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We don’t have many bad days here but today was one of them. I had it confirmed today that my bee hive had a disease called American Foulbrood (AFB). There is no treatment for this disease and I was required by law to destroy the entire hive by burning it, which I did this morning. Before burning it I had to block the entrance and pour some petrol over the top to kill all of the bees first.
I discovered I had the disease during a normal hive inspection just over a week ago. It is suspected that my bees picked it up from a nearby apiary whose owner has a history of having the disease in his hives.
So that was a stink thing to do. I am not sure if I will start-up again, I have been offered some more bees but I don’t feel like it at the moment as I don’t want to lose everything again. Will have a think about it. The agency that controls AFB is going to inspect the nearby apiary.
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A Cottage in Clarkville 
Only just catching up on your blog! Sorry to hear about your beehive. : (
Comment by Lyn January 19, 2012 @ 3:30 amSorry to hear that. I hope you had a rubbish honey crop on there! Never a good thing burning your own hives. I have also gotten AFB from other beekeepers, who generally neglect hives and allow healthy bees to take the sickness home. Don’t give up, it happens. Make sure audits happen on hives nearby. In other countries beekeepers throw on antibiotics and the sickness goes away. The veranda looks great. Been a while since I have visited your blog. Now we have automatic reminder set up. Enjoy the weather.
Comment by Gino and Lyn January 19, 2012 @ 3:50 am