Department of Entomology, Attention: Roxie, 501 Ag. Sciences and Industries Bldg., University Park, PA 16802. You may also consult the Bee Aware page on the World Wide Web at http://server .age.psu.edu/esdg/beeaware.html.
Malcolm T. Sanford
Bldg 970, Box 110620
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611-0620
Phone (904) 392-1801, Ext. 143 FAX: 904-392-0190
http://www.ifas.ufl.edu/~entweb/apis/apis.htm
INTERNET Address: MTS@GNV.IFAS.UFL.EDU
©1996 M.T. Sanford "All Rights Reserved
