Foul Brood(s)

[wilderness]

Bcrazy & Admin,

No, the frame didn't look anything like that. I went on a disease recognition day last summer and would have noticed something was wrong if it looked like that.

There was no bad smell either.

I'll ask the BI if I can take photos of the frames before they get destroyed.

 

[Bcrazy]

Members,

There has been no reply to my asking you all to put down on a post what your observations are.
I wonder why.
No couldn't be, could it? Am I wishful thinking?

So we can all identify AFB on a frame? Great.

Regards;

From the begining of this thread there has been 393 views on this topic. Surely someone might answer?

 

[gavin]

OK then MO:

i) patchy pattern of brood
ii) sunken and discoloured cappings
iii) perforated cappings
iv) there is a 'scale' but I wouldn't be sure that it wasn't chalkbrood

Gavin.

 

[Bcrazy]

Thank you Gavin,

I will not comment on your answers as my answers will be posted Tuesday evening by Admin.
I have written what I see so that I did not pinch any of the members answers.
Thanks again.

Regards;

 

[Hivemaker.]

pepperpot appearance.
can see scales in dark open cells.
sunken greasy cappings.
jagged uncapped cells.
one partly uncapped cell shows dead light brown larvae in ropy stage.

this is advanced AFB you would only see a few sunken cappings in eary stage.Anyone who had a comb in there hive in this stage of AFB is not a fit person to keep bee's.
one cell looks like chalkbrood.
You can also get sunken cappings with sac brood,but no ropy larvae,and no scales.

 

[BKF Admin]

So sunken cappings is something we should all be checking for on every inspection ?

 

[Busy Bee]

Afb

Symptoms include punctured and sunken brood, larval colour change and irregular brood pattern.

The collapse of the infested larvae takes place within the cell after the cocoon has been spun. assoicated with this collapse are changes in the apperance of the cell cappings. The latter become moist and sunken as the larva continues to shrink. Also worker nibble holes in the sunken cappings.

The collapse of the larvae is accompanied by a change in colour from the pearly white of the healthy brood to a creamy brown, light then becoming darker. The consistency of the larval remains slimy and if a matchstick is trust into the capping twisted around and then withdrawn the slimy mass will pull in the from of a mucous-like brown thread. tacky stage as the larval remains in the cell gradually dries out and the colour changes to dark brown. Final stage which the dark brown rather rough scale lying at the lower side of the cell. House bees cannot remove the scales and whenever a colony dies out the combs should be scanned for scales. If death occurs in pupal stage, a tongue protrudes drom the scale. The scales can be detected if the combs are held facing the light.

Brood pattern of an infected colony will have a scatter and irregular pattern of capped and uncapped cells (Pepper-Pot pattern). An unpleasant odour may also be present.

Busy Bee

 

[Bcrazy]

Hi Busy Bee,

A question, you posted

and sunken brood, larval colour change and irregular brood pattern.

How can you tell if the larva have changed colour when the cell is sealed?
AFB affects sealed brood, EFB affects unsealed brood.

Good informative post thank you.

Regards;

 

[Busy Bee]

Hi Bcrazy,

When the capping's begin to sink it is evident the larvae begins to collapse. Bees can tear of cappings to reveal the collapsed larvae in a changed colour state. The degenerative state of the larvae begins when they are first feed infected brood food by nurse bees. Larvae 24-48 hours after hatching are most susceptible. The spores germinate within the body of the larvae, multiply rapidly and consume the larval tissue. Soon after the larva has been sealed, the bacterium transforms itself back into the spore stage.This stage is highly resistant to desiccation, direct sunlight, heat and chemicals. Spores are distributed throughout the hive by nurse bees, who attempt to clean out cells containing the dead larvae. Spores may remain viable for up 40 years in the hive, in the honey and on other beekeeping equipment.


Busy Bee

 

[wilderness]

Pictures of my AFB

Here is a picture I took today when the BI destroyed the colony with AFB.

The attached is a general view of one of the combs. There are 4 cells towards the top which the BI broke down to test for AFB.

Be aware that this colony has struggled over the winter and the comb has been sitting in petrol fumes for a week.

I'll post some close-ups in Albums later today.

Comments please.

 

[BKF Admin]

Bcrazy answers below:

Hi members,

These are my observations from the photograph showing the AFB presentation.

1. Bad brood pattern, really there is no pattern to speak of, and this is referred to as ?pepper potting pattern?.

2. Colour of cappings. Not the normal ?biscuit? colour but they look greasy and moist.

3. Some cappings are sunken and not convex. Other cappings seem as if they have been ?bunched up?.

4. Holes in the cappings and in this instance there are two types of holes.
a) the two on the left is where the bees at some stage have tried to bite their way into the cell to remove the contents.
b) the one on the right is where the bees did not finish capping that cell off.

5. there appears to be ?scabs? or the remnants of dried bees body?s in a couple of cells. There is one with a white object (can?t really tell from photo) of what it is.

If we held the frame in our hands it should give off a ?pleasant? pong. Admin has mentioned this prior to this post..

It?s hard to tell what the photo is showing really because we can not see into the cells because looking into the cells we might see small black scabs on the bottom of the cell. We might see the proboscis sticking up like a final salute.
I find I get a certain ?feel of the frame? whenever I handle frames with foul brood on.

Well that?s it can?t think (nothing unusual) of any more to add so that?s it .

 

[BKF Admin]

Very frightning stuff the last few posts above!!!!

So spores can contaminate equipment for years as well ?

 

[Finman]

.
Important sign is the small hole in the cap. If you see them, look what is inside.
If you meet like chocolate inside, it is AFB.

Then you hurry to make a shook swarm on foundations.

If disese is bad, every two cap has a hole.

 

[BKF Admin]

Not to be confused with chilled brood though ?

 

[wilderness]

Bcrazy, 100%, go to the top of the class.

Attached are a couple of close-ups showing that the nibbled cappings are the ones to stick a matchstick into.

 

[VEG]

Did the bee inspector say anything about you getting other bees?

 

[wilderness]

Did the bee inspector say anything about you getting other bees?

Hi Veg, he suggested that it probably wasn't a good idea to buy any bees at the moment. It is OK to take swarms though. He will be back in 6 weeks to lift the standstill notice.

 

[wilderness]

Thats very sad new Wilderness,do you have insurance ? If so whats the payment ?

Brood Disease Insurance only costs a few quid per colony and was added to my annual subscription to my local association.

I've now got a Certificate of Insurance and on the back is listed the compensation.

BS brood frame ?1.90
Other brood frame ?2.70
BS shallow ?1.40
Other shallow ?2.00
Honey ?2/lb up to 30lb max
Crown board ?11.30
Glass quilt ?14.50
Wire QX 14.55
Slotted steel QX ?14.55
Plastic QX ?4.00
OMF ?10.00

There are reductions in the above if you have made claims in previous years.

The BI flamed the crown board, hive bodies and the OMF paying particular attention to the top rails where most of the propylis accumulates. Everything else was burnt in a pit I dug.

 

[Bcrazy]

Hi Wilderness,

I hope you don't mind but I have labled your photo's for new beekeepers to inform them what they should be looking for.

If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask away,

Regards;

 

[wilderness]

Bcrazy, no problem. Thanks for your efforts.

I missed ALL the clues on this frame !