[Pollinator] AFB Found In South Africa. Antibiotics Not Being Considered, Yet.

[Ladadams at aol.com]

This ezine is also available online at 
_http://home.ezezine.com/1636/1636-2009.04.21.10.29.archive.html_ 
(http://home.ezezine.com/1636/1636-2009.04.21.10.29.archive.html) 

CATCH THE BUZZ  
AFB  Found In South Africa. Antibiotics Not Being Considered, Yet.  
By Alan Harman 
 
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American Foulbrood has been found in South Africa  for the first time and 
authorities are mulling an eradication program. 
The disease, caused by the  spore-forming bacterium Paenibacillus larvae, 
has never been previously reported  in sub-Saharan Africa. 
Department of Agriculture plant  health director Alice Baxter says AFB was 
found during a survey by the Plant  Protection Research Institute (PPRI) of 
the Agricultural Research Council of  honeybee colonies and retail honey in 
South Africa for the presence of the  disease. 
Mike Allsopp, head of the Honeybee  Research Section at the PPRIs 
Agricultural Research Center, became aware of the  disease when a beekeeper 
experienced problems with unhealthy colonies. 
It was first thought to be European  Foul Brood, which hit Western Cape 
apiaries last year, but tests at PPRI’s  laboratory in Pretoria came up 
positive for AFB. 
Standard operating procedures for  eradicating the disease is to burn the  
hive, including the bees, wax,  frames and honey, and bury the ashes. 
Infected apiaries could face a  quarantine of up to 18 months. 
“The bad news is that AFB has now  been found in some colonies and some 
apiaries in the Western Cape,” Baxter says.  “The disease has been confirmed 
using all standard diagnostic tests, and the  identification is considered to 
be entirely reliable.” 
The Western Cape is a province in  the southwest of the country. Its 
capital is Cape Town, the country’s main  aviation hub. Until 1994, Western Cape 
was part of the huge Cape Province. 
“At present it is not known how  serious or extensive the disease outbreak 
is, but a precautionary approach  requires that we consider there to be the 
potential for a full-scale AFB  outbreak in South Africa, and to act 
accordingly,” Baxter says. 
It’s not known how AFB entered South  Africa. All imported honey and 
honeybee products are irradiated in a regime  designed to block its entry and it’s 
thought untreated honey smuggled into the  country could be the source. 
The Department of Agriculture has  been conducting an urgent but extensive 
delimiting survey of the Western Cape to  determine how widespread and 
extensive the AFB infection is, and particularly,  whether it is present in the 
wild honeybee population. 
“Once the extent and distribution of  the AFB presence is known, the DoA in 
consultation with organized beekeeping and  other stakeholders will decide 
on the appropriate course of action to be  followed,” Baxter says. “This is 
likely to entail an attempt to quarantine and  eradicate the disease.”  
In the interim, beekeepers are  strongly urged to adapt extreme 
precautionary measures so as to not spread the  disease further, and to prevent their 
apiaries from contracting the disease.  This applies to all beekeepers in 
South  Africa, but particularly those in the Western Cape.   
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 They have been advised to keep all apiaries distinct from each other and 
not  move honeybee colonies from apiary to apiary; not to place colonies in 
the near  proximity of colonies belonging to other beekeepers; not to move 
equipment  (brood boxes, supers, frames) from apiary to apiary, or from colony 
to colony;  to sterilize all beekeeping equipment (hive tools, gloves) with 
alcohol or  boiling water after use; not to put out wet supers for bees to 
feed from; not to  feed colonies with anything containing honey or pollen; 
keep robbing to an  absolute minimum, and hence, keep beekeeping management 
to a minimum.   
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Beekeepers are being urged to contact Allsopp if they consider their 
colonies  either infected with AFB or have shown any symptoms in the past six 
months.  
Allsopp tells Bee Culture he  is trying to complete a scientific report on 
the outbreak before the end of this  month. 
“So far it is only in the Western  Cape, but already spread over some 200 
kilometers (125 miles), and in at least  four or five commercial beekeeping 
operations,” he says. 
“No decision yet on the course of  action to be taken, but we should know 
quite soon.” 
Allsopp says antibiotics are  unlikely to be an option.  
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around the world go to _www.my.calendars.net/bee_culture/_ 
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To list your event on this  calendar, send your information to 
_info at BeeCulture.com_ (mailto:info at BeeCulture.com)   
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“A couple of beekeepers want to use them,  but I don't think it is an 
option that is being seriously considered,” he says.  “All advice that we have 
received (including from the U.S.) is for us to not go that  route.”
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 





Laurie Davies Adams
Executive  Director
Pollinator Partnership 
423 Washington Street, 5th  floor
San Francisco, CA  94111
415-362-1137
LDA at pollinator.org

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