EFB Diagnostic Test Kit

01 · WHICH LARVA TO TAKE

From an open cell, and showing symptoms

European foulbrood affects young brood, before capping. The suspect larva looks twisted in the cell, discoloured, as if it had collapsed into a posture that is not its own.

That is what separates this test from the American foulbrood one, which is sampled on already capped brood. Taking the wrong larva does not give a negative: it gives a result that means nothing.

02 · HOW IT IS DONE

Little sample and twenty seconds of shaking

Lift the larva with the spatula and drop it into the bottle. The commonest error here is overdoing it: too much organic matter clogs the device. Very little is enough.

Close it and shake vigorously for about 20 seconds. Take the test out of its foil pouch without touching the viewing window, draw the sample with the pipette immediately after shaking — so the bacteria do not settle — and put two drops into the sample port.

Hold the device horizontal until it absorbs (about 30 seconds, a blue dye appears) and read between one and three minutes.

03 · HOW TO READ IT

Including the cases where it failed

This is the most misread part: not everything that is not two lines is a negative. Some combinations mean the test did not work and has to be repeated.

Each device carries its batch number on the back, plus space to note the sample, the date and the result. If anything goes wrong, that number is what you quote.

04 · WHAT TO DO WITH A POSITIVE

The test points; it does not diagnose

A field test is a screening, not a diagnosis. A positive — and a faint T too — is reason to notify the official veterinary service, which is who confirms it and says what measures to take in the apiary.

And be clear before using it: this test authorises no treatment and does not replace an official diagnosis. What it does is give you, in three minutes and at the hive, a solid reason to call.

05 · PRECAUTIONS

The bottle contains sodium azide

The extraction bottle contains chemical buffer and sodium azide. Do not ingest it, do not touch the contents with bare hands and keep it out of the reach of children.

When you are done, the used material goes in the waste, not down the sink and not left in the field. It is a single-use kit and should be treated as one.

06 · BEFORE YOU BUY

A field screening, not a laboratory: