Читать книгу Honey Bee Medicine for the Veterinary Practitioner - Группа авторов - Страница 116

Beekeepers thrill to see a “solid brood pattern” (Figure 5.31).

Sometimes one will observe what beekeepers call “spotty brood” (Figure 5.32). This may or may not be a reflection of the queen. A queen mated in an inbred population, due to lack of diversity in the sex alleles of the drones that she mated with may lay fertilized eggs that develop into “diploid drones,” which are quickly consumed as larvae by the nurses, resulting is a spotty brood pattern. This is seldom the case, unless a beekeeper is rearing their own queens.

Figure 5.32 An example of “spotty brood.” Although beekeepers often blame the queen for this condition, it may or may not have anything to do with her.

More often, spotty brood becomes normal as the season progresses, due to poor nutrition, disease, or parasitism by varroa (Figure 5.32).

Spotty brood is caused by larval mortality due to dearth or poor nutrition, European Foulbrood (EFB), Chalkbrood, a virus, toxic pollen, or pesticide or miticide contamination of the combs. Far too many queens are unnecessarily replaced due to problems not of their own fault. But if a queen is over a year old, she may be starting to run out of viable spermatozoa.

Practical application: There's not much that one can do about Chalkbrood, but EFB can be cleared up with oxytetracycline. Give the queen a fresh comb to lay on, in order to see whether comb contamination or disease is the problem. If the spotty brood persists, then replace the queen.