European foulbrood

Definition

Caused by Melissococcus plutonius. Larvae die before the cell is capped, twisted in the cell and discoloured. It is stress-related and frequently clears when a colony is strengthened, requeened or given fresh comb. Serious, notifiable in some jurisdictions, and considerably less catastrophic than American foulbrood.

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.