Chalk Brood

[papa_sierra]

Has the hot weather in UK increased the onset of chalk brood. I have three hives (not the strongest) with dead brood and a strong hive with nothing at all.
Coincidentally all the hives have only a small amount of pollen. Could it be related ?

 

[Finman]

.
Buy new mated queens, which are immune to chalkbrood.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

One year I made a little experiment and I moved a CB queen to a colony without chalkbrood and lo and behold - the CB moved with the queen. The CB reduced in the queens former colony quite quickly when a new queen was present.
So my little experiment of one indicated that the CB is largely as a result of the queen. High levels of CB mean that the colony never really thrives.

 

[Beecat]

Do you remember how long it took for the change to occur in the new hive?

If it was immediate, then the queen was acting as a sort of Typhoid Mary. But if it took 20+ days, then it's genetic. Yes?

 

[papa_sierra]

Thanks for replies, will check on next inspection for any increase and probably go down the requeen route. First sign of chalk brood in the apiary in 10 years.

 

[Swarm]

I moved a colony with chalk brood from a dark, damp site, to an open, sunny one and it persisted but apart from that, they did well. I moved them into poly the following year but they still had chalk and again, they did well. She finally fizzled out back in March.

 

[Finman]

Do you remember how long it took for the change to occur in the new hive?

If it was immediate, then the queen was acting as a sort of Typhoid Mary. But if it took 20+ days, then it's genetic. Yes?

When you put chalk brood immune Queen into then hive, you see the result when bees start to cap new larvae. After 10 days.

 

[Michael Palmer]

But there may be two different modes of “resistance”. I assume that there is actual genetic resistance. Also, there is hygienic behaviour. Easier to select for in my opinion. Only a small % of workers have to be hygienic to clean up Chalk... meaning only a small % of her mates need be hygienic.

I question your belief that genetic resistance can be known at 10 days after introducing new queen.

 

[Murox]

we are what we eat

Has the hot weather in UK increased the onset of chalk brood. I have three hives (not the strongest) with dead brood and a strong hive with nothing at all.
Coincidentally all the hives have only a small amount of pollen. Could it be related ?

I lean toward M Palmers answer, also the greater the variety of pollens the more likely the overall health of the hive will be improved, so there may be a link.

 

[Finman]

I question your belief that genetic resistance can be known at 10 days after introducing new queen.

10 days means the time when workers have capped some new larvae in a sick hive, and capping is even.
When I weeded away the disease, my laying nucs were contaminated with chalkbrood dust, and I killed all Queen, which had porous brood area.

I know very well how it works. IT is long time experience. Nothing belief thing.
I have bred away chalk brood from my apiary, and so have done many other beekeepers.

Hygienic behaviour is a bad idea. First larva must be sick and then it is "cleaned" out as dead.
And from where two hive owner gets those hygienic behaviour Queen?

 

[Finman]

I lean toward M Palmers answer, also the greater the variety of pollens the more likely the overall health of the hive will be improved, so there may be a link.

Your answer makes no sense. Have you any own experiences about chalk brood?

 

[Beecat]

I just did a quick brush up on chalk brood over at beeaware.org. It looks like the old Finn is right. Larvae die just after capping and the bees respond by uncapping the dead cells. So there should be either visible dead larvae or discarded bodies starting at around the 10 day mark after hive infection. There probably won't be many at first, but a really observant beek just might catch it that early.

According to beeaware it is cold temperatures that favor chalkbrood, and it often occurs in fast growing spring colonies that cannot cover all the brood well. However they also mention prolonged dry spells as a contributing cause, among others.