Bob Harrison said: "Controlling EFB without antibiotics is futile in my
opinion when on the scale talked about both publicly (and privately) in the
U.K. Many are using
antibiotics illegally in the U.K. I have been told as the alternative was
not working".

I never saw EFB in 35 years, then moved to a country town, no problem, then
2 miles further into a 'garden city' where many bees have been kept over the
last century.  Every year over the last 4 years one or two colonies picks up
infection.  The Bee Inspector used to burn bees and combs, but recently just
the combs plus treating the broodless bees with antibiotic when re-hiving on
foundation after sterilising the hive by flaming. No treated hive has shown
EFB again - it is always another one.  My supposition is that there are
infected sites in trees/outbuidings/chimneys from which feral bees drift or
are robbed - it is usually a strong colony that becomes infected but can be
a swarm I have collected for the Council.

Infection is often quite light by the time it shows, say a just few larvae
on say 3 combs.   It is seasonal of course - if left, it disappears
naturally as breeding slows after the peak and there are more nurse bees to
throw out diseased larvae.  The trouble is that EFB is apparently one of the
most infectious organisms known, so if the infected cells remain, each year
will be worse until the colony succumbs.  This is one reason why I aim to
renew all 9 over-wintered brood frames every year, so that any sub-clinical
infection is removed - another reason is that the bees expand so fast on new
combs and they are also things of great beauty.

The Bee Inspectors want next to try just removing all the old combs and
hiving on new without using anti-biotics.  I believe it will work but only
if the beekeeper takes the necessary care. The artificial swarm will need to
be starved to get rid of the diseased honey in the bees' stomachs, best by
confining the swarm in a cardboard box until bees start to drop off the
cluster - then burning the empty box.

The problem is one of scale and degree of care - the procedure takes a lot
of time and scrupulous attention to hygiene - and Bee Inspectors carry a tub
of water and scrub hive tool, gloves and smoker between opening hives.  It
is practical for hobbyists who have high personal standards of hygiene but
would be too time consuming for professional beekeepers.  This is where we
run headfirst into the clash between approaches to keeping bees.
Professional use bees as part of an industrial process and shortcut for
efficiency everywhere they can, as we have discussed at depth on this list.
Keeping bees that way is frankly boring at the hobby level - it cuts out so
much that is interesting. Rumours exist in UK of a professional who is using
illegal antibiotics and whose bees and equipment must be widely infected.
Once infection gains a hold, there is no answer but wholesale burning as UK
found most recently with BSE - a million or so animals slaughtered after
infection escaped just one dirty farm. Wherever a professional using
antibiotics goes, there will be risk of infection spreading which could
result in others resorting to antibiotics until a large proportion of UK
colonies are affected.  Once amateurs are regularly using antibiotics we are
in for over-dosing and under-dosing, with risk of resistance in bees and
humans and eventual loss of the antibiotic altogether, which would be
unacceptable in UK.

The question of breeding resistant bees is interesting and new to me.
Presumably  these are strains with above average 'hygienic behaviour', which
throw out ALL diseased larvae before they are old enough to defecate. Or is
there another mechanism, does anyone know?   Even if resistant bees were
introduced, all infected equipment would still need to be destroyed as it
apparently remains infectious for at least 40 years and not all bees will be
of new resistant strains (unless there was a government restocking
programme, which I cannot believe).  So we must do all possible to stop EFB
in UK expanding into a crisis.  If we lose control, we risk joining the USA,
where (if I understand aright from this list) antibiotics are sometimes used
by beekeepers for AFB, professionals in general do not trust the standard of
hobbyists' honey and sell their own honey largely for blending (which
dilutes any accidental contamination).

Robin Dartington

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and  other info ---
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::