European Foulbrood Suspected

[GuyNir]

Suspecting one of my colonies have EFB.
Very patchy brood, lots of uncapped larvae, some discoloured (yellow brown), obviously the colony isn’t growing much.

Reported to [email protected], waiting for them to get back to me.

Anyone can share what’s likely to happen next? What I’m facing?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Heather]

Phone your local bee inspector pdq . does sound like efb.. so 6 weeks quarantine for your apiary..and other apiaries nearby need to know to be extra vigilant .
If inspection confirmed, and very light infection then, shaking onto new frames, but if much, then dig hole, burn all frames
But phone NOW

 

[GuyNir]

They just contacted me to say an inspector will be in touch tomorrow to arrange an inspection (they’re all out today).

Just after some insight as To what I’m likely to have/do if it is confirmed as EFB.

Read somewhere might be asked to do a shook swarm...

Thanks.

 

[Heather]

Good, and extra vigilance with other hives. No using same hive tools unless totally scrubbed etc... wash suit, gloves boots etc if you have 2nd apiary.
Best of luck tomorrow.
I had a visit from B.I yesterday as EFB within 3km. She was great - looked though all 8 hives, gave me a reassuring bill of health,but it is a nasty inconvenient one to get..

 

[GuyNir]

Thanks for the insight Heather

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

They just contacted me to say an inspector will be in touch tomorrow to arrange an inspection (they’re all out today).

Just after some insight as To what I’m likely to have/do if it is confirmed as EFB.

Read somewhere might be asked to do a shook swarm...

Thanks.

depends how severe the infection - shook swarm sometimes works but the feeling amongst most now is it's easier just destroy and start again as it always seems to lurk around. EFB seems very prevalent in Scotland unfortunately, and as your version of the NBU is totally different to the rest of the UK, It's better to get some information from people your side of the wall.
So basically the options you have if EFB confirmed is unfortunately either shook swarm or destruction.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

And as far as hygiene is concerned - the one thing almost everyone overlooks is the smoker - your hands are always on it so scrup the bellows are where you hold it.

 

[Stiffy]

They just contacted me to say an inspector will be in touch tomorrow to arrange an inspection (they’re all out today).

Just after some insight as To what I’m likely to have/do if it is confirmed as EFB.

Read somewhere might be asked to do a shook swarm...

Thanks.

I have inspections being done soon, so may be speaking too soon but I agree with all the other replies, really depends on what BI finds. Thankfully, I have never had foul brood but I do carry test kits with me, more to allay my fears than anything else. https://www.thorne.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=5122
S

 

[ericbeaumont]

Guy,

The NBU charts Dumfriesshire outbreak history here.
At the bottom of this NBU pdf is info about EFB destruction.

JBM drew attention to the easiest form of transmission: beekeepers. When I've been involved in EFB (not yet had any, thank goodness) I take off my suit inside out and put it with gloves straight into a bin bag for washing at home. Smoker bagged, dismantled at home and scrubbed in soda and then bleach; hive tools same; boots same. Test kits go into another bag.

Lot of EFB about last year in my areas; can't be too careful. Word from our SBI is that plenty looks like sacbrood but turns into EFB. I did a test last week (negative) which looked like EFB but mutated into chalkbrood by this week, so the line of identification is blurred. You may be lucky but as JBM said, Scotland has history.

Our SBI suggested that we'd have less EFB if only beekeepers treated transmission of it the way we were rigorous in limiting C19. Now that we're heading back to normal, probably not much chance of increased vigilance.

 

[beeno]

Put apiary under standstill no movement of bees, comb, queens, boxes or other equipment out of or into apiary and follow eric's beekeeper hygene practices. Good luck and well done for your vigilance.

 

[GuyNir]

Thanks everyone, much appreciated.

Fingers crossed it’s not, though I fear it is. I’ll update when I have new information.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Good luck tomorrow, Guy.

Where my bees are North of London they're within flying distance of plenty of borage, but I heard yesterday that beefarmers are coming from as far as the West Country, Nottingham and Scotland to join the party. Great way to spread disease, but there you go. Last year someone brought bees to the same place for the same crop and brought EFB with them.

 

[Murox]

I am sorry to hear that. Yes Fingers crossed.

 

[Heather]

Just wish my local farmers grew foraging crops.. just got wheat! Even stopping OSR as no longer economical to grow!

 

[Vergilius]

Good, and extra vigilance with other hives. No using same hive tools unless totally scrubbed etc... wash suit, gloves boots etc if you have 2nd apiary.
Best of luck tomorrow.
I had a visit from B.I yesterday as EFB within 3km. She was great - looked though all 8 hives, gave me a reassuring bill of health,but it is a nasty inconvenient one to get..

Hey Heather, where was this outbreak? Haven’t had an email or anything...


Ben

 

[tonyofarr]

A tip for the smoker bellows..........

We adopted what the local sbi does, put a disposable shower cap over the bellows and change it between apiaries/hives if there are concerns, it reduces the chance of spreading anything nasty and also means the bellows don't get covered in propolis. You can buy cheap packs of shower caps on am£son, the only problem is feeling guilty about using single use plastic.

We also have a bucket of washing soda at each apiary and wash hive tool and nitrile gloves between every hive to prevent passing infections between hives. We got efb at an apiary and because we were already using the washing soda bucket it was confined to 1 hive and a nuc taken from it.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Yes well done in spotting it. Not many beekeepers have the knowledge or are prepared to spend time getting the knowledge by attending a bee health day or similar. Our local BKA has run two in the last 5 years and they are invaluable.
I've had notice that one of my apiaries is within 3km of an outbreak which is a real bugger as I wanted to move a couple of hives out of the apiary but I'm a bit wary at present.
At the moment those hives get extra special inspection time!

 

[For want of a better word]

As with the other comments.
Keep ALL equipment clean and if possible have separate kits in each apiary.

Lidded bucket with washing soda and red bleach solution at each apiary is a good idea.

It outweighs a few hundred quid going up in flames in destruction shurley????>

Should be compulsory registration and need to at least attend a Bee Diseases course before bees can be kept... plus movement paperwork for all as with other stock... and of course a total ban on importation of bees and beeswax etc that can carry the notifiable diseases.

Would not be a popular move ... but would make life easier for some of us!!!!

Chons da

 

[Newbeeneil]

Good luck tomorrow, Guy.

Where my bees are North of London they're within flying distance of plenty of borage, but I heard yesterday that beefarmers are coming from as far as the West Country, Nottingham and Scotland to join the party. Great way to spread disease, but there you go. Last year someone brought bees to the same place for the same crop and brought EFB with them.

A fruit farm local to the hives with the EFB notification within 3km gets beekeepers from far and wide bringing bees for pollination. If any of those hives get it it's a great way of spreading it.
I wonder if the beekeepers register the temporary apiaries so they get NBU notifications?

 

[For want of a better word]

A fruit farm local to the hives with the EFB notification within 3km gets beekeepers from far and wide bringing bees for pollination. If any of those hives get it it's a great way of spreading it.
I wonder if the beekeepers register the temporary apiaries so they get NBU notifications?

They should do... but it is a voluntary system!