Author: Agriculture Victoria
Issue: April 2026
Subject: How the increased hive inspections prompted by varroa monitoring give beekeeper an opportunity to catch American foulbrood (AFB) early and avoid preventable costs.
With an increased frequency of hive inspections due to Varroa, beekeepers now have a valuable opportunity to identify American Foulbrood (AFB) earlier – and avoid significant and preventable costs.
Increased inspections create new opportunities
Increased hive inspection frequency by beekeepers due to Varroa mite provides more regular contact with their hives and a positive opportunity for the early detection of other well established widespread bee diseases like American Foulbrood.
Unlike Varroa mite, management of AFB is severely limited with no approved controls other than to destroy the affected hive and sterilise associated equipment and hiveware. AFB is highly contagious and can easily be spread by beekeepers if undetected.
Identifying AFB early saves you time and money
As profit margins are squeezed with the establishment of Varroa mite across Victoria it is increasingly important for beekeepers to be assessing where sensible cost savings can be made. Taking advantage of more hive inspections associated with mite level monitoring and removing affected AFB hives from your apiary before carrying out varroa treatments is one way of reducing costs.
Barrier systems reduce disease spread and costs
Routine apiary management such as moving hives and the interchange of hive components can unintentionally spread AFB to healthy bee colonies within your apiary. For larger business operations, with more than one load of hives that are managed as a single unit, the use of a barrier system can be an effective tool to reduce the risk of AFB spread. Once a barrier system is established, any AFB outbreaks can be contained to the load/loads that make up that unit, minimising impacts on the broader business.
Recognising AFB symptoms in the field
Identifying AFB involves looking for an irregular "shotgun" brood pattern, sunken or greasy-looking dark cappings, and a foul, fishy odour. A key diagnostic check is the "rope test," where a matchstick inserted into a dead larva drags out a sticky, brown thread of 2–5 cm.
Don't waste money treating hives already lost to AFB
The cost of managing Varroa will have a direct impact on your business' profitability - and treating hives already infected with AFB is an avoidable expense. Make the most of your increased hive inspections and don't just look for Varroa – use this time to check for all bee pests and diseases. Implement a barrier system to ensure AFB, and other pests and diseases, do not impact your entire apiary.
If you are unsure how to identify bee pest and disease in your apiary you can visit a number of web sites including Agriculture Victoria and BeeAware or undertake the Biosecurity On Line Training Course which has been updated to reflect the requirements of the new Australian Honey Bee Biosecurity Code of Practice. For more information on honey bee biosecurity please contact your states Bee Biosecurity Officer.
