Chalk brood Aids

Chalkbrood is caused by Ascosphaera apis, a fungus. The larva dies and mummifies: those hard white or greyish mummies appear in the cells and in front of the entrance. The key word in this category is preventive.

What these products are and are not

They are supplements and additives intended for bees — probiotics, support microorganisms — not veterinary medicines. They accompany management; they do not replace it. If you have a serious established problem, the right course is diagnosis and whatever your vet indicates.

What actually solves the problem

The fungus is practically everywhere: what decides whether it appears is the colony's condition and the humidity. The three fronts that work are management, not a tub:

• Remove moisture. Ventilated floor, hive lifted off the ground, sunny site with no waterlogging. Cold, wet spring is when it shows.
• A strong, proportionate colony. A colony with more brood than it can cover and warm is where the fungus thrives. Reducing the volume with a dummy board helps more than any additive.
• Requeen. Some genetic lines are clearly more susceptible and others very resistant. If one hive repeats year after year and its neighbours do not, the problem is genetics — and requeening is the real solution.

And one hygiene measure: badly affected frames are withdrawn rather than recycled between hives.

The health framework is in bee health; supplements in nutritional supplements.