The Ohio Fact Sheets are a collection of short publications by the Ohio Department of Agriculture on beekeeping topics. Please note that some of these may contain dated information and you should consult current publications (particular in regards to medications as new medications may be on the market.)
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Ohio Fact Sheets
Permanent link to this article: http://www.ohiostatebeekeepers.org/resources/ohio-fact-sheets/
American Foulbrood- AFB
94-7 BEEKEEPING INFORMATIONOHIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUREDivision of Plant Industry -Apiculture995 East Main Street Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-3399 AMERICAN FOULBROOD – AFB Cause: It is caused by a spore forming bacteria known as Paenibacillus larvae. Only the spore stage is infectious to honey bees. All castes of honey bees are susceptible to the disease, but worker more »
Antibiotics for American and European Foulbrood Disease
91-4 BEEKEEPING INFORMATION OHIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUREDivision of Plant Industry – Apiculture8995 East Main Street Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-3399 ANTIBIOTICS FOR AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN FOULBROOD DISEASE Feeding antibiotics to honey bee colonies is the Ohio beekeeper’s management decision. The only F.D.A. approved antibiotic is “Terramycin”, the trade name for oxytetracycline manufactured by Pfizer. Beekeepers can feed more »
Chalkbrood Disease
92-18 Ohio Department of AgricultureDivision of Plant Industry – Apiculture8995 East Main StreetReynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-3399 Cause: Ascosphaera apis is the fungus that causes chalkbrood disease. It was first confirmed during 1974 in Ohio in the counties of Ottawa and Erie.Effect: Honey bee brood is affected, causing the larvae to become mummified. Infected larvae ingest spores more »
Colony Conditions
89-11 BEEKEEPING INFORMATION OHIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Division of Plant Industry – Apiculture 8995 East Main Street Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-3399 COLONY CONDITIONS Starvation: Starvation can occur in a colony if there is a lack of honey or the bees are unable to reach the honey in extremely cold temperatures. The larvae are removed more »
European Foulbrood – EFB
89-9BEEKEEPING INFORMATIONOHIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUREDivision of Plant – Industry – Apiculture8995 East Main StreetReynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-3399 EUROPEAN FOULBROOD – EFB Cause: A bacteria known as Melissococcus pluton. All castes are susceptible to EFB.Effect: European foulbrood is most common in the spring and early summer, but it occasionally stays active through summer and fall. A more »
Fall and Winter Management
94-14BEEKEEPING INFORMATIONOHIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUREDivision of Plant Industry – Apiculture 8995 East Main Street Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-3399 FALL AND WINTER MANAGEMENT Management during the fall and winter is very important because it is the starting point in providing strong colonies for the next year. The beekeeper should consider the following management practices: A. Requeening more »
Honey Bee Colony
89-13BEEKEEPING INFORMATIONOHIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUREDivision of Plant Industry – Apiculture8995 East Main StreetReynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-3399 HONEY BEE COLONY A colony of honey bees during the active season is composed of a queen, several hundred drones, 30,000 – 80,000 workers and brood in all stages of development. Honey bees have become so highly specialized in their more »
Honey Bee Tracheal Mite
91-9 BEEKEEPING INFORMATIONOHIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUREDivision of Plant Industry – Apiculture8995 East Main StreetReynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-3399 HONEY BEE TRACHEAL MITE Cause: A tiny endoparasitic mite, Acarapis woodi, (Rennie) which is not visible to the naked eye.Identification: A positive mite diagnosis should be made in the laboratory with the aid of a microscope. The presence more »
Installing Package Bees
89-3 BEEKEEPING INFORMATION OHIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Division of Plant Industry – Apiculture 8995 East Main Street Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-3399 INSTALLING PACKAGE BEES Package bees are sold by various bee supply companies and commercial bee producers. Orders should be placed early, so that the bees can be delivered during April and the more »
Keeping Bees In A Suburban or Urban Area
98-27 BEEKEEPING INFORMATION OHIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Division of Plant Industry – Apiculture 8995 East Main Street Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-3399 KEEPING BEES IN A SUBURBAN OR URBAN AREA Ohio has many areas within or near cities and towns where honey bees can obtain an abundance of nectar and pollen. Ornamental trees and shrubs many more »
Manipulating Bees
89-12BEEKEEPING INFORMATIONOHIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUREDivision of Plant Industry – Apiculture8995 East Main StreetReynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-3399 MANIPULATING BEES Stings should be avoided in the manipulation of the colony, since the odor of the venom greatly irritates other bees. However, a beekeeper handling bees must expect to receive an occasional sting.A bee does not sting at random more »
Menthol for Tracheal Mite Control
92-19BEEKEEPING INFORMATIONOHIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUREDivision of Plant Industry – Apiculture8995 East Main StreetReynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-3399 MENTHOL FOR TRACHEAL MITE CONTROL ACTIVE INGREDIENT:Menthol crystals – food grade with a purity of 98%+.RATES:Treat each 2 story colony with 1 .8 oz or 50 grams of menthol.METHODS OF TREATMENT:Prepackaged menthol can be obtained in 50 gr. packets more »
Moving Bees
94-1 rev. BEEKEEPING INFORMATION OHIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Division of Plant Industry – Apiculture 8995 East Main Street Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-3399 MOVING BEES You will probably find it necessary to move your bee colonies if you keep bees for any length of time. The reasons to move might be to relocate more »
Parasitic Mite Syndrome (PMS)
95-24 BEEKEEPING INFORMATIONOHIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Division of Plant Industry – Apiculture 8995 East Main Street Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-3399 “PARASITIC MITE SYNDROME (PMS)” Upon examination of your honey bee colonies’ brood, you observe symptoms that might resemble EFB, AFB and/or Sacbrood disease. However, you are not sure what the problem is, because they are more »
Purchasing queens and package bees
94-2 OHIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Division of Plant Industry – Apiculture 8995 East Main Street Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-3399 PURCHASING QUEENS AND PACKAGE BEES Invariably beekeepers always ask the question, ‘Where do I purchase bees?” Until recently it was recognized that purchases from queen and bee producers were satisfactory, if they supplied you with more »
Small Hive Beetle Facts and Observations
00-29 BEEKEEPING INFORMATION OHIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Division of Plant Industry – Apiculture 8995 East Main Street Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-3399 “SHB FACTS AND OBSERVATIONS” Small Hive Beetles (SHB) were named this because in South Africa there is a large hive beetle. Majority of SHB were found to pupate in sandy soil at 1-10 cm more »
Sugar Roll to Detect Varroa
00-28 Ohio Department of AgricultureDivision of Plant Industry – Apiculture8995 East Main StreetReynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-3399The sugar roll is a procedure to detect Varroa mites within honey bee colonies. Equipment: Wide mouth canning jar (pint or quart) with two piece lid#8 mesh hardware clothpowdered sugarwindow screen or any fine mesh screen that will let powdered sugar more »
Swarm Prevention and Control
98-26 BEEKEEPING INFORMATION OHIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Division of Plant Industry – Apiculture 8995 East Main Street Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-3399 “SWARM PREVENTION AND CONTROL” When honey bees swarm it is a natural process where the colonies divide. In essence, it is nature’s way of trying to increase bee colony populations. Beekeepers can not more »
Three Point Varroa Exam
94-20OHIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUREDivision of Plant Industry – Apiculture8995 East Main StreetReynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-3399 3 POINT VARROA EXAM This is a quick, simple and effective diagnostic examination for Varroa mite infestation. It should be conducted at each apiary. Examine young bees. Uncap brood. Use ether roll test. Examine BeesWhen a frame is removed from the more »
Using Apistan Strips to Control Varroa Mites
90-17OHIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUREDivision of Plant Industry – Apiculture8995 East Main StreetReynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-3399 Using Apistan Strips to Control Varroa Mites The Apistan Strip is an impregnated PVC resin formulation for the control of Varroa mites in honey bee colonies. The active ingredient in the strip is 10% fluvalinate. These plastic strips are of light more »
Value of Bee Pollination to Ohio Agriculture
89-16BEEKEEPING INFORMATIONOHIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUREDivision of Plant Industry-Apiculture8995 East Main StreetReynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-3399 VALUE OF BEE POLLINATION TO OHIO AGRICULTURE The pollination mechanisms for some Ohio crops are poorly understood, particularly hybrids and new varieties A few crops have been investigated and the pollination requirements are well known. An example is the pickling cucumber. In more »
Varroa Mite
91-10 BEEKEEPING INFORMATIONOHIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUREDivision of Plant Industry – Apiculture 8995 East Main Street Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-3399 VARROA MITE Cause: The Varroa mite, Varroa jacobsoni is an external parasite of honey bees that attacks adult bees and their developing brood.Identification: In the life cycle female mites lay up to 12 eggs in a bee more »
What the Farmer/Grower Should Know About Honey Bees
95-25 BEEKEEPING INFORMATION OHIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Division of Plant Industry -Apiculture 8995 East Main Street Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-3399 WHAT THE FARMER/GROWER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT HONEY BEES I. Outside the bee hive: A. Size of the hive is not always important. Counting the number of supers (boxes) does not always equal more »