Time: 1-hour

Materials: Collection, demonstration

Objectives: To acquaint beekeepers or beginners with the problems that exist in the Philippines and how to control them or minimize damage caused by them.

I. Pests

1. Ants: can invade hives, eating brood, honey, pollen and bees; eventually the hive will either be so weakened or aggressive that they will abscond (or leave)

- control: grease hive stands with auto grease and lime ground at base of stands. Never set hives directly on the ground.

2. Wasps and other predatious insects: will catch bees on the wing and take them away to be eaten. They are not a real threat except to weak hives. Traps can be devised to catch the black wasps as they hover in front of the hives;

- control: maintain a strong hive or hire someone to catch the wasps as they hover

3. Lizards and Toads: will also eat bees but generally, if the hives are on a stand, the lose is minimal.

4. Beetles and Cockroaches: can infest a hive, especially when being fed pollen supplement or substitute. A strong hive will evict these intruders, otherwise remove debris in hive bottom that they might be living in, and keep entrance small (esp. true for the native bee).

5. Wax moth: This is a moth which lays eggs in the comb end upon hatching, the larvae can cause much damage to the comb and brood, by borrowing, spinning silk tunnels, and damaging wax.

- control: strong hives can usually combat this pest but when it starts taking hold, removal of the infested comb and cocoons is imperative, otherwise the bees will leave the hive. Comb can be stored in paradichlorobengene (moth ball) crystals, if kept in a plastic bag or other enclosure, and aired out a day before returning treated comb to bees. Combs can also be put in freezing temperature for several hours, especially if wax contains honey and pollen.

6. Birds: sometimes, droves of swifts have been reported (Chaetura dubia - Spine-tailed swift) to eat 100 bees each in one day.

- control: about the only methods of control seems to be netting the birds or moving hives to other location.

7. Mites: two types of external mites are of vital importance to beekeeping here. The two (Varroa iacobsoni and Tropilaelaps clareae) are serious pests that can destroy a hive. Drones and workers with deformed wings, dead pupae in the cells and the mites on bees should be checked. It is believed that all species of Bees have mites here.

- control: is especially important for the European bees, and perhaps for native bees too. Colony strength appears to be a factor, the stronger hives may be better able to control this post. Other chemical controls are also available, at great cost, since many have to be imported. Here are some:

= Phenothiazine PTZ (worming tablets) 5% dissolved in 95% pure alcohol, applied onto cardboard stripe and burned in the smoker, or placed under the hive sprinkled on a cardboard bottom, at night, left for 2 days.

= Folbex strips prepared paper strips can be purchased, burning 2-3 strips per colony.

= Sineacar (from Romania) is a powder, sprinkled on bees once per week for three weeks.

II. Other Problems:

1. Drones: if imported bees arc used, than lack of drones from the so bees will make it hard to mate virgin queens. Hives that are strong, wolf fed, with a drone-laying or a fertile queen, will supply the best drones to supply your yard. Drones of the native bee have been reported to fly with the virgin imported queens, but is not a fertile cross.

2. Robbing: weak hives are subject to attack by robber bees from other hives (imported and native) as well as other insects. Where at all possible, hives should be kept of equal strength, and races of bees should be kept separate. Mites could be carried by robbing bees.

3. Insecticides: there seems to be indiscriminate use of harsh insecticides by farmers here. Since bees are susceptible to most of these, efforts should be made to educate farmers that bees are not injuring their plants, but in fact will increase their yields if they let the bees work them.

If insecticides are used, spraying should be done in late afternoon to evening hours, to minimize bee losses. Hives should be covered or moved away if spraying is closer than two miles. Lass toxic chemicals (see attached list) should be used whenever possible.

4. Feeding bees

During dearth times if bees are robbed of all their honey, both a pollen and nectar substitute should be supplied if the hives are to remain strong and not abscond. The most refined sugar or sugar syrup should be used, although experiments are lacking on the effects of feeding second class sugar in the tropics. Molasses should never be fed, however, as this will give the bees dysentery.

Other sugary substances can be tried, buko milk, or cane syrup.

Pollen is also important. for brood rearing. Imported, brewers yeast and soy flour is the usual pollen substitute.

RELATIVE TOXICITY OF PESTICIDES TO HONEY BEES AS DETERMINED BY LABORATORY AND FIELD TESTS IN CALIFORNIA (1950 - 1975)

GROUP I - HIGHLY TOXIC: Severe losses may be expected if these pesticides are used when bees are present at treatment time or within a day thereafter, except as indicated by footnotes.
Afugan® (pyrazophos)	DDVP®2 (dichlorvos)	Furadan®2/5 (carbofuran)	Mesurol® (methiocarb)	Sumithion® (fenitrothion)
aldrin2	Dibrom®2/3 (naled)	Gardona®1/2 (tetrachlorvinphos)	Methyl parathion1/2	Supracide®2 (methidathion)
arsenicals1/2	De-Fend®2 (dimethoate)	Guthion®1/2 (azinphos-methyl)	Monitor®2 (methamidophos)	Tameron®2 (methamidophos)
Azodrin®1/2 (monocrotophos)	diazinon2 (Spectracide)	heptachlor1/2	Nemacur P® (phenamiphos)	Temik®1/2/5/7 (aldicarb)
Baygon®2 (propoxur)	dieldrin1/2	Imidan®2	Nudrin®2/5 (methomyl)	tepp1/2/3
Baytex®2 (fenthion)	Dimecron®2 (phosphamidon)	Lannate®2/5 (methomyl)	Orthene®2 (acephate)	Vapona®2 (dichlorvos)
BHC2	Dursban®2 (chlorpyrifon)	lindane2	parathion1/2	Zectran®2 (mexacarbate)
Bidrin®1/2 (dicrotophos)	EPN1/2	Lorsban®2 (chlorpyrifos)	Phosdrin®1/2/3 (mevinphos)
Cygon®2 (dimethoate)	Ethyl Guthion® (azinphos-ethyl)	melathion2/4	phosphamidon2
Cythion®2/4 (malathion)	Famophos® (famphur)	Matacil® (aminocarb)	resmethrin
Dasanit®5 (fensulfothion)			Sevin®2 (carbaryl)
			Spactracide®2
GROUP II - MODERATELY TOXIC: These can be used around bees if dosage, timing, and method of application are correct, but should not be applied directly on bees in the field or at the colonies.
Abate®2 (temophos)	Ciodrin® (crotoxyphos)	endrin1/2	Pethane®	Trithion®2 (carbophenothion)
Agritox® (trichloronate)	Counter®	Kolan® (rounel)	Pyramat®	Vydate®2 (oxamyl)
Banol® (carbanolate)	DDT1/2/10	Metasystox R®2 (oxydemeton-methyl)	Systox®1/2 (demeton)	Zolone® (phosolone)
Carzol®2 (formethanate)	Dechlorane® (mirax)	mirex (Dechlorane)	Thimet®1/2/6 (phorate)
chlordane2	Di- Syston®1/6 (disulfoton)	Mocap® (ethoprop)	Thiodan®2 (endosulfan)

(.....................)
¹ California state regulation requires permits for most uses of these chemicals; also for 2, 4 - D and 2, 4, 5 - T as weed treatment but not as hormone sprays on citrus.
² These chemicals have been laboratory tested and field tested mainly on alfalfa, citrus, cotton, ladino clover, milo and swest cors; all others are laboratory tested only.
³ Dibros^®, Phoedrin^® and tepp have such chart residual activity that they kill only bees contacted at treatment time or shortly thereafter. These chemicals usually are safe to use when base are not in flight; they are not safe to use around colonies.
⁴ Malathion has been used on thousands of acres of blooming alfalfa without serious loss of base. However, occasional heavy losses have occurred, particularly under high temperature conditions. If applied to alfalfa in bloom, it should be only as a spray, and treatment should be made during the night or early in the morning when bees are not foraging in the field. Undiluted technical malathion spray should not be used around bees.
⁵ Nematocida.
⁶ Di-System^® and other systemic pesticides used as seed treatment have not caused bee losses.
⁷ Temik^®, although highly toxic to bees as a contact poison, in used caly is granular form and extensive field usage has not caused bee losses.
⁹ Resistent
¹⁰ has been temporarily withdrawn from most uses in the U.S.A.
^® Registered trade name.