Lithium chloride kills a honey bee parasite by a systemic mode of action

Post by mastax » Wed, Jan 17, 2018, 6:04 PM UTC

pedrocr wrote: post #7

varroa wrote: post #6

While this is exciting, I can't help but notice- Under the conditions of the common beekeeping practice in non-tropical regions, which are characterized by high colony densities, prevention of swarming and periodical mite control, it seems difficult to achieve a more balanced host-parasite relationship. Thus far, a long-term survival of A. mellifera colonies without any control measures is nearly exclusively reported…

>It would be nice to see more attention paid to the well-being of native pollinators, which already take care of themselves in regards to parasites & diseases. There's a second avenue which is the treatment-free solution practiced by some beekeepers. The idea there is to keep the selection pressure and just out-evolve the parasites. Given that managed bees reproduce much more often than natural populations there's a…

Post by zafka » Wed, Jan 17, 2018, 6:17 PM UTC

JonDav wrote: post #12

varroa wrote: post #6

While this is exciting, I can't help but notice- Under the conditions of the common beekeeping practice in non-tropical regions, which are characterized by high colony densities, prevention of swarming and periodical mite control, it seems difficult to achieve a more balanced host-parasite relationship. Thus far, a long-term survival of A. mellifera colonies without any control measures is nearly exclusively reported…

Using wood bleach was certainly not a panacea, it will be another tool we use along with tossing in powdered sugar. We can cycle through the various treatments but it is a losing war. This may allow commercial beekeepers to start using lithium chloride or oxalic acid. We will see if it gets abused.

Post by JonDav » Wed, Jan 17, 2018, 6:25 PM UTC

zafka wrote: post #13

JonDav wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Using wood bleach was certainly not a panacea, it will be another tool we use along with tossing in powdered sugar. We can cycle through the various treatments but it is a losing war. This may allow commercial beekeepers to start using lithium chloride or oxalic acid. We will see if it gets abused.

> This will allow commercial beekeepers to start using oxalic acid The article talked about Lithium Chloride. Where do would bleach and oxalic acid come in?

Post by lostlogin » Wed, Jan 17, 2018, 6:33 PM UTC

JonDav wrote: post #12

varroa wrote: post #6

While this is exciting, I can't help but notice- Under the conditions of the common beekeeping practice in non-tropical regions, which are characterized by high colony densities, prevention of swarming and periodical mite control, it seems difficult to achieve a more balanced host-parasite relationship. Thus far, a long-term survival of A. mellifera colonies without any control measures is nearly exclusively reported…

Using wood bleach was certainly not a panacea, it will be another tool we use along with tossing in powdered sugar. We can cycle through the various treatments but it is a losing war. This may allow commercial beekeepers to start using lithium chloride or oxalic acid. We will see if it gets abused.

Post by lostlogin » Wed, Jan 17, 2018, 6:42 PM UTC

zafka wrote: post #14

xyzzyz wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1. How long-lasting is the effect? How long does the LiCl stay "active"? Will bees need to be fed this at a regular cadence to keep them mite free? The paper says that a single feeding achieved good results, though worse than continued feeding spanning a few days. It seems then that a single treatment will only kill mites that are already in the hive, but will not do anything to help develop immunity. Looks like bee…

I would guess that a small amount would get in the honey the bees were making at that time, but beekeepers would not harvest that honey. When many flowers are blooming, a second box is added to the hive just for honey( a super). At this time the beekeeper does no additional feeding.