Honeybee Disease.
It’s Best to be Aware!
Let's Take a Look at
Some of Them

This article is certainly not intended to frighten you in any way its more to create an awareness of honeybee disease for the beginners of beekeeping.

In fact over the years there have been many forms of disease, however please don’t allow this to put you off keeping your own and benefiting from all that lovely raw honey they will produce for you.

Let’s take a look together at these honeybee disease’s and discover what we should be looking for and how we can avoid them.

First let’s look at American Foulbrood; this honeybee disease is caused by bacillus bacterium larvae. This particular bee disease is caused by the forming of spores.

Mainly, this one is treated as the most virulent type of disease because it can affect bees whatever their age.

American foulbrood (AFB) is a serious bee disease; it is very contagious and is a notifiable bacterial disease of honeybee brood.

This honeybee disease can appear and spread quite quickly throughout a bee colony and if left untreated may result in the death of the bee hive in a short space of time.

The germination of this spore in their bodies will happen just as they ingest their food. Their death happens normally after their cells are sealed in the process.

And yes, those spores are infectious. A dead bee contains spores in 100 million amounts or more.

This bee disease can appear at any time of the year. It is so important to detect it as early as possible.

Things to look for are greasy looking cell cappings which at times can also look sunken and unclean; there will often be a strong unpleasant smell.

Please don’t panic when reading this because it is not always the case it will wipe out your bees. Help is available. There are testing kits which you can buy and of course this is a wise decision.

There are treatments which are available to wipe out this honeybee disease especially drugs like Terramycin antibiotic. And of course good beekeeping practises are vital.

It is not America alone there is also a bee disease called European Foulbrood. This bee disease is not as first thought as completely vicious as the American type.

European foulbrood honeybee disease is however also serious and is a notifiable bacterial bee disease of international proportions.

It appears it could be increasing and but European foulbrood is not usually regarded as an important disease like American foulbrood yet the two can often be confused or even mis-diagnosed.

Many bee colonies in the UK have had to be destroyed and notices displayed at infected apiaries. It is probably best to steer clear from these places for a while when setting up your own beekeeping business or hobby.

The bee larvae infected with the bee disease European Foulbrood often appear to be twisted in their cells, their bodies sometimes forming an unnatural C-shape along the sides or in the bottoms of the cells. The larvae appear to go brown and or yellow and will also omit a foul odor.

In some countries, beekeepers are permitted to use as a preventative oxytetracycline which also acts well as a curative treatment.

Disappearing bees or CCD is the bee disease that still appears to have scientists and experts stumped!

There is also the Varro Mite, a nasty blood sucking creature much like the lice we see on our children’s heads they bring home from school with them.

Today’s experts have allowed many people to realize some facts about these bee diseases and lets face it any beekeeper worth his salt will do his research properly beforehand.

Please do this and please do not allow any of this to put you off beekeeping, its just wise and precautionary to be aware.

Chilled brood this is the result from prolonged low temperature changes. The honey bees need to be able to keep warm through the winter months; a good bee hive and strong colony which you have looked after well will ensure this.

Stonebrood on the other hand is caused by Aspergillus, a fungi living commonly in soils. These will possible make entire mummified bee brood.

Acute Paralysis Virus is very common in the honey bee colonies. Their population can be collapsed despite the fact that they may appear healthy in naked eyes.

Other bee diseases are Sacbrood, Purple brood and Chalkbrood and prey like the wax moth, black bear and Arthropods.

The Organic Honey farmers are totally committed to keeping a safe, honeybee disease free environment because their whole livelihoods depend on this.

This will affect the worldwide economy since honey bees play vital roles in plant pollination which includes our flowers, fruits and crops.

They also sustain income and profit to agriculture. The main point of a beekeeper is to work ensuring the health of honey bees. This in turn will reward us and them with the health benefits of honey.

Never buy a second-hand bee hive; this could have been infected with any kind of honeybee disease. These should be destroyed by being burnt.

You should always buy new hives and of course brand new beekeeping equipment.

The best advice I can give to you is to speak with an expert beekeeper, there is probably one nearby to you and his/her expert advice will ensure you won't ever have to worry or concern yourselves with any kind of dreaded honeybee disease.

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