honeybee disease

[Julie Servantez]

Thought I would share:

https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/161015a.aspx

[Matthew Hennek]

My favorite three lines:

"Dr. Christopher Cripps is a rarity as one of a handful of U.S. veterinarians knowledgeable about honeybee health and apiculture."

"Come Jan. 1, 2017, hobbyist and commercial beekeepers alike will no longer be able to purchase antimicrobials over the counter, but instead, will need a veterinary feed directive or prescription for the drugs they administer to their honeybees."

“I think the FDA is not looking for us to exchange our signature for money, which is basically how the beekeepers feel the veterinarians are going to be,” he said.


That is exactly how it is going to be!  Supply and demand.  No supply of bee vets and now a government dictated demand.  

This whole bill stinks of big ag interests.  How many small/hobbiest/sideliner farmers/beeks can afford a vet visit for 1 or 2 chickens/pigs/cows/hives?  How many big ag businesses have a vet employed as part of their operation? Spreading out the costs of a vet over 1000 head of cattle is different than a guy who owns a dozen but wants to make a few dollars on the side.  How much antibiotic resistance are a few small scale farmers inducing vs a giant CAFO that treats prophylactically? 

[Mark Evans]

I believe there is wisdom in backing up a bit here & considering why this change is being implemented & then seek a thoughtful conversation from that point.  The concern, widely discussed by medical researchers, geneticists, evolutionary biologists and others throughout the world, is the over-use of antibiotics.  Their concerns are well founded.  As in any situation with which one disagrees, offer alternative approaches to result in a solution to the problem...

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From: "Matthew Hennek" <matthew...@gmail.com>
To: "madbees" <mad...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 28, 2016 6:34:18 PM
Subject: [madbees] Re: honeybee disease

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[Greg V]

Redundancy, redundancy and redundancy is the answer.
Split and swarm and don't worry too much.

[Greg V]

.....ideally over the multiple, separate sites.
They can keep their drugs to themselves.

[Matthew Hennek]

"offer alternative approaches to result in a solution to the problem..."

Very wise words Mark.

For starters, a top down approach: educate the educator.

Educating our appointed officials on the impact of prophylactic treatment of antibiotics to honeybees. There is no better way to induce antibiotic resistance than unnecessary prophylactic dosing.

Secondly, target those in which the greatest impact can be made with the smallest harm. This harkens back to my comment on CAFOs vs small scale farmer.

[jeanne hansen]

This is new legislation, but what does it really mean??  Will bee supply places no longer carry amitraz??  Or, will they have it, but can't hand it to you until you flash the prescription?

What will prevent a few rebels from neglecting to ask for the prescription, and just sell it to me??

 

Thanks!
Jeanne Hansen
824 Jacobson Ave
Madison, WI 53714
608-244-5094

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From: Julie Servantez <juliese...@gmail.com>
To: madbees <mad...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 28, 2016 5:33 PM
Subject: [madbees] honeybee disease

Thought I would share:

https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/161015a.aspx

[Matthew Hennek]

"This is new legislation, but what does it really mean??  Will bee supply places no longer carry amitraz??  Or, will they have it, but can't hand it to you until you flash the prescription?"

Amitraz is not an antibiotic, so it's not covered.  Rick Schneider knows this better than I, but to my knowledge this only applies to antibiotics (Fumagilin-B, Tetra Bee oxytetracycline, terramycin, tylosin, etc) and they may be working out a compromise where beekeepers don't have to get a permission slip/prescription.  I'm unclear as to what evidence/tests would have to be done for a vet to even give out a prescription.

"What will prevent a few rebels from neglecting to ask for the prescription, and just sell it to me??"   

Men/women with badges and guns will fine and/or imprison those rebels who are selling it.  In a nutshell, no one will sell it to you if you don't have a prescription.    

[Scott Earnest]

As a licensed veterinarian and fellow bee keeper I am hoping I can be of help to the club with these new laws going into effect. I'm working on sorting out what will be required to legitimately prescribe products so that I can do so in a responsible and cost effective way without compromising my license. I will have more information available soon.

Best,
Scott

Scott Earnest DVM
Lodi WI

[James]

I haven't done this for about 10 years, but I can remember the day when I walked into Farm and Fleet and bought packages of Amprolium (sp?) and tetramycin.  You just picked them up and paid.  Same with wormers.  But many of  the same antibiotics you use on pigs, you use on bees.  (Well I don't, but some folks do).  So is all that going to change as well?  

But it's probably not the end of the world either.  Last year I had a piglet with pneumonia and I called the vet and he gave me the antibiotic, the needle and the syringe for under ten bucks.  He never saw the pig.  Most farmers, including hobbyists, do a lot of their own veternairy work.  You almost have to.  Vets are really busy and you don;t want to bother them for one animal when they need to deal with whole herds.  So fears of needing a vet to inspect your hives are probably unwarrented.  Just need to know what to look for, what to do, and a cooperative vet.