European Foulbrood Control Products

Under the heading of European foulbrood (EFB) control products, what the beekeeper has is not a medicine but tools for diagnosis, isolation, comb renewal and strengthening the colony. The causative agent is the bacterium Melissococcus plutonius; it usually kills larvae before the cell is capped. In Türkiye it is notifiable and antibiotic use in bees is not permitted: if you suspect it, isolate the hive, report it and follow the official veterinarian's instructions.

What does "control" mean for EFB?

Unlike American foulbrood (AFB), EFB does not form spores; but the agent can survive for months in comb, honey and faecal remains, and there can be symptomless carrier colonies. The disease often appears with a period of stress: a cold, wet spring, a shortage of nectar and pollen, too few nurse bees, frequent moving.

So EFB control stands on three legs:

• Cutting transmission: Taking contaminated combs out of circulation, stopping movements of equipment and bees.
• Strengthening the colony: Enough feed and pollen, space matched to the strength of the colony, a young queen if needed.
• The official process: Having the diagnosis confirmed by a laboratory and carrying out the authorities' decision.

Why are antibiotics or "foulbrood medicines" not used?

An antibiotic suppresses the symptoms and masks the disease; the agent stays in the hive and passes to other apiaries when the colony is sold or frames are moved. It also leaves residues in honey and wax, making the honey unmarketable. Antibiotic use in bees is not permitted in Türkiye.

Evidence is limited that products sold as "immune boosters", "herbal support against foulbrood" or probiotics prevent or cure EFB. These products do not replace real measures (comb renewal, nutrition, hygiene) and should not delay diagnosis.

How do you recognise EFB? In the hive and confirming with a kit

• Death of open larvae: Larvae mostly die before the cell is capped.
• Colour and position: The pearly-white larva turns yellow, then brown; it loses its "C" shape, becomes twisted and slumps to the bottom of the cell as if melted.
• Scale: The drying remains form a rubbery scale that comes out of the cell easily (in AFB it is stuck fast).
• Matchstick test: The remains do not rope out, or only very briefly.
• Smell: Sourish, sometimes vinegary.

Rapid diagnostic kits

In some countries lateral flow diagnostic kits are used for EFB, in which the suspect larva is crushed in a buffer liquid and dropped onto a test cassette; the result is read as lines within a few minutes. The kit speeds up decision-making but does not replace an official diagnosis: a positive result requires a report and laboratory confirmation, and a negative result does not rule out the disease if symptoms persist.

What should you do after suspicion and diagnosis?

1. Isolate the hive: Do not move frames, bees, honey or tools from this hive; do not unite or sell it.
2. Report it: Notify the official veterinary service / local agriculture authority; the official veterinarian decides on sampling and the method to be applied.
3. Prevent robbing: Reduce the entrance and do not leave honey or comb in the open.
4. Tighten hygiene: Clean the hive tool between hives, use disposable gloves and leave the suspect hive until last.
5. Apply the official method: In mild cases, strengthening the colony and renewing contaminated combs; in severe cases, a shook swarm (artificial swarm); in very severe or recurring cases, destruction.

Equipment needed for a shook swarm (artificial swarm)

The shook swarm is the most commonly used drug-free method for EFB: the bees are shaken into a clean hive containing only frames of foundation, and the old combs are destroyed. The authorities decide which colonies it is applied to. What you need to prepare:

• A clean hive body and floor: New wood, or wood that has been scraped and scorched with a flame.
• Frames of foundation: Foundation from a reliable source; old comb is not used.
• Queen excluder: Can be placed between the floor and the body for the first days to stop the queen from leaving the hive.
• Feeder and syrup: The bees need plenty of food to draw new comb.
• Closed transport container or bag: For taking diseased combs to the place of destruction without robbing.
• Cleaning materials: A flame or cleaning solution for the hive tool, disposable gloves.

Cleaning up after a shook swarm

After the shook swarm, the emptied old bodies, floor and crown board are scraped free of wax and propolis; wooden surfaces are cleaned by the method the authorities consider suitable, usually by scorching with a flame. Old combs are not given to another hive without being melted down or burnt. Feeding is continued in the first weeks of the new hive and the brood area is checked regularly; if symptoms return, report the situation again.

Products and practices that prevent EFB