# Holst milk test and difference between AFB and EFB



## marco (Nov 8, 2016)

Hello, I have a problem with one of our hives. The poors bees are infested with mites and the queen is gone since 5-6 days, reason unknown.
They were preparing for winter so there is still some capped/fresh brood but not much...
The problem is that I am seeing some dead larvae and in general I think they might have some illness, almost surely from the horrible varroa infestation that they've been subjected to this year (the other colonies have way less mites than this one.) I am deeply worried that they might be affected by AFB, but some fellow beekeepers around here say that it might be EFB since the dead larvae don't form a sticky rope when I insert a stick in the cells.

I have run the Holst milk test with demineralized water and skimmed milk, and the result are somewhat confusing, in the sense that the milk has formed clump but is not totally clear. I read that in the case of AFB the milk solution should turn put clear or "apple juice" color after 10-20 minutes.

I don't know what to think. Does EFB clump milk? Do dead and decomposing larvae not infected with AFB or EFB clump milk? It seems that the milk has churned like cheese, but I think that may also be caused by the acid of the decomposing larvae...

Here's some pictures:

















Milk test with control sample (on the left) after 15 minutes









Milk test after about 1 hour


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## wildbranch2007 (Dec 3, 2008)

here is a video of Randy Oliver doing the test and results

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTc5gK129-Q&t=96s


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## FlowerPlanter (Aug 3, 2011)

Send a sample to the lab,

On Randy Oliver's site at least twice he was surprised by the lab results thinking it was one or the other, On David Cushman's site he was also was surprised by the results between caulk brood and EFB. To be 100% sure you need a lab test. 

When I had EFB the milk test did not change at all. By your test I would think that's a positive. You now need a lab to confirm, I would not trust the test sticks either. 

I can't imagine this hive will survive winter either way. If the population is low you might seal it up (before it's robbed) pending lab results that will determine if you burn or not.


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## Wolftrainer (May 24, 2009)

I inspected hives for the state of Iowa for 3 years and used the milk test. I know AFB when I see it but would do the milk test to show the beekeepers. The milk test worked for AFB not EFB. I found that if Terramycin or Tylan had been used in the hive the milk test would not work. I used powdered milk, water and would warm the milk on the hood of my van so it would work faster. I am not sure why your milk clumped.


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## marco (Nov 8, 2016)

thank you for the answers.
I am also not sure why the milk has clumped. 
Could it be because of the acidic properties of a decaying larva?
In case of AFB, the milk should be totally digested and clear with no residues, right?


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## cowdoc (May 15, 2011)

What was the varroa count in this hive? It looks like you have a mite in the milk test. Is it or is it other debris? 

This looks more like a mite issue with the brood death they bring as populations decrease and viruses spread. Did you see brown decaying pupae or scale or punctured cappings? The VitaCheck Elisa tests will test for actual antigens of the P. larva bacteria. A veterinarian with a simple microbiology lab could also culture samples of decaying brood. In the USA, we have a national lab that will do the same. Do you have such a lab in your country? 

Chris Cripps
[email protected]


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## marco (Nov 8, 2016)

This family was (and still is) heavily infested by mites.

The mite count was in the thousands in august. We treated them with oxalic but the mites are still high.
I also suspect that the problem is given by mites rather than some foulbrood.
But I'm still perplexed by the test results...


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## Eduardo Gomes (Nov 10, 2014)

PMS (parasitic mite syndrome) looks very similar to European Foulbrood.

You can see that here: https://beeinformed.org/2013/10/15/parasitic-mite-syndrome-pms/
Good luck!


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