Blog Comments

I like the local radio that was an interesting little interview
Shows folk are interested in bees
cheers Ruary

I cannot see who or why anyone would want to spread foul brood. I wonder who your informant was (PM me if you wish to impart that piece of information.)

I feel that the situation is more ignorance than anything else as a lot of beekeepers (even experienced ones) would not recognise a case.

I went down to the recent open day at the Galtee Bee Breeders apiary in Tipperary. Early that morning in a local town I was speaking to some people who apparently were very familiar with the beekeeping situation in Kerry. There was much discussion on the prevalence and spread of AFB in a part of that county and incredibly (to me at least) the concensus was that it had been or is deliberately spread?

I can sense your exasperation with the intro about CCD - the imaginary Einstein quote at the end!
At least he didn't mention neonicotinoids.
I have the link up on the NIHBS site.

And I guess the AFB spores were far more likely on the comb in his old bait box than on the swarm that took up occupation.

Was phoned by a neighbour who had placed a bait hive in his garden (about a mile from me), A swarm entered and gave him a marvelous crop last year. When he went to check this year the colony was dead. His old box was very decrepid and he wanted to know if I knew anyone who could give him a new brood baox to place as bait. He thought the colony had died because of a failing queen!!
I eventually inveighled him into letting me examine the dead colony. To find it being robbed out and on examination planty of scale to be seen. Showed him the scale and he is to destroy it ( which I think he was going to do anyhow).

At least that's one source found and destroyed: but there are more around!!

What about trying shook swarms or possibly Bailey comb changes to try to head off more cases?

Good luck with the remaining stock. Are they all fairly close together?
Mine all sit cheek by jowl on a couple of sites and there is bound to be drifting.

I am fairly sure that it is in the area, (beekeepers who do not check their stocks and put down losses to varroa etc). The big worry is that by now all the colonies in the apiary will have spores, R. Ball at Greenmount and 'The spread of Paenibacillus larvae subsp larvae infections in an apiary' by Michael A Z Hornitzky in JAR 37 4 261-266. The question is now the resistance of the queen and the bees ability to reduce spore counts. I am not very hopeful.

Really sorry to hear that Ruary. Let's hope that you've caught it early. Do you think that this means that you have it in your area and your bees will always bring it back home until that's dealt with? Some of the cases in Scotland seem to be found where the disease was known years even decades ago. The Lothian cases and others. My bees are also close to a known AFB site so I'll not be too surprised if it turns up sometime in my apiary.

The last time I had to destroy 8 out of ten, and then in the next year another one. Hope I've got it in time this year.
The symptoms this time were rather obvious, but I have got used to looking for it and have the microscopy skills to confirm any doubtful ones.

Nightmare. I feel for you Ruary. Do you think you will just have to burn the one?