engleski

Practical procedures for the prevention of the bee communities diseases with the purpose of maintaining the quality of honey

American foulbrood is a contagious, severe disease of honey bee brood caused by the spore forming bacterium Paenibacillus larvae. The spores present the main problem in suppressing the disease - they are resistant to external influences and remain viable in wax, honey or combs for over 50 years. The aim of this paper is to present basic data on the spread of this disease in the Varaždin County, related legal frameworks, and practical procedures used to detect, suppress and prevent the spread of this disease. The disease is reported to a veterinary service that clinically inspects bee-keeping communities and takes samples of suspect communities. Upon laboratory confirmation of the disease a veterinary inspector goes out into the field and sets out measures to control the disease. The area where bee communities must be clinically inspected is determined within a 3 km radius of the focal point. In each suspect community a comb sample is taken and inspected. Hive custodian has an important role of locating all the beehives within the infected area. The first case of the disease was reported by beekeepers and confirmed by laboratory in the fall of 2015 in Donja Voća. From April to June 2016, eleven outbreaks of the disease were detected, with one to twenty infected hives per apiary. The disease focal points were also discovered in Lipovnik, Slivarsko, Klenovnik, Žarovnica, Višnjica, Ivanec, Goranec. The infected comb, bees and honey in the apiaries were destroyed and buried ; the movement of bees, honey and tools was banned ; disinfection measures were taken. There is no authorized treatment for American foulbrood and the treatment with antibiotics is forbidden since they would be found in honey sooner or later. Disease control is possible but only with the effort of all interested parties (beekeepers, beekeeping association, and veterinarians).

American foulbrood, disease prevention, honey quality

Vol.68/Suppl.1/pp.1-80