American foulbrood

Definition

Caused by Paenibacillus larvae. Infected larvae die after capping and decompose into a ropy brown mass. The spores survive for many decades and resist heat and disinfection, which is why the standard response in most jurisdictions is destruction of the colony and equipment by burning, and why it is notifiable.

Guide records that discuss this

• Foulbrood and the notifiable bee diseasesSix bee diseases are listed internationally, four by the EU and four are notifiable in England — and the lists do not match. What each disease is, what the law asks, and why a jar of honey can carry one of them.
• Brood diseases: telling foulbrood from its look-alikesSeven different things kill or mark honey bee brood, and almost every one of them can look like another. What each is, what it is mistaken for, and why the answer comes from a test — and, for the two foulbroods, a report — rather than from reading the comb.