European foulbrood disease: A beekeeper's perspective

In this presentation, we will share a beekeepers’ perspective on the European Foulbrood (EFB) disease in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia. We will describe how it affects beekeeping practices and the availability of colonies for crop pollination. We will share different approaches for the management of EFB disease and their applicability to small and large beekeeping operations. These range from prophylactic and therapeutic antibiotic treatment to utilizing the shook swarm method. We will also describe collaborative projects aiming to understand factors that affect disease expression, as well as to study variants of the causative agent of EFB, Mellissococcus plutonius. Finally, we will provide suggestions for a path forward to reduce expression of this evolving disease that affects many colonies including interprovincial migratory colonies used in pollination of Fraser Valley crops.