Cold sweat with EFB

[jeff33]

I had to call out the inspector after inspecting a nuc made a few weeks ago from a split and one of my 2023 queens. Bees were vaped a couple of weeks ago.

Pictures are not the best quality but the frame pictured had a fair bit of pierced cappings, dead larvae some of it gone black or brown. Hoping this is just a bad case of sackbrood and nothing else! Verdict Friday!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Fingers crossed. xx

 

[Jimmy]

Hope it's negative for efb. I'd assumed all the inspectors would be part of the Asian Hornet response and not have time for hive inspections.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Jeff .,...have you got a LFT? It might put your mind at rest while you are waiting

 

[jeff33]

Jeff .,...have you got a LFT? It might put your mind at rest while you are waiting

No I don't Dani. It's only a couple of days to wait and pretty sure it's sackbrood... Just want his opinion for peace of mind.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

pity you didn't call me earlier - was in Gorseinon to sort out my entries from the Gower show, could have brought you down a couple.
I'm of the same opinion as you - I don't think it's EFB

 

[Erichalfbee]

pity you didn't call me earlier - was in Gorseinon to sort out my entries from the Gower show, could have brought you down a couple.
I'm of the same opinion as you - I don't think it's EFB

Yes I always keep a couple. Had to use one this year. Thankfully negative

 

[ericbeaumont]

pretty sure it's sackbrood

don't think it's EFB

Can't see signs of EFB, Jeff, but there is sac brood, maybe abandoned brood, some chewing of larvae (suggestive of varroa) and uncapping of sealed brood. Stress + varroa?

I found a swarm back in May and by the time it had laid enough in five frames the sac brood was shocking. I bought IPA to kill it (poly box) but got side-tracked. Went back last week and found BIAS with lovely advanced brood and not a trace of any disease. I guessed that they'd superseded the old queen and shrugged off the infection.

 

[Erichalfbee]

IPA

?

 

[robinharman]

Isopropyl alcohol
Eric would not waste beer

 

[oxnatbees]

They don't look melted, so I would say not foulbrood, but very interested to hear the definitive diagnosis.

 

[jeff33]

pity you didn't call me earlier - was in Gorseinon to sort out my entries from the Gower show, could have brought you down a couple.
I'm of the same opinion as you - I don't think it's EFB

Gonna have to fit a tracker on you

 

[jeff33]

Can't see signs of EFB, Jeff, but there is sac brood, maybe abandoned brood, some chewing of larvae (suggestive of varroa) and uncapping of sealed brood. Stress + varroa?

I found a swarm back in May and by the time it had laid enough in five frames the sac brood was shocking. I bought IPA to kill it (poly box) but got side-tracked. Went back last week and found BIAS with lovely advanced brood and not a trace of any disease. I guessed that they'd superseded the old queen and shrugged off the disease.

Good to hear. I am blasting them with OA today again. There is only one frame showing signs of this which makes me think that it may have been triggered by something, stress combined by early robbing perhaps and the colony can sort it out.

 

[ericbeaumont]

waste beer

Beer money! More expensive than petrol these days.

Trouble is that petrol melts poly, so transfer to wood to kill doubles cleaning work. Henry at Becontree Bees (thanks, Henry) found that IPA kills as good as petrol, doesn't melt poly and is a sterilant.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Beer money! More expensive than petrol these days.

Trouble is that petrol melts poly, so transfer to wood to kill doubles cleaning work.

Henry at Becontree Bees (thanks, Henry) found that IPA kills as good as petrol, doesn't melt poly and is a sterilant.

How much do you need for a national box?

 

[ericbeaumont]

How much do you need for a national box?

Not used it, but Henry said a litre would do a double. About £18 for 5 litres online.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Heavens. A bottle of Fairy Liquid would do maybe 20?

 

[ericbeaumont]

A bottle of Fairy Liquid would do maybe 20?

Yes, but that takes time to get down into the boxes and there's no guarantee of quick and total death (I mean all of them, not that there are degrees of death). Fumes of petrol or IPA put a stop to escapees and stun quickly on the way down.

Even petrol is weird these days: I was asked to kill a triple box colony and the bottom box was still alive the next day despite 3 litres poured through the CB.

Remember the old books that said to pour in half a pint? That wouldn't work now, but IPA is lovely, by all accounts: a total and quick death, and killing virus & bacteria at the same time.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

but IPA is lovely, by all accounts: a total and quick death

so you don't know that's the case, just repeating hearsay?

 

[ericbeaumont]

so you don't know that's the case, just repeating hearsay?

Well, Henry is a reliable sort and if he said it did the job, it did.