A BETTER WAY TO TREAT AFB:A No Chemical Approach Is Always Best

摘要

One contributing factor to poor honey bee health is American Foulbrood disease (AFB) caused by the pathogen, Paenibacillus larvae, a gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium. These bacterial spores are picked up by adult bees from all manner of places and brought back to the hive where the spores are introduced to the honey bee larvae. Fortunately, adults are resistant to this disease. Spores are resistant to antibiotics and heat and studies have shown that these can persist for at least several decades, which makes eradication of this disease difficult.