Frame Guide › Disease
Foulbrood Scale: what it looks like on the frame
A colony that dwindled and died last fall. You tilt a frame toward the light.
A dried, dark crust lying flat along the lower wall of scattered cells, stuck so tight the bees couldn't remove it — the remains of larvae killed by foulbrood. American foulbrood scale is nearly impossible to pick out, and tilting the frame into the light is how you spot it. A few sunken, holed cappings on the same comb back it up.
Seal the box so nothing can rob it, and get it inspected
AFB spores survive for decades and freezing does nothing to them. Give this comb to another colony — or let robbers carry the honey home — and you've spread it. Close the deadout up bee-tight and call your state apiary inspector before anything from it goes near another hive.
Easy to mistake for
- Moldy CombSpring · frames from a hive that died in January, left in the damp box since.
- ChalkbroodCool, wet spring. You spot chalky white bits on the landing board.
Could you spot this with the lid off?
Read the Frame deals you 8 random frames. Say what you see, say what you'd do, and find out why. It's free and runs on your phone.
Drill disease → Mixed round (all 32 frames) →More disease
- ChalkbroodCool, wet spring. You spot chalky white bits on the landing board.
- American Foulbrood Warning SignsSpotty brood, sunken greasy cappings with pinholes, and an odd smell.
- European FoulbroodMay · built up fast, then stalled. A faint sour smell.
- SacbroodSpring · a handful of odd larvae scattered in otherwise decent brood.
- Chilled BroodYou went through this hive on a windy 48°F day and took your time.
- DysenteryLate February · brown streaks on the top bars and down the comb.
These frames are drawn to teach the pattern, and real frames vary. If you suspect foulbrood or a pesticide kill, contact your state apiarist. In Pennsylvania that's the PA Department of Agriculture apiary program. Samples to the USDA Beltsville Bee Lab are free. From The Alleman Apiary in Middletown, PA.