A vaccine for bees? ‘It’s looking promising’: Essex County beekeeper
The world’s first vaccine against American foulbrood has been approved for use by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Dalan Animal Health, a biotech company based in Athens, Georgia has received a two-year, conditional licence to distribute the vaccine to commercial beekeepers.
“This vaccine sounds like it could be really beneficial to the industry,” says Tom Congdon, third generation owner and operator of Sun Parlour Honey, based in Cottam, Ont.
“These new treatments that they're coming up with show good promise,” says Congdon. “We need to see the field studies this summer to know just how effective it's going to be but it's looking promising.”
Congdon says American foulbrood has been in North America for decades, as far back as when his grandfather started the business in 1916.
“American foulbrood is very difficult to manage other than destruction of the colony and starting fresh,” says Congdon.
According to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, American foulbrood is caused by a bacteria called paenibacillus larvae and it only attacks developing bee larvae, not adults.
The ministry notes, “this disease is highly contagious, will contaminate beekeeping equipment, bees and honey, and will weaken, and in most cases, kill a honey bee colony.”
Bee colonies at Sun Parlour Honey in Cottam, Ont. on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023. (Michelle Maluske/CTV News Windsor)Congdon says the only treatment is an antibiotic which he believes isn’t effective once the bees are infected.
Congdon says beekeepers in Ontario are managing the disease “quite well” because they are continually checking their colonies, looking for any signs of sickness.
But he notes a more “virulent” form of American foulbrood has been found in Western Canada.
“It's only a matter of time before it migrates to our area. So if we can have a vaccine that's going to give more protection and that in the long run would be safer for the bees,” says Congdon.
According to the Dalan website, the American foulbrood vaccine contains cells from paenibacillus larvae.
It is then put into something called ‘queen candy’ which is a sugary substance with a gum-like consistency.
The worker bees eat it as a food source and pass it onto the queen, who in turn passes the immunity onto the larvae she hatches.
According to Dalan, the vaccine is “non-GMO and can be used in organic agriculture.”
If it is ever approved for use in Canada, Congdon would consider using it at his farm as a preventative measure.
“It'll be something that you use ahead of time,” says Congdon. “If you have a colony that's infected with American foulbrood, I think you'll still want to probably destroy (the colony) and start fresh because those spores can spread everywhere so quickly and they can get into all of our equipment.”
CTV News has reached out to Health Canada and the Pest Management Regulatory Agency and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for comment.
This is a developing story, more details to come.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.