How To Complete a Disease Inspection - AFB, EFB and Other Brood Diseases

How To Complete a Disease Inspection - AFB, EFB and Other Brood Diseases.
One of the first tasks when inspecting in Spring is to carry out a full disease inspection. Colonies are generally smaller in the early Spring and it makes the task of checking for brood diseases that much easier.
In this video I show you how to careful inspect the brood frames and explain what healthy brood looks like before going on to inspect and share my findings with you.
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[@emile1365]

This is very insightful.

[@beehinde]

Nothing to worry about just a play cup, that the bees like to make.

[@TheNorfolkHoneyCo]

Hi beehinde,
exactly that, nothing to worry about.
Stewart

[@stephenkelly2365]

Hi steward. I have been watching your videos and I have learnt so much from them. I have a question on checking for swarm cells during the swarm season. Do I shake bees off brood frames when I am inspecting my hive for queen cells?

[@Westernwilson]

That is a good idea, especially as you build your inspection skills, and if the hive is quite populous!

[@mariakeenan4908]

What do the bees do with the ones that have been affected by DWV? Do they push them out of the hive?

[@jamesslemp6490]

Be nice if you could show what a frame looks like once AFB has progressed into killing off over half the frame of brood and what action should be taken .

[@TheNorfolkHoneyCo]

Hi James,
Thanks for commenting.
If you watch my video about disease in the beginner beekeeping playlist I have some photographs in that presentation. Here in the UK AFB and EFB are what is known as Statutory Notifiable Diseases which means we have to notify the Nation Bee Unit and have an authorised bee inspector come out and take appropriate action. In the case of AFB it is a mandatory destruction. I am hoping to be able to visit with a bee inspector and shoot a video showing AFB and EFB in the future.
The video with the pictures is here th-cam.com/video/6TStGu3TkVs/w-d-xo.html
I hope that gives you an idea of what it looks like.
Stewart

[@andywalters3264]

Hi Steve was that an open queen cell i saw at the bottom of the frame you where inspecting, the digestive biscuit frame,i think it was the 2nd you where looking at.????

[@TheNorfolkHoneyCo]

Hi Mike & Andy,
As @beehinde has said, it was just a "play cup" also known as a rudimentary queen cup. Nothing in it and the bees tend to make these at random places throughout the brood box.
Stewart

[@andywalters3264]

Thanks, I am keeping a close eye on this hive as I will be using your 2 nuke method when queen cells begin to be produced and i don't want to get caught out.
Incidentally the poly hive report you did , talking to a local beekeeper "Leics" who uses them he has already had to split all his five hives.He puts it down to the bees being kept just a little warmer through the winter.

[@mal1857]

Hi Stewart, how could you tell that bees were beginning to be affected by the cold?
MAL

[@TheNorfolkHoneyCo]

Hi Ma L,
Great to hear from you again.
Most of the other colonies were out foraging but these bees were a little quieter and so that made me start thinking why. They are perfectly healthy so I am making a guess that it is probably the cold as it was a little cooler on this day.
Stewart

[@wobblybridge710]

Now that you found evidence of Chalk Brood, albeit one cell, what action if any would you need to take?

[@TheNorfolkHoneyCo]

Hi Gem,
Thanks for commenting.
Great question. With only one cell apparently affected I won't take any action other than keep a watchful eye on the colony and see how it develops. Most colonies can cope quite easily with a small amount of chalk brood. If it starts to increase I would change out some frames and if it got really bad then replacing the queen is the next course of action.
Stewart

[@wobblybridge710]

Thanks Stewart that's fab.

[@premgautam6380]

hello, I have some colony , one colony have problem. queen lay egg will, egg was hatched too, but larva never capped. i regularly watch them , i cannot find any dead larva , after hatching 3 or 4 day larva was no larva . queeen lay new egg in that cell. there is no lack food, please help me.

[@TheNorfolkHoneyCo]

Hi Prem,
I would leave them for 7 days without inspecting and then check again. If you still have a problem, remove the queen and replace her.
Stewart

[@premgautam6380]

Thankyou, very much ,I will do so

[@mariakeenan4908]

Why is it important to put the frames back in the same order, the same way round?

[@munibungbeeking1719]

What is the difference between chalk brood and chill brood does anybody know??

[@TheNorfolkHoneyCo]

Hi Munibungbee King,
Chalk brood is caused by a fungal disease called Ascosphaera apis whereas chilled brood is usually caused by insufficient bees within the brood box and unable to maintain a warm enough environment for the brood to survive.
Stewart