# FoulBrood, Treat or Destroy?



## peacekeeperapiaries (Jun 23, 2009)

Here in Florida we are required to burn the bees and equipment according to our State Bee Inspector.


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## DRUR (May 24, 2009)

peacekeeperapiaries said:


> Here in Florida we are required to burn the bees and equipment according to our State Bee Inspector.


I suspect that those State's which have regulations dealing with this issue, that destruction would be a universal requirement. Please see the following:

*Beekeeping Basics, Penn State, College of Agricultural Sciences, Cooperative Extension.* Page 41-43

*Brood Diseases
American Foulbrood*
American foulbrood (AFB) is an infectious brood disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Paenibacillus larvae. It is the most widespread and destructive of the brood diseases. Adult bees are not affected by AFB. Paenibacillus larvae occurs in two forms: vegetative (rod-shaped bacterial cells) and spores. Only the spore stage is infectious to honey bees. Larvae less than 53 hours old become infected by swallowing spores present in their food. Older larvae are not susceptible. The spores germinate into the vegetative stage soon after they enter the larval gut and continue to multiply until larval death. New spores form after the larva dies. Death typically occurs after the cell is capped, during the last 2 days of the larval stage or first 2 days of the pupal stage. Brood combs in an infected colony have a scattered and irregular pattern of capped and uncapped cells. Infected cells are discolored, sunken, and have punctured cappings (Figure 36). This “pepperbox” appearance contrasts with the yellowish-brown, convex, and continuity of sealed cells of a healthy brood comb (Figure 8, page 6). Dead larvachange gradually from a healthy pearly white to light brown and then to a dark coffee-brown. With American foulbrood, this color change is uniform over the entire body. Within a month or so, these dead larvae dry down into brittle scales that are almost black. Each scale contains as many as 100 million spores. The scales lie flat along the lower walls of the cells with the rear portion curving partway up the bottom of the cell. House bees cannot completely remove the scales from the cells. During the early stages of decay—up until about 3 weeks after death—the dead larvae have a glue-like consistency. The cell mass may string out for an inch or more when a toothpick is inserted and withdrawn; this is known as the “ropy stage” (Figure 37). When death does not occur until the pupal stage, pupae undergo the same changes in color and consistency as larvae. In addition, a pupal tongue sticks up from the remains toward the top wall of the cell; this is one of the most characteristic symptoms of American foulbrood but may not always be present.
Only a few dead larvae or pupae will be seen when the colony is first infected by the disease. Once established though, AFB spreads rapidly through the brood area. If left unchecked, AFB can be transmitted quickly to other healthy colonies at the same location and even to nearby apiaries. 
Nurse bees within the hive inadvertently feed honey contaminated with spores to young larvae, which perpetuates the disease. As the number of brood cells increases with the scales of dead larvae, which are spore reservoirs, housecleaning bees also aid in spore dispersal. Honey supplies within the brood chamber soon become contaminated as honey is stored in these spore-laden cells. Bees also transfer honey from the brood chamber to the supers above, thus spreading disease throughout the entire hive. 
As the infection weakens a colony, the colony can no longer defend itself against robbers from strong colonies in the area. Spore-contaminated honey is spread quickly from hive to hive. 
American foulbrood is also transmitted through the interchange of combs between hives. When this disease is not recognized in an apiary, combs from a diseased hive inadvertently may be: (1) used in making splits or increases, (2) used in exchanging brood and food between hives, and (3) mixed with combs from other hives during honey extraction. In addition, the beekeeper’s hive tool and gloves may spread AFB from hive to hive. 
American foulbrood spores are highly resistant to desiccation, heat, and chemical disinfectants. These spores can remain virulent for more than 40 years in combs and honey. Therefore, honey should not be purchased from other sources to feed bees. Only feed combs of honey if you are absolutely sure they are disease free. An inexperienced beekeeper should not buy bees or equipment that have not been examined by an inspector or someone else familiar with the disease. Even a stray swarm from an infected colony may carry AFB. American foulbrood cannot be transmitted to humans and has no effect on honey for human consumption. 
Because of the highly contagious and devastating action of the disease, every beekeeper should know the symptoms and be able to recognize AFB in its early stages. If you suspect disease and need help in diagnosis, contact your state apiary inspection service (see appendix or consult the MAAREC Web site: maarec.cas.psu.edu). Samples of diseased comb for laboratory diagnosis can be sent to: 
Beltsville Bee Research Laboratory 
Building 476 BARC-East 
Beltsville, MD 20705 
To send samples for diagnosis, select a sample of brood comb about 4 inches square that contains a large number of suspect cells. The section of comb can be wrapped in some type of breathable material such as tissue or paper towel and mailed in a strong cardboard box. Do not use aluminum foil or plastic bags. Samples that are crushed, wet from condensation, or moldy because of improper packaging make diagnosis impossible. Another alternative is to send a smear of the contents of the suspect cells in aluminum foil. 
Colonies infected with American foulbrood should be destroyed by burning. Burning the bees and all of the equipment is the only sure way to be absolutely free of this disease. The bottom board, hive bodies, supers, and inner and outer covers can be disinfected and reused. However, there is no guarantee that the equipment can be completely sterilized, and the disease may reappear. Before burning, diseased colonies should be killed in the evening after all foraging activities have ceased. This can be done by drenching the bees in the colony with soapy water. Burning bees and equipment found to be infected with antibiotic-resistant AFB is highly recommended and even mandatory in some Mid-Atlantic States. 
To burn diseased equipment, dig a pit 18 inches deep and wide enough to hold all combs and equipment to be burned. Build a fire in the pit. Set your unopened hive close to the pit and drop all combs and dead bees into the fire. After everything has been completely burned and the area cleaned of small pieces of comb or bees, cover the ashes with dirt. 
Equipment that was saved (bottom boards, hive bodies, and covers) should be scraped to remove all propolis and wax, then scrubbed with a stiff brush and hot, soapy water. Dispose of the wash water and burn the scrapings so they are not accessible to the bees. After scraping and scrubbing, all equipment should be either fire scorched or completely immersed in a boiling lye solution. Prepare your lye solution (sodium hydroxide) by mixing 1 pound of lye with 10 gallons of water. Boil the equipment for20 minutes; wooden parts can be damaged by longer exposure. Weaker solutions may not remove all of the wax and propolis from the equipment. Remember that lye solutions are caustic and can cause severe burns. Before using, read the label carefully and observe all precautions. 
A blowtorch is suitable for scorching small quantities of equipment. Burn the surface until it is light brown, making sure to include the corners. For large quantities of hive bodies, brush the inside surfaces with kerosene. Stack the hive bodies with the metal rabbets facing downward on top of each other, five to eight supers high, and then ignite the stacks, allowing them to burn long enough to lightly char the wood. Another approach is to fill the stack with wadded sheets of newspaper sprinkled with kerosene. Place an outer cover on top of the stack to smother the fire when you are finished. 
Antibiotics such as Terramycin® (oxytetracycline HCL) have been used as a preventive measure as well as a treatment against American foulbrood. These antibiotics do not kill Paenibaccillus larvae spores but prevent or delay their growth when present in low concentrations in the food fed by workers to susceptible larvae. While this treatment allows individual larvae to survive, it does abso-lutely nothing about the virulent spores in the contaminated equipment. Thus, the disease usually reappears once drug feeding stops. In addition, increasing numbers of colonies and whole beekeeping operations are being found infected with AFB that is resistant to the antibiotic Terramycin. New antibiotics are being investigated for treating foulbrood. However, inevitably over time these too will have reduced effectiveness due to the inherent ability of diseases to develop resistance to drugs. 
For detailed information on approved chemicals for treating American foulbrood and their use, see the appendix or visit the MAAREC Web site: maarec.cas.psu.edu. If you do not have Internet access, contact your local cooperative extension office.
CAUTION: Do not feed antibiotics to your colonies when there is any danger of contaminating the honey crop. All drug feeding must stop at least 6 weeks before any surplus honey flow. Every precaution should be taken to ensure that no antibiotic will ever be present in honey taken from the hive.


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## DRUR (May 24, 2009)

Based upon the above information, I think that both bees and equipment should be destroyed. However, I can see why the treatment was effective during the 80s beings the bees were treated first, then removed from the infected equipment (which was destroyed) and then treatment was continued. Burning destroyed the spores in the equipment, honey stores, and infected brood. 

But, I don't think that I would chance the spread to other bees and equipment. I am glad the issue was brought up by Axtmann and Fat/beeman in the duramycin/terramycin thread. Studying this issue has had an effect on my viewpoint.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Most states that I am familiar w/, NY,OH,VA,SC and others don't require that the equipment be destroyed. Scorched yes, but not destroyed.

Kill the bees, burn the frames and the honey and scorch the supers, bottom board, inner cover and cover.


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

Aaaahhhhh, for those carefree years when AFB was your biggest problem!


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

Decades ago the local ag department ordered me to burn a hive. Since burning was already outlawed around here by the smog board, I asked them where and how? Thats the last I heard from them. I now wrap them in plastic bag and dump at the landfill.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

That's going to be a problem in NY too. Since after Oct. 10th open burning/burn barrels will be illegal.


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