> But what about adult bees? Are the spores digested and destroyed? Do they pass through the gut unharmed?
This was studied in 1970. The conclusion: spores remained viable in the hindgut for at least 4 weeks.
> Spores remained viable in the alimentary canal for a period of at least 40,000 min. Viability was demonstrated through the growth of B. larvae colonies in solid yeast-starch medium. When fed to young honey bee larvae, these spores proved to be infectious and caused American foulbrood disease.
Wilson, W. T. (1971). Resistance to American foulbrood in honey bees. XI: Fate of Bacillus larvae spores ingested by adults. Journal of invertebrate Pathology, 17(2), 247-255.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0022201171900991
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