Danish virus

Have noticed a new viral disease in a few of my Italian Mediterranean type honeybee colonies.
The worker brood capping looks slightly different with a slight swirl and lighter colour ... a bit like a Danish pastry... the sealed worker brood is dead, is easilu extracted from the cell with tweezers.. all seem dry and there seems to be no perforation or no cap as with sack brood.

Only seems to infect a small patch of sealed brood, but the loss of brood must have an impact of colony growth.

SBI called in and says that it is being widely reported across the country and that Defra are aware , it has no name** or recommendations for treatment ... and a research team headed by GB has been investigating.

I was told NOT to panic as this will possibly be a "seasonal" virus that will vanish as rapidly as it has appeared.

Now we have left the EU for good ... can we ban imports of bees?

In desperation

Yeghes da

**I am suggesting DANISH virus as the cap looks like a Danish pastry and no derogatory inflection aimed at the Danish bee breeders intended.

Have you seen it???

I would fully support you to stop the import of bees. This would not be a guarantee to be safe, but it would reduce the risks. I do hope that we can get our act together so that the importing of Bees would not be needed...

Very little seems to be known let alone published on this new quite serious threat to UK beekeepers

Nos da

What's the giveaway with this new virus - the swirls on the brood capping or the non-emergence of the brood when all else has emerged.

What do you look for, up in Killiwick?

CVB

charlievictorbravo said:

What's the giveaway with this new virus -

CVB

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no cherry on the icing and the cinammon is very intense

Seriously!!!

Capped brood is dead, capping has a swirl effect as in a Danish pastry.
Seems to be prevalent across the UK
SBI information is that this is taking out approx 5%of the brood.
Another imported virus that will probably take its course and vanish in a year or so.

My surprise is that nobody else has reported it!!

Will try to get some photos as very prevalent in my Mediterranean type colonies

Nos da

icanhopit said:

Now we have left the EU for good ... can we ban imports of bees?

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Are these affected colonies recently imported bees? Italian bees are not native bees in this country which is why I ask.

Truble said:

Are these affected colonies recently imported bees? Italian bees are not native bees in this country which is why I ask.

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The little information I have is that this novel virus has been seen in all counties, and apparently is being investigated by one of the Defra/APHA/NBU leading scientist Giles Budge.
I however do not have much more information than that.

If these novel viruses do not come in with imported and infected bees.. how else would you think they get here?


Yeghes da

Naturally occurring mutations in already present benign viruses is one obvious possibility.
We have already seen how a dominant non disease causing form of DWV has helped prevent the Swindon Bees form developing symptoms of DWV.

icanhopit said:

Now we have left the EU for good ...

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Really? I must have slept though the news the last few weeks - or did a little piskie tell you?

Truble said:

Naturally occurring mutations in already present benign viruses is one obvious possibility.
We have already seen how a dominant non disease causing form of DWV has helped prevent the Swindon Bees form developing symptoms of DWV.

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That was 316 years ago.. try to keep up!

Nos da

I would also support a ban of bees into the UK. At times this may be hard to manage but it would be for the long term good.

I would need more info and a few pictures to make a decision.

icanhopit said:

Seriously!!!

Capped brood is dead, capping has a swirl effect as in a Danish pastry.
Seems to be prevalent across the UK
SBI information is that this is taking out approx 5%of the brood.
Another imported virus that will probably take its course and vanish in a year or so.

My surprise is that nobody else has reported it!!

Will try to get some photos as very prevalent in my Mediterranean type colonies

Nos da

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How Danish Virus can jump into Tamar Valley? Is it inherited from Viking time?

.

Does someone want to post a pic of the typical effects seen on the brood, or just post a picture of a Danish pastry , either way, need more information please!! and i want rasins and nuts!!

Plenty of honey said:

Does someone want to post a pic of the typical effects seen on the brood, or just post a picture of a Danish pastry , either way, need more information please!! and i want rasins and nuts!!

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A few nuts on here... imagine this look to your brood cappings...





Must carry camera with me!

Yeghes da

Yup, that's how they should look!!delicious!!

Could we have a real picture? Or a link to some defra/fera websites documenting/describing it
And may I suggest swirlbrood as a name or even danish swirlbrood

icanhopit said:

Seriously!!!

Capped brood is dead, capping has a swirl effect as in a Danish pastry.
Seems to be prevalent across the UK
SBI information is that this is taking out approx 5%of the brood.
Another imported virus that will probably take its course and vanish in a year or so.

My surprise is that nobody else has reported it!!

Will try to get some photos as very prevalent in my Mediterranean type colonies

Nos da

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If little is known about it why are suggesting it's been imported ? Were perfectly capable of developing our own viruses without the EU.

SDM said:

If little is known about it why are suggesting it's been imported ? Were perfectly capable of developing our own viruses without the EU.

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Epidemiology seems to point to the majority of novel virus to the UK are vectored in by a carrier from the area from where the virus has mutated... Europe/ Asia is a vast land mass compared to this small island, hence many more chances for a novel virus to develop

Our own Defra / Apha SBI has identified and described this new virus pest to a number of beekeepers, the cell cap looks "swirly" ( hence Danish pastry) and contains a dead larvae... apparently Giles Budge and his team are investigating... but as ever never publish their findings, or it seems feel deemed answer questions.

No treatment availiable

So we are all doomed?

Yeghes da