There are many factors that stress honeybee colonies. These may include parasites, predators, poisoning by herbicides and pesticides, loss of food due to fire and drought, and bacterial, fungal, or viral diseases. Losses caused by these stressors routinely exceed 40% or more. American Foulbrood is among the most devastating of bee bacterial infections. The bacterial spores that cause AFB have been found to be present in up to 50% of hives tested in Canada and the United States.

Developed by Dalan Animal Health, this breakthrough in honeybee care is the first and only biological medication conditionally licensed in North America by the CFIA-CCVB and USDA-CVB to help in the fight against AFB. The medication is safe, non-chemical, and suitable for use in organic agriculture.

The use of antibiotics to prevent AFB results in bacterial resistance and negatively impacts hive health overall. The only solution to treat hives with clinical AFB remains burning the hives and all related equipment.

Queen bees inoculated with the Dalan medication  purchased from preferred queen producers are an industry-first non-chemical prophylactic solution.

When Queen bees are orally inoculated with Dalan’s medication, protection works through a biological mechanism called transgenerational immune priming (TGIP), whereby the queen passes immunity to her daughters before they hatch. The Dalan technology exposes queen bees to inactive bacteria, which enables the larvae hatched in the hive to resist infection.

Dalan is committed to providing beekeepers with innovative solutions to protect the health of their honeybees. Our product has been rigorously tested using the industry’s standard research designs to demonstrate laboratory safety and efficacy1.

Inoculation of honeybees against deadly pathogens, like American Foulbrood, is an important step in protecting the health and welfare of honeybee colonies.