American and European Foulbrood are highly contagious bacterial diseases found in beehives throughout the world. Both versions of the disease can be prevented with appropriate use of Terramycin. European Foulbrood can be cured by a different treatment, but American Foulbrood forms spores which are not destroyed by antibiotics or any other treatment. Prevention, therefore, is key.
-
Foulbrood
-
While the bacteria can be present anywhere in the hive, it affects the larvae and pupae. The bacteria is transported into the hive by a bee which has stolen honey from an infected hive or by a beekeeper who uses contaminated equipment. Once it is present in the hive, it is transmitted to the larvae by worker bees. The infected larvae and pupae die, and the following decay produces the foul smell for which the disease is known.
Terramycin
-
Terramycin is a member of the antibiotic family of tetracycline. Its generic name is oxytetracycline hydrochloride. It can be purchased online and through beekeeping equipment catalogs. It is sold either in pure, unadulterated form or pre-mixed for treatment. Terramycin should only be used on uninfected hives when there is a known infection in the area, especially when bees are likely to steal honey and pollen from other hives. If a hive becomes infected by either version of foulbrood, Terramycin is no longer an appropriate treatment.
Application
-
Terramycin needs to be introduced to the colony so the bees will ingest it, giving them protection from random foulbrood spores in the wild. The preferred application is to mix pure Terramycin with powdered sugar in a 4:1 ration. The pre-mixed formula can be used without modification. Sprinkle two tablespoons of the mixture per hive over all frames containing young brood. In the spring, before the nectar is flowing, you should apply the treatment three times, waiting ten days between each treatment. The last treatment should be given six weeks before you expect the hive to begin storing honey. In the fall, remove all honey supers and frames, and then give one application of the treatment.
Other Methods
-
An older, less preferred method of supplying Terramycin to the colony is to mix it into grease patties. Many authorities recommend against doing this for two reasons. First, the patties last significantly longer than the standard treatment period. This means that any honey gathered while the patty is being eaten, and for six weeks after, must be treated as contaminated, and not fit for human consumption. Second, because it takes the hive so much longer to consume a grease patty, the bees have a sub-clinical dose of the medication for the entire period of treatment. This can allow the foulbrood bacteria to adapt and become resistant to antibiotic treatment.
Considerations
-
Terramycin leaves a residue in any honey the hive produces for six weeks after it is applied. Because Terramycin can cause allergic reactions in humans, and a low level of antibiotics present in food can cause bacteria to become resistant, any honey which may be contaminated with terramycin must be disposed of, not harvested.
Because foulbrood is such a terrible disease for beekeepers, there is a temptation to use Terramycin regularly, regardless of whether there is a known foulbrood infection. Unfortunately, this actually strengthens the disease, as it gives the bacteria the opportunity to develop resistance. It also weakens the hive, because Terramycin will kill a percentage of the brood. This number is far less than would be lost to a foulbrood infection, but it could weaken a hive to the point that it can no longer survive on its own.
-