Chilled Brood

 

Causal agent

None

Age group

Egg

Larvae

Pupae

Adult - worker

Drone

Queen

No

Yes (all ages)

 

 

 

 

Clinical signs

Season

Weather turns suddenly cool.  Brood area temperature drops below 35ºC

Outside

None

Odour

None

Brood

 

Cappings

Uncapped brood on the very edge of the brood nest will not be covered

Larvae appearance

Chilled larvae will die and turn black within 1 day – all ages at same time

Scales (larvae)

Bees remove dead larvae within 24 hours

Dead larvae or pupae found on the ground outside the hive after a cold snap usually indicates chilled brood.

 

Note ants and birds quickly remove the evidence.

Infectivity

 

None

Transmission

 

None

Post-mortem Lesions

 

All ages of larvae are affected and blackened

Diagnosis

 

Note all ages of larvae are affected

Treatment

 

Avoid chilling of the hive

Common differentials

 

 

Zoonosis

None