Antibiotic to cure EFB

[limyw]

One bee expert just advised me to use Tetracycline, capsuled antibiotic to cure serious EFB infection. No products should be collected from the hive within 6 weeks. He also advised to change all combs and boil all used frames and boxes for reuse. Apiary needed can be spray with fomallin (spelling may be wrong) 5%. Is his advise ok?

[Finsky]

One bee expert just advised me to use Tetracycline, capsuled antibiotic to cure serious EFB infection.

It seems that EFB is connected to poor nutrition. Look from google http://www.google.com/search?hl=fi&rls=SUNA%2CSUNA%3A2006-48%2CSUNA%3Aen&q=european+foulbrood&btnG=Hae&lr=

One way is to  get rid off EFB when you change the queen , if you have it in some hive.  If you have it in several hive, change the bee stock.

If you raise your own queens, let queen be in mating nucs and cast away queen which have not uniform tight brood area. If there are holes  in capped   brood area, change the queen. This kind of selection helps to get healthy bees.

[Cindi]

Finsky, yes, tetracycline is evidently used.  But due to the resistance of mellifera to the common antibiotic of oxcytet, it is more common here now (if you can get it), to give the bees other forms of antibiotics (for example, errithromycene), ones that are commonly used for us human beings.  Now I don't know if that is the proper spelling or not, but it is used by farmers for use on their chickens.  The Asian flu has been known to occupy many of the birds and this is effective against it.  I do not believe that this antibiotic has been (errithromycene) has yet to be approved in the bee industry yet though.  I have not used it, only heard about its use.  I don't know very much about this, but I listen.  Great day.  Cindi

[Michael Bush]

The only approved treatment in the US is Terramycin (oxytet).  The most effective chemical treatment is Streptomycin.  But what I would recommend is just removing the queen and by the time they rear a new one things have usually cleared up.

Here's more detail:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beespests.htm#efb

[Brian D. Bray]

Requeening doesn't cure every problem though there are those who seem to practice that approach.
With that said: A queen that is born with a genetic weakness will pass it on and the hive will show tendencies to be easily afflicted with diseases.  In that case requeening is appropriate inorder to strenghten the hive and to rid the apiary of inferior or disease prone stock. 
Experience will eventually teach the recognition in determining the difference between a hive weak due to outside factors and those that are internal to the hive.  Requeening is called for only in the situation of the internal problems.

[limyw]

I agreed with Brian. The proof is even I introduced new queen to EFB infested hive, it doesn't help to eliminate EFB.
I was told that if the effort to eliminate EFB is not done thoroughly, means within the apiary, it would spread to other non-infested hives...That is why I am thinking to take away all combs and even boxes at the same time. Maybe this is a good chance to remove mites too... :roll:
In China, I knew tetracycline is widely use to cure EFB. But abusing of usage can seriousely pollute bee products.

[Finsky]

I was told that if the effort to eliminate EFB is not done thoroughly, means within the apiary, it would spread to other non-infested hives

American foulbrood is quite bad, but EFB is not at all. Unless you have there special environment for it.

I have had EFB but  I got rif off it when I changed queens. Crossing between Caucasian and German Balack was sensitive to disease.

From AFB you cannot get rid off by queen changing.

One way is do like with AFB that you change the queen and let bees fly to new hive onto clean combs. Then let sick bees to emerge and put them again on clean combs and another queen with them.

Take care that your brood area is tight. Get new bee stock somewhere from advanged beekeeper and selected queens. If you have troubles with hives like swarming, nasty or something, it is time to get new blood into yard.

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