The Guardian reports:

> The vaccine, which will initially be available to commercial beekeepers, aims to curb foulbrood, a serious disease caused by the bacterium Paenibacillus larvae that can weaken and kill hives. There is currently no cure for the disease, which in parts of the US has been found in a quarter of hives, requiring beekeepers to destroy and burn any infected colonies and administer antibiotics to prevent further spread.

They cited this in support of "a quarter of hives":

> In the 1920s American Foulbrood (AFB) was a huge problem for Michigan Beekeepers. This devastating disease was widespread and common throughout the state, killing hives and causing the loss of thousands of dollars of equipment. To deal with the issue of AFB, the state of Michigan developed strict bee laws.

> In the first few years of the program over 25% of the colonies that were inspected had AFB! However, after years of enforcement, management, and education, the problem was controlled, and AFB cases dropped dramatically. After years of low case numbers, almost all of the strict state bee laws were repealed in 1993. Our current bee law has no requirements for registration, inspections, or reporting of American Foulbrood. 

* The current bee law has no requirements for registration, inspections, or reporting of American Foulbrood. *

PLB

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