Pest Management Strategy - Elimination of American Foulbrood Without the Use of Drugs
A Practical Manual for Beekeepers

by Mark Goodwin and Cliff Van Eaton

ISBN 0-473-05776-X

Production by Nick Wallingford and Cliff Van Eaton

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Significance of American Foulbrood to New Zealand
1.2 The American Foulbrood Pest Management Strategy
1.3 Objectives of the AFB PMS
1.4 Aim of This Manual

2 AMERICAN FOULBROOD IN THE NEW ZEALAND CONTEXT
2.1 History of American Foulbrood in New Zealand
2.2 Incidence of American Foulbrood Disease in New Zealand

3 LIFE HISTORY OF AMERICAN FOULBROOD
3.1 Paenibacillus larvae larvae
3.2 Life Cycle

4 SYMPTOMS OF AMERICAN FOULBROOD
4.1 Normal Brood Development
4.2 Development of Brood Infected with American Foulbrood
4.3 Visual Symptoms

5 NATURAL PROGRESSION OF AFB IN A HONEY BEE COLONY
5.1 Differing Scenarios for AFB Progression
5.2 Contaminated Colonies
5.3 Infected Colonies
5.4 Time Period to Develop Visual Symptoms
5.5 Hygienic Behaviour

6 SPREAD OF AFB
6.1 Extracted Honey Supers
6.2 Transferring Frames of Brood
6.3 Empty Comb
6.4 Other Hive Parts
6.5 Robbing
6.6 Drift
6.7 Queens and Package Bees
6.8 Swarms
6.9 Foundation
6.10 Beekeeping Equipment
6.11 Flowers and Soil
6.12 Honey and Pollen Feeding

7 DISEASE INSPECTION AND DIAGNOSIS
7.1 Visual Inspections
7.2 Field Diagnosis
7.3 Differential Diagnosis
7.4 Inspection Training and Refreshers
7.5 Laboratory Diagnosis of AFB

8 DEALING WITH AFB HIVES AND INFECTED EQUIPMENT
8.1 Cleaning Gloves, Hive Tool and Smoker
8.2 Marking Hives with AFB
8.3 Keeping Records and Reporting AFB Hives
8.4 Closing Hives with AFB
8.5 Killing AFB Colonies
8.6 Burning AFB Colonies
8.7 Sterilising Beehive Equipment

9 ELIMINATING AFB IN BEEKEEPING OUTFITS
9.1 Modifying the Frequency and Effectiveness of Disease Inspections
9.2 Changes in Management Practices
9.3 Quarantine
9.4 Selecting Breeding Stock for Hygienic Behaviour

10 CASE STUDIES
10.1 Major Disease Outbreak/Hive Quarantine
10.2 Major Outbreak/Stored Hive Components/Splits
10.3 Outbreak in Area/Honey Supers/Apiary Quarantine
10.4 Low AFB Incidence/Recording Splits
10.5 Increasing Disease Levels/Change to Inspection Routine
10.6 Purchase of Outfit with AFB Problem/Coding System

11 MANAGEMENT PLANS TO ELIMINATE AFB
11.1 Hobbyist - Up to 10 Hives
11.2 Semi-Commercial Beekeeper - 10 to 350 Hives
11.3 Commercial Beekeeper - 1% AFB Incidence
11.4 Commercial Beekeeper - 10% Incidence
11.5 Pollination vs. Honey Production

12 TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS MANUAL

13 SUGGESTED READING

14 REFERENCES