American loca

Infectious disease of the young

The Pathogen – BACILLUS LARVAE bacterium

Signs of recognition:

Clogged or perforated cell caps are an indication of disease with American loca. The surface of the brood is often motley.

For diagnosis, check the condition of the brood under the caps of the cells: a match is pushed into the sticky yellow-brown mass, to the color of coffee with milk under the caps. If, when carefully removed, a long thread is formed, it is the American loca.

Information obtained by consulting beekeepers from the Black Sea Basin Beekeepers Network as well as the paper Good practice guide for mountain beekeepers – Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development / National Agency for Mountain Areas.