# Treatment for Nosema **URL:** \ **Category:** Pests and Diseases\ **Created:** [September 4, 2016, 11:35am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/treatment-for-nosema/8449 "2016-09-04T11:35:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zab](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/zab/32/3709_2.png) [@Zab](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Zab)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 11:35am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/treatment-for-nosema/8449/1 "2016-09-04T11:35:20Z")
Hi all, I know it’s been awhile since I chatted on the forum but I been following the chatter. I have a question about Nosema, I recall in one of the chats that someone was using a treatment tthat you can mix in 1:1. There was a link to seller of the product but I can’t recall the link or the name of it. Can someone please place link in this topic. thank you in advance Zab ---
**Author:** ![berrmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@berrmich](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/berrmich)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 12:04pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/treatment-for-nosema/8449/2 "2016-09-04T12:04:59Z")
Probably thinking of thymol? Maybe do a search for thymol and Nosema to find that topic. Or fumagillin? Mike ---
**Author:** ![Anon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@Anon](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Anon)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 1:02pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/treatment-for-nosema/8449/3 "2016-09-04T13:02:07Z")
What are you seeing that you think you have Nosema? ---
**Author:** ![Zab](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/zab/32/3709_2.png) [@Zab](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Zab)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 1:48pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/treatment-for-nosema/8449/4 "2016-09-04T13:48:00Z")
Hi @Anon these are some the Symptoms that I’m seeing decreased honey production colonies failing to thrive queen lays fewer eggs and 2 hives I replaced queen with VSH ones – decreased brood production decreased brood bees unable to fly or only flying short distances bees trembling or quivering not really seeing dysentery/diarrhea inside hive or out bees crawling aimlessly outside hive on landing board Also recall that the treatment was antibiotic for the bees stomach and Its made here in the US, just can’t remember who posted the link maybe @Dawn_SD. May not even be for nosema, but for Bees bad guts. 😕 thank you for responding so quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Anon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@Anon](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Anon)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 2:10pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/treatment-for-nosema/8449/5 "2016-09-04T14:10:16Z")
Hi Zab, I’m about 50 miles from you: I wrote a couple of thoughts and just copied and pasted. > [@Zab](#): > > decreased honey production **It’s September and you’re in the N.E. USA = normal** > colonies failing to thrive **It’s September and you’re in the N.E. USA = MITES** > queen lays fewer eggs and 2 hives I replaced queen with VSH ones – decreased brood production **It’s September and you’re in the N.E. USA = normal & MITES. If they are really good at VSH they are removing brood infested with MITES** > decreased brood **It’s September and you’re in the N.E. USA = normal & MITES. If they are really good at VSH they are removing brood infested with MITES** > bees unable to fly or only flying short distances **It’s September and you’re in the N.E. USA = Parasitic MITE Syndrome (PMS)** > bees trembling or quivering **It’s September and you’re in the N.E. USA = Parasitic MITE Syndrome (PMS)** > not really seeing dysentery/diarrhea inside hive or out **Probably because it’s not Nosema but PMS** > bees crawling aimlessly outside hive on landing board **It’s September and you’re in the N.E. USA = Parasitic MITE Syndrome (PMS)** [http://www.ohiostatebeekeepers.org/resources/ohio-fact-sheets/parasitic-mite-syndrome-pms/](http://www.ohiostatebeekeepers.org/resources/ohio-fact-sheets/parasitic-mite-syndrome-pms/) **What are you’re mite treatment methods?** ---
**Author:** ![Zab](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/zab/32/3709_2.png) [@Zab](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Zab)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 2:18pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/treatment-for-nosema/8449/6 "2016-09-04T14:18:26Z")
hi @Anon To be honest I was going treatment free, but it seem like that is unavoidable due to the problem I’m having of late. So now I’m considering to do the treatment just don’t know with one. ---
**Author:** ![Anon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@Anon](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Anon)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 2:49pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/treatment-for-nosema/8449/7 "2016-09-04T14:49:26Z")
Once all the hives are dead, you will surely be “treatment free” lol But seriously, I think treatment free is attainable if you’re willing to make sacrifices for the first several years and keep many hives to replace dead-outs. I keep 50 hives so if I lost 30 over the winter I know I’d have no trouble re-populating those empty boxes through swarms and splits. ---
**Author:** ![Dee](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/dee/32/5840_2.png) [@Dee](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Dee)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 2:51pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/treatment-for-nosema/8449/8 "2016-09-04T14:51:23Z")
A quick squash for nosema is easy and quick to do. [http://scientificbeekeeping.com/sick-bees-part-13-simple-microscopy-of-nosema/](http://scientificbeekeeping.com/sick-bees-part-13-simple-microscopy-of-nosema/) Every beekeeper should have a small microscope and they are cheap to buy. fumagillin used to be licensed in the uk but is now banned. Thymol works very well. Thymol crystals are widely available off ebay I have a recipe. Routine use to prevent nosema in the winter syrup and a more concentrated solution for active disease. Diseased bees recover very well of sprayed as below. Put 30g thymol crystals in a jar. Add 5ml of isopropyl alcohol to the crystals,place jar into a water bath of boiling water to speed up the dissolving process. The thymol alcohol solution will not mix with water so you have to emulsify it. In another jar pour in 140 ml of boiling water and add 1 teaspoon of lecithin granules, stir well,and place this jar into a water bath of boiling water,stirring often for about ten minutes or so until most of the lecithin granules have dissolved,you can then strain this mixture through a tea strainer or similar to remove any granules that have not dissolved fully. Then simply add the dissolved thymol to this mix,and shake well. It will look milky and will keep forever. To use add 5ml to each gallon of syrup and stir well. The thymol mix can be use to treat bees with active infection and is used at 5ml of the pre mix to 1L of 1:1 syrup lightly sprayed over the bees and combs every 4 days three times. ---
**Author:** ![Dee](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/dee/32/5840_2.png) [@Dee](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Dee)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 2:54pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/treatment-for-nosema/8449/9 "2016-09-04T14:54:06Z")
Ps nosema ceranae does not cause dysentry ---
**Author:** ![Zab](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/zab/32/3709_2.png) [@Zab](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Zab)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 3:02pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/treatment-for-nosema/8449/10 "2016-09-04T15:02:56Z")
Wow! thank you @Dee that a lot of useful information and very detail, I promise you I will give it a go as soon as I research some of those material you said to add. thank you to @Anon ---
**Author:** ![Anon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@Anon](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Anon)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 3:21pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/treatment-for-nosema/8449/11 "2016-09-04T15:21:33Z")
An interesting Cerane read but understand it is 6 years old: > **[Nosema ceranae The Inside Story - eXtension](http://articles.extension.org/pages/27064/nosema-ceranae-the-inside-story)** > > Managed Pollinator Coordinated Agriculture Program (CAP) UpdatesA National Research and Extension Initiative to Reverse Pollinator... I know at our state beekeeping meeting there was talk about lemon juice having a promising outlook. ---
**Author:** ![Dawn\_SD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/dawn_sd/32/15954_2.png) [@Dawn\_SD](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Dawn_SD)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 5:06pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/treatment-for-nosema/8449/12 "2016-09-04T17:06:33Z")
It wasn’t me, but I think it probably was @Dee - she has written out that thymol recipe before, I think. However, I am inclined to agree with @Anon, you are probably seeing the effects of varroa. Even if you didn’t want to treat, it wouldn’t hurt to do a sugar roll test to see if we are right. If the varroa count isn’t high, it might be worth going to all that trouble of making up the thymol emulsion. I also agree with Ed, that going treatment-free is fine if you have a lot of hives, but it may not be practical for those of us with only one or two hives. I have 2 hives at the moment, and although I have been able to be treatment-free so far, I am testing my bees for varroa. If the count gets worrying, I will be treating. If you like, I have a preference for no treatment, but I will not risk losing a colony to a treatable disease if I see a heavy infestation/infection. > [@Dee](#): > > A quick squash for nosema is easy and quick to do. [Sick Bees - Part 13: Simple Microscopy of Nosema for Beekeepers - Scientific Beekeeping](http://scientificbeekeeping.com/sick-bees-part-13-simple-microscopy-of-nosema/) This is a brilliant article. My husband has a nice Leitz microscope at home, so I am tempted to try it out. I am even tempted to get the microscope Randy Oliver recommends, to compare a $300 one with his $10,000 model! 😄 Might even make a grown man cry a little! 😈 ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Bush](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/michael_bush/32/1024_2.png) [@Michael\_Bush](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Michael_Bush)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 7:36pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/treatment-for-nosema/8449/13 "2016-09-04T19:36:07Z")
42 years in beekeeping. I’ve never treated for Nosema. I’ve never seen any indication that they had Nosema. Of course I’ve seen dysentery any time any hive is confined they get that. Anytime the bees are working the rotting pears in my yard, they also get dysentery. Quivering bees that can’t fly is more likely a virus such as IAPV or one of the others spread by the Varroa. [http://www.bushfarms.com/beesnosema.htm](http://www.bushfarms.com/beesnosema.htm) [http://www.bushfarms.com/beespests.htm#nosema](http://www.bushfarms.com/beespests.htm#nosema) [http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfoursimplesteps.htm](http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfoursimplesteps.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Dee](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/dee/32/5840_2.png) [@Dee](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Dee)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 8:07pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/treatment-for-nosema/8449/14 "2016-09-04T20:07:36Z")
N ceranae is increasingly seen here in the uk. Apis tends to be self limiting and colonies usually clear themselves once they can get out to forage properly. There are worrying reports of colony losses due to Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus with some beekeepers suffering heavy losses that mimic pesticide poisoning.