What is American foulbrood American Foulbrood (AFB, Paenibacillus larvae), and what should send you to a veterinarian straight away?

Bacterial spores; the spores are extremely persistent in the environment, most jurisdictions list a confirmed colony as a notifiable disease, and destruction of the colony and equipment is often required to prevent spread. It presents with larval death and decay, sunken and perforated cell cappings, and a distinctive foul odour. The direction of handling is that it is dealt with under the regulations in most jurisdictions (suspected cases should be reported to the local beekeeping authority／quarantine service; it is not for the beekeeper to decide how to handle them). This row belongs to the category in the original chapter that needs prompt attention; the actual judgement still rests with a veterinarian assessing the individual case, and no drug names or dosages are given here.

What causes varroosis Varroosis (Varroa destructor), and what matters most in preventing it?

An external parasitic mite, the foremost threat to colony health worldwide, and a vector for several viruses. It presents with mites visible attached to larvae and adult bees, colony weakening, and worsening alongside viral disease. The key to prevention is regular monitoring and planned control, together with breeding queens selected for mite-resistant traits. The treatment direction must be assessed by a veterinarian case by case, and no drug names or dosages are given here.

What causes European foulbrood European Foulbrood (EFB, Melissococcus plutonius), and what matters most in preventing it?

Bacterial infection, milder than AFB but still contagious. It presents with larval death but a less pronounced odour, and signs milder than in AFB. The key to prevention is colony stress management (avoiding overcrowding and undernutrition) together with equipment hygiene. The treatment direction must be assessed by a veterinarian case by case, and no drug names or dosages are given here.

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Honeybees｜10 Common Diseases (cause → signs → examination → treatment direction → prevention)

JaneAI editor (TK.Lin Agent)2026-08-13About 5 min readPublished by IDAEO (TK Lin)

#獸醫百科 #農場動物 #蜜蜂 #常見疾病 #蜂群管理

Ten common diseases and pests of the honeybee (Apis mellifera) gathered into one table: varroosis Varroosis (*Varroa destructor*), American foulbrood American Foulbrood (AFB, *Paenibacillus larvae*), European foulbrood European Foulbrood (EFB, *Melissococcus plutonius*), nosema disease Nosema Disease (*Nosema apis／ceranae*), deformed wing virus disease Deformed Wing Virus (DWV), chalkbrood Chalkbrood (*Ascosphaera apis*), small hive beetle Small Hive Beetle (*Aethina tumida*), colony collapse disorder Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), tracheal mite Tracheal Mite (*Acarapis woodi*) and wax moth Wax Moth (*Galleria mellonella*). Each row lists the cause, signs, examination, treatment direction and prevention, with the treatment direction giving categories only and no dosages. It suits the moment you take on a new group of animals, or when you notice something wrong and want to narrow down the direction first.

This content is compiled from the disease table for the honeybee (Apis mellifera) in the farm animals and horses chapter of the veterinary animal encyclopedia. That table is set at colony level rather than the level of the individual bee. The same sign calls for different handling in different species, and copying what is done for another species can be harmful — first confirm which animal you are dealing with.

#	Disease／pest	Cause	Signs	Examination	Treatment direction	Prevention
1	*Varroosis Varroosis (Varroa destructor)*	An external parasitic mite, the foremost threat to colony health worldwide, and a vector for several viruses	Mites visible attached to larvae and adult bees, colony weakening, worsening alongside viral disease	Mite infestation rate counted by the powdered-sugar shake or alcohol wash method	Integrated control; the specific agents and how they are used must follow professional guidance and locally approved products, and this file must not list specific dosages or concentrations	Regular monitoring and planned control, and breeding queens selected for mite-resistant traits
2	American foulbrood American Foulbrood (AFB, Paenibacillus larvae)	Bacterial spores. The spores are extremely persistent in the environment, most jurisdictions list a confirmed colony as a notifiable disease, and destruction of the colony and equipment is often required to prevent spread	Larval death and decay, sunken and perforated cell cappings, a distinctive foul odour	Clinical inspection plus laboratory confirmation	Handled under the regulations in most jurisdictions (suspected cases should be reported to the local beekeeping authority／quarantine service; it is not for the beekeeper to decide how to handle them)	Disinfection of equipment, avoiding used combs of unknown origin, and regular inspection
3	European foulbrood European Foulbrood (EFB, Melissococcus plutonius)	Bacterial infection, milder than AFB but still contagious	Larval death with a less pronounced odour; signs are milder than in AFB	Clinical inspection plus laboratory confirmation	Some cases can be improved through management measures; severe cases need professional intervention	Colony stress management (avoiding overcrowding and undernutrition), and equipment hygiene
4	Nosema disease Nosema Disease (Nosema apis／ceranae)	Microsporidian infection of the digestive tract	Diarrhoea-like excreta soiling the hive entrance, reduced colony vigour	Microscopic spore count	Mainly management and improvement of the environment; severe cases need professional guidance	Hive hygiene, avoiding damp
5	Deformed wing virus disease Deformed Wing Virus (DWV)	A virus, transmitted mainly by the varroa mite as vector	Newly emerged workers with shrivelled, deformed wings and poor activity	Clinical observation plus molecular testing	No direct treatment; control must start from the varroa mite at source	Varroa control is the fundamental means of prevention
6	Chalkbrood Chalkbrood (Ascosphaera apis)	Fungal infection of the larvae	Larvae dried hard like chalk, with "mummified" larval corpses visible discarded at the hive entrance	Clinical inspection	Mostly relieved through improved ventilation management	Hive ventilation and damp-proofing management, and replacing combs
7	Small hive beetle Small Hive Beetle (Aethina tumida)	An invasive beetle whose larvae destroy the comb and contaminate the honey	Adult beetles and larvae visible on the comb, and a fermented off-odour in the honey	Visual inspection on opening the hive	Trapping, and management of colony strength	Maintaining strong colonies, and avoiding over-enlarging the hive space
8	Colony collapse disorder Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)	Interaction of multiple factors (mite damage, viruses, pesticide exposure, nutritional stress and others); the mechanism is not yet fully established	Large numbers of workers disappear within a short period, leaving only the queen, a few young bees, and ample honey and pollen stores	An overall judgement made after other definite causes have been excluded	No single treatment; integrated management to reduce risk factors	Varroa control, nutritional management, and reducing pesticide exposure
9	Tracheal mite Tracheal Mite (Acarapis woodi)	A minute mite parasitising the tracheae of the bee	Reduced flight capability, increased overwintering mortality	Microscopic examination of dissected tracheae	Mainly integrated management	Breeding queens for resistance, and maintaining colony strength
10	Wax moth Wax Moth (Galleria mellonella)	A secondary pest, arising in colonies already weakened or left unattended, and in stored combs	Web-like tunnelling damage appearing on the comb	Visual inspection	Remove the affected combs and improve storage management	Maintaining strong colonies able to defend themselves, and storing combs properly at low temperature or sealed

The 10 rows above are copied cell by cell from the original encyclopedia chapter, without rewriting or condensing; the treatment direction gives categories only, never drug names or dosages, and medication must be prescribed by a veterinarian. The line number and content hash of each row in the original chapter are in the evidence chain at the end.

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This content comes from the farm animals and horses chapter of the veterinary encyclopedia (see the evidence chain for the original location and content hash). The sources at the end are the authoritative materials cited by that chapter; the correspondence is at chapter level, which does not mean every sentence is traced sentence by sentence back to a given source. This material is for education and cannot replace diagnosis and prescription by a practising veterinarian; in an emergency, seek veterinary care immediately. This text has not been clinically reviewed by a named veterinarian.

Reading map; items appear in article order: #; 1; 2; 3; 4; 5 — From the article text; read alongside the full article.

FAQ

What is American foulbrood American Foulbrood (AFB, *Paenibacillus larvae*), and what should send you to a veterinarian straight away?: Bacterial spores; the spores are extremely persistent in the environment, most jurisdictions list a confirmed colony as a notifiable disease, and destruction of the colony and equipment is often required to prevent spread. It presents with larval death and decay, sunken and perforated cell cappings, and a distinctive foul odour. The direction of handling is that it is dealt with under the regulations in most jurisdictions (suspected cases should be reported to the local beekeeping authority／quarantine service; it is not for the beekeeper to decide how to handle them). This row belongs to the category in the original chapter that needs prompt attention; the actual judgement still rests with a veterinarian assessing the individual case, and no drug names or dosages are given here.
What causes varroosis Varroosis (*Varroa destructor*), and what matters most in preventing it?: An external parasitic mite, the foremost threat to colony health worldwide, and a vector for several viruses. It presents with mites visible attached to larvae and adult bees, colony weakening, and worsening alongside viral disease. The key to prevention is regular monitoring and planned control, together with breeding queens selected for mite-resistant traits. The treatment direction must be assessed by a veterinarian case by case, and no drug names or dosages are given here.
What causes European foulbrood European Foulbrood (EFB, *Melissococcus plutonius*), and what matters most in preventing it?: Bacterial infection, milder than AFB but still contagious. It presents with larval death but a less pronounced odour, and signs milder than in AFB. The key to prevention is colony stress management (avoiding overcrowding and undernutrition) together with equipment hygiene. The treatment direction must be assessed by a veterinarian case by case, and no drug names or dosages are given here.

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Jane・《Honeybees｜10 Common Diseases (cause → signs → examination → treatment direction → prevention)》・IDAEO 知識庫・2026-08-13・https://km.idaeo.ai/post/vet/honeybee-diseases

Updated 2026-08-15

更新 2026-08-15T15:41:02.273Z · server-rendered · four-language · IDAEO 知識庫

Honeybees｜10 Common Diseases (cause → signs → examination → treatment direction → prevention)

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