15 



(e) Eradication 



European Foulbrood has not caused very serious trouble since 

 beekeepers have learned the present preventive measures. Most definibe 

 progress in its control has been made through Italianizing all colonies and 

 breeding queens from resistant stock. 



It must be remembered that European Foulbrood is a disease of weak 

 colonies. The introduction of an Italian queen to a very weak colony is 

 useless if European Foulbrood is present. Weak colonies should be united 

 to stronger ones before requeening. If resistant Italian queens are used 

 and the best methods of beekeeping, which ensure strong colonies, are 

 followed there will be little trouble with European Foulbrood. A colony 

 at the beginning of the honey flow should be strong enough to have eight 

 full combs of Langstroth size filled with brood. 



Proper wintering of bees is a matter of highest importance in regions 

 where European Foulbrood is found. As very little infection is carried 

 over the winter the first brood of the year usually escapes with little loss. 

 For this reason it is essential to have as much brood as possible get away 

 to a good start early in the spring. The emerging bees are then able to 

 ward off the disease throughout the season. 



Where the disease has become well established, it is sometimes 

 diflScult for the bees to make headway in cleaning it up. Removal of the 

 queen for a few days causes a period in which no brood is being fed. This 

 gives the bees a chance to make more rapid progress. As soon as the 

 dead larvae are removed, the queen is returned or better still the colony is 

 given a young Italian queen. 



How the disease spreads is not thoroughly understood. Honey has a 

 definite devitalizing effect upon the organism so is not a serious carrier. 

 IL is never necessary to destroy or disinfect combs, brood, or honey from 

 European Foulbrood colonies. Normally requeening and strengthening 

 the colony will satisfactorily control the disease. 



SACBROOD 



Sacbrood is an infectious disease of the brood of bees. Although it is 

 not particularly malignant and rarely, if ever, causes the death of a 

 colony, it is responsible for the loss of much brood. Where the disease is 

 advanced the death of many worker larvae results in the weakening of the 

 colony. Brood rearing space may also be considerably reduced by the 

 presence of dead larvae in the cells. 



The disease has never proven very serious in Ontario but it is 

 essential that beekeepers be able to differentiate between it and other 

 brood diseases, especially American Foulbrood. 



(a) Symptoms of Sacbrood 



Character of comb and cappings. As in other brood diseases the 

 presence of affected brood, interspersed with healthy brood, gives an 

 irregular appearance to the comb. Larvae die after the cells are cappfed. 



