Which diseases we detect and what the infection levels mean¶
Plan: Apisense PRO AI
The VitalSensor with our analysis detects the risk of four diseases: varroosis, nosemosis, American foulbrood and chalkbrood. For varroosis and nosemosis, the alert has an infection level: low, moderate or high. For American foulbrood and chalkbrood, the alert tells you that a risk is present, without a level.
What the "Infection" field in a disease alert means¶
| In the app | Disease | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| low | varroosis, nosemosis | The disease is present, but it does not threaten the colony yet. This is common. |
| moderate | varroosis, nosemosis | A disease. Plan your actions. |
| high | varroosis, nosemosis | An advanced disease. The colony needs intervention. |
| exposure | chalkbrood | Contact with the disease without clear symptoms. |
| infected | American foulbrood, chalkbrood | A disease signal. Check the hive as soon as possible. |
The American foulbrood alert shows Infection: infected. This means suspected foulbrood, based on the VitalSensor measurements. It is not a confirmed disease.
American foulbrood is a notifiable disease. See Suspected foulbrood: what to do.
How to compare a varroa examination result with the levels¶
The alert levels match the usual beekeeping examinations:
| Level | Alcohol wash or sugar roll | Daily natural drop |
|---|---|---|
| Low | up to approx. 2% infestation | 2-3 mites per day |
| Moderate | approx. 3-4% infestation | 4-10 mites per day |
| High | above approx. 5% infestation | above 11 mites per day |
Infestation in percent is the number of mites per 100 bees in the sample. Example: 25 mites from a sample of approx. 300 bees is approx. 8%. This is the high level. The daily natural drop is the number of mites on the insert, divided by the number of days that the insert was in the hive.
The sugar roll usually finds slightly fewer mites than the alcohol wash. When the result is close to a threshold, treat it as the next level up.
How to compare a nosema examination result with the levels¶
| Level | Spore count (per 10 bees) |
|---|---|
| Low | 1-3 spores |
| Moderate | 4-40 spores |
| High | above 40 spores |
You find the spore count with a microscope. Instructions: Nosema/Vairimorpha microscopy.
A nosemosis alert, but the colony has no symptoms¶
The analysis of the air in the hive often detects a disease before you see symptoms. Thus a nosemosis alert without symptoms is not necessarily an error.
- Read the Recommendations list in the alert details.
- Fill in the Answer a few questions form.
- To confirm the disease, do a microscope examination or send a sample to a laboratory.
Good to know¶
- The app saves the examination result, but it does not convert it to an infection level.
- The Examinations tab is available only in the research programme. Outside the programme, write the result in a note to the hive.
- The tables give approximate thresholds. Make the treatment decision with a veterinarian.