Chalk Brood

[RogueDrone]

I purchased a colony/hive in an auction it had a foot note "some chalk brood" on inspection the following weekend this did not seem to bad. Now the chalk brood seems to be increasing at a rapid rate.

What percentage of Chalk is acceptable?
So I ask for cure / recommended course of action for chalk brood.

The colony its self is quite strong and going up into the supers.

Your advice Apreciated.

Colin

 

[plumberman]

Chalk brood usually associated with a genetic component: requeening is the best course of action.

 

[huntsman666]

Chalk brood is brought on by the bees being under stress. That is when temperature/CO2/food are out of balance.

I'd just leave them alone as the weather is improving nicely.

 

[enrico]

e

 

[grangebees]

I am no expert, but all the reading I have done suggests that it is stress of any sort, and I would imagine being moved around is stress, and the weather is changeable at present also.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I had a colony that came through winter but failed to build up. It was my first from my BKA so I was quite attached to it...stupid , I know. There was a little chalk brood last year but this spring there was absolutely masses. I tested for nosema and spotted a few spores. I thought I'd give her a chance so I shook them into a poly nuc and gave them fumadil. The chalk brood has cleared up and I am moving them into a full size national.
I came within an hour of squishing my first queen but I'm glad I didn't now.

 

[Finman]

.
Chalkbrood is serious disease and it is better to weed out of yard. It emerges when brood are is wide and then cold hits and brood get cold.

There is no chemical treatment against chalkbrood. Only way is to try get resistant bee stock. It is not easy.

Raise much queens and eliminate all which show weaknes to the disease.

 

[Ruth85]

I had chalk brrod in a colony at the beginning of the season, i tried the bee vital chalk brood, mycostop stuff and it seems to have done the job, so worth a try.

 

[Heather]

I had one colony with chalk brood early last year- shook all out onto new brood box and clean foundation- FED more lavishly than usual and left alone. They built up well and are fine. No more chalk brood so I am also pleased I didn't cull.

 

[bonkim2003]

the odd dead larva will be cleaned up before it turns to chalk brood. If there are too many it idicates the bees are not able to keep pace with the numbers and signs that the spores have spread. Depends on whether this is restricted to one frame or more - if in doubt destroy frame - best to get a second opinion as these are my observations and subjective..

 

[huntsman666]

< It emerges when brood are is wide and then cold hits and brood get cold. >

I believe this is chilled brood not chalk brood.

 

[Finman]

I had chalk brrod in a colony at the beginning of the season, i tried the bee vital chalk brood, mycostop stuff and it seems to have done the job, so worth a try.

there is no medicine. Most hives will be healed in summer.
Build up will be layed and that makes yield loss.

Chalk brood does not kill but it cuts more or less the yield.

When you have shalk brood tendency in the yard, it pop up sometimes. It inherits too via drones and daughter and via drones to other virgins.

 

[Ruth85]

there is no medicine. Most hives will be healed in summer.
Build up will be layed and that makes yield loss.

Chalk brood does not kill but it cuts more or less the yield.

When you have shalk brood tendency in the yard, it pop up sometimes. It inherits too via drones and daughter and via drones to other virgins.

I know there is no medicine but it has helped the situation until i can requeen with a better queen from my other colonies. I have not seen any chalk brrod since using this, and will change frames when i can nearer winter as i am working older frames out of brood box. The colony has expanded greatly so far.

 

[huntsman666]

Chalk brood is endemic and just needs stressful conditions to be a problem.

Northing to do with the queen.

Best to think why they were under stress and try and pervent these conditions in future.

 

[Ruth85]

i think it was to do with us moving them, we had just purchased them and had an hr n half journey to new site, at our first inspection saw the chalk brood,ppl had told me the queen was duff and that it was genetic, so thought had to requeen but the bee vital has done job so far

 

[Finman]

.
Best way to get rid off chalk brood is to change the yard genome to resistant. You may say what ever but it is so. Just practical advice. Do what ever you like.

 

[BBG]

.
Best way to get rid off chalk brood is to change the yard genome to resistant. You may say what ever but it is so. Just practical advice. Do what ever you like.

I am close to the end of basic course and have bought the nuc that was produced earlier on, to take home. The tutor, second year in beekeeping, now teaching, seemed successful, not knowledgeable, and bees fit and healthy

To my (not experienced) mind, the bees were tightly packed in the nuc for too long.
I transferred the frames to my hive and it is to remain at association for four more weeks.

Problem, on checking for varroa, I discovered several pieces of chalk brood and am now very concerned.

Alarm bells should have rung weeks ago when I realised tutor was cleaning varroa tray off before students arrived in Apiary and all appeared well but one hour later I had discovered chalk brood on tray.

Finman, among others, I set much store by your ramblings! The nucleus was £160 cash of course.

I am now thinking I should not bring this hive home as according to what I have read here it could spread chalk brood prone bees through mating with my other hives.

Am I correct in being concerned to bring the hive home and risk infecting my other colonies?

Additionally, the teaching Apiary with 12 colonies each with two nucs apiece, has had:

Two colonies of drone laying Queens
One nuc (the sister of my nuc) turned drone layer
Two colonies die due to wax moth invasion
The four Nucs derived from those colonies also died from wax moth invasion.
The two colonies (sisters) from whence my nuc came, have chalk brood too.

That's over twenty-five per cent of the teaching hives with problems, I've just realised!

I'm being told chalk brood isn't a problem everybody has it and it doesn't cause any real problems, hmm.

Advice please but I think it may be best to leave my £160 nuc, now building to hive, at the Apiary.

Thanks in anticipation.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Funny you should say your chalkbrood came with a teaching apiary nuc. Our teaching bees are all clatterered about, dropped, rolled squashed and inspected in the rain and my nuc from there came with chalkbrood.I was told not to worry but it got much worse this year. I tried medical treatment and a shook swarm which seemed to help at first but I ended up squashing the queen and uniting. The other colonies are unrelated and seem OK.

 

[user 6228]

Chalk brood is brought on by the bees being under stress. That is when temperature/CO2/food are out of balance.

I'd just leave them alone as the weather is improving nicely.

does that mean keeping the bees warm and dry (free of condensation) during the colder months is a good way of reducing this?

 

[colinlee]

chalk brood

i would shook swarm in to a cleaned foor/brood box onto new foundation and wait and see