15 June 2010
Further cases of the bee disease American Foulbrood have been identified, bringing the total number to 44. There are estimated to be 420 hives on the Island and approximately half have now been inspected.
American Foulbrood only affects honey bees and is caused by a spore forming bacteria. This means that affected colonies have to be destroyed together with the frames from the hives. Contaminated equipment has to be treated by thorough scorching.
Environment Assistant Minister, Deputy Rob Duhamel said "Diseases such as foulbrood are notifiable and subject to official controls because of the serious economic impact they have on industry. My department, in conjunction with Jersey beekeepers, is working hard to identify where there is disease and to eradicate it. The department are very pleased by the response from beekeepers but for anyone who has not yet contacted us, please get in touch with the department.
“Until inspections are completed, it is not possible to estimate the final number of infected colonies. The time it will take to build up numbers and recover is dependant on the number of healthy colonies which remain and other factors such as weather, the presence of other diseases such as varroa, and factors which affect the bees' ability to breed.”
American Foulbrood (industry and finance section)
Email the Environment Division
gov.je