New Nuc

[NHKelly99]

I just got my new Nuc this morning, they are quiet and resting in the basement. Plan to hive them soon. I'm no sure if they have been treated for the spring.  Should I treat with apistan, terramycin and fumagilin-B all at the same time or wait for a few days? I need help now.  This is my firts hive and Im really unsure. Thanks for any comments.

[bassman1977]

I would never preventative treat.  Why feed cough syrup when you don't have a cough, IMO. Plus the bees can become less resistant to the viruses and the mites more resistant to the chemical being used.  I haven't EVER treated my hives.  Not even for mites.  I run small cell and my mite counts are always anorexic.  Money in the bank and healthier bees.

[Moonshae]

Even if you decide to treat for mites, don't use apistan. Apiguard or api-life var, formic acid, or any of the softer chemicals are much better.

[Michael Bush]

>I'm no sure if they have been treated for the spring.

Spring?  Is that a disease? ;)

I never treat them for anything.  Ever.  I do, however try to have natural sized foundation and keep them in a way that they will be healthy and strong and try to keep genetically healthy bees.

[NHKelly99]

Thanks for all of the comments. I wound up calling BeeComerce and speaking with a beekeeper there. She recommended that I treat with Fumagillin and that the bees were probably treated at their previous location.  Nosema seems kind of gross for the bees.  I would like to go chemical free but where are there complete steps for novice beekeepers? The girls were hived yesterday afternoon and I pray that they forgive me for ignorance.  Even after all the reading I did I still felt incompetent.  Hey, I can take care of patients in an ICU but I feel such concern for these tiny critters that I don't want to hurt them in any way.

[DaveKow]

Brian Bray recommends cider vinegar for nosema. 

Cider Vinegar helps with Nosema.  Add a tablespoon per gallon.  It also slows down mold growth but not as much as a cap of bleach.

[DaveKow]

Here is some good reading:

http://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm


http://pxbacher.home.comcast.net/~pxbacher/PinkPages/index.html

[Michael Bush]

>I would like to go chemical free but where are there complete steps for novice beekeepers?

The first step is to stop treating them.  :)

As far as Nosema:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beespests.htm#nosema

As far as other issues:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beespests.htm

Varroa is the most likely thing to kill your bees:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesnaturalcell.htm