Chalkbrood

[Kaz]

I have a colony with low levels of chalkbrood, would you recommend a shook swarm to replace the comb or could I undertake a Bailey comb change or even demaree to replace the brood comb? Do I also need to requeen? Thanks

 

[Erichalfbee]

Just re queen. None of the others are necessary in fact I’d go as far as to say a waste of resources

 

[Michael Palmer]

In '98, many of my colonies had severe chalkbrood infections. Stinky, rotten with mummies. Piles of mummies on the bottom board and on the ground out front. I requeened chalk hives with stock selected for high hygienic response. After a month or a bit more, I could find no mummies in the requeened colonies. I didn't destroy or replace any combs. To thins day, I find practically no chalk colonies...maybe a handful in the whole operation.

So, do you have any queen breeders that are selecting for the hygienic response?

 

[pargyle]

Low levels of chalkbrood are often experienced in spring ...unless there is a lot of brood affected I would not worry unduly ... strong colonies and a good queen often remedy the situation without any beekeeper involvement. If there is a lot of chalk brood then changing the comb and/or the queen is your option. Bolstering the colony with a frame of capped brood from another colony may help build the numbers up if the colony is otherwise good and you want to keep it.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Low levels of chalkbrood are often experienced in spring ...unless there is a lot of brood affected I would not worry unduly ... strong colonies and a good queen often remedy the situation without any beekeeper involvement. If there is a lot of chalk brood then changing the comb and/or the queen is your option. Bolstering the colony with a frame of capped brood from another colony may help build the numbers up if the colony is otherwise good and you want to keep it.

But would you shook swarm?

 

[pargyle]

But would you shook swarm?

No .... not under any circumtances ... if there were frames seriously infected with chalk brood I would just wait until the good brood on those frames had emerged and then swap those frames out. But ... most of the time chalkbrood does tend to fix itself. If it is a really bad case it's usually the sign that the colony is a weak one and the only reason for swapping the queen is to get a more fecund one.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I have a colony with low levels of chalkbrood, would you recommend a shook swarm to replace the comb or could I undertake a Bailey comb change or even demaree to replace the brood comb? Do I also need to requeen? Thanks

Shook swarm is never the solution - whatever the problem is.
Change the queen

 

[Kaz]

Shook swarm is never the solution - whatever the problem is.
Change the queen

So pleased to hear, I hate the idea of a shook swarm. Thanks for your reassurance

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

If there is a lot of chalk brood then changing the comb

I don't think that is the answer either, had a colony last season that I decided to persevere with, due to a Demarree they ended up with a full suit of fresh comb - still stuffed with chalkbrood

 

[Kaz]

Thanks everyone, there is a handful max of *evident* chalkbrood on each brood frame, but a pepperpot brood pattern throughout suggesting other larvae were affected but removed? The colony otherwise appears to be quite strong and well on its way to filling a second super. I'll plan to requeen, I have a few colonies which I have artificially swarmed so should have a spare queen soon. I've only seen chalkbrood in the last two inspections. Thanks for all the great advice

 

[Finman]

Low levels of chalkbrood are often experienced in spring ..

It tells that the queens are not fully resistant to chalkbrood. Get new mated queens and do not use your own genepool when regueening.

 

[Finman]

.what ever trick your try before the Summer, and it will succeed. Warm Summer heals the disease but the disease returns next spring.

 

[Ian123]

To be honest it’s not something I put up with in hives, as others have suggested a change in genetics is all that’s required.

 

[Antipodes]

Thanks everyone, there is a handful max of *evident* chalkbrood on each brood frame, but a pepperpot brood pattern throughout suggesting other larvae were affected but removed? The colony otherwise appears to be quite strong and well on its way to filling a second super. I'll plan to requeen, I have a few colonies which I have artificially swarmed so should have a spare queen soon. I've only seen chalkbrood in the last two inspections. Thanks for all the great advice

It's the number one disease of honeybee colonies here in Australia. The worst case I've ever seen of it in a colony of mine was in the middle of a warm, dry summer although I will say the most persistent chalkbrood (in multiple colonies) was in a shady and generally poor site.

 

[Nannysbees]

We re queened one of our hives last year due to chalkbrood. Another of our hives had it just before we removed the insulation this year, doesn't seem to have the problem now, going to monitor and see if it disappears

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I have a colony with low levels of chalkbrood, would you recommend a shook swarm to replace the comb or could I undertake a Bailey comb change or even demaree to replace the brood comb? Do I also need to requeen? Thanks

The problem of chalkbrood has been discussed in the forum before. Temperature within the hive was but one of the influencing factors. Derek M (sadly missed) quoted some sources of reference to read up on. I think the best solution is to requeen with a queen bred for resistance to chalkbrood (if you can find a supplier)
Co-incidentally I recently came across "advice" to put a banana in a hive with chalkbrood. To my surprise this has even been the subject of an official Australian government study albeit the findings were inconclusive.

 

[Nannysbees]

The problem of chalkbrood has been discussed in the forum before. Temperature within the hive was but one of the influencing factors. Derek M (sadly missed) quoted some sources of reference to read up on. I think the best solution is to requeen with a queen bred for resistance to chalkbrood (if you can find a supplier)
Co-incidentally I recently came across "advice" to put a banana in a hive with chalkbrood. To my surprise this has even been the subject of an official Australian government study albeit the findings were inconclusive.

We tried that last year but didn't work for us, had to re queen

 

[blackcloud]

Out of interest,other than the stressful brutality, what are the specific reasons you guys abhor the shook swarm?
JUST ASKING!

 

[Ian123]

Out of interest,other than the stressful brutality, what are the specific reasons you guys abhor the shook swarm?
JUST ASKING!

It’s completely pointless and a waste of bees and their energy, it also achieves nothing that can’t be accomplished in other ways!! It’s sole purpose should be reserved as a EFB treatment and little else.

 

[blackcloud]

Why efb and nothing else?