Close up comb showing symptoms of American Foul Brood (AFB)

American Foul Brood (AFB)

How to spot American Foul Brood (AFB)?

Do you suspect that your bees may have American Foul Brood (AFB)? Do you know how to recognise the signs of Foul Brood disease, and can you distinguish between AFB and European Foul Brood (EFB)? American Foul Brood is a serious and notifiable infection, which you must report to the National Bee Unit. Some areas of the BeeBase website that may help you spot key AFB symptoms include:

  • American Foul Brood (AFB)
    A summary of the characteristics of AFB, covering what happens if your bees are diagnosed with American Foul Brood.
  • Disease incidence maps
    Live information is available about the location of confirmed cases of American Foul Brood in England and Wales, so that you can see if AFB is in your beekeeping area.
  • The Statutory Apiary Inspections Programme
    This explains how the NBU monitors and manages AFB in England and Wales.
  • What to do if you suspect that your honey bees have American Foul Brood (AFB)
    If you are a beekeeper in England or Wales, please contact the NBU. Alternatively, if you are a beekeeper in Scotland, you must use the following contact details.
  • Bees & the Law
    This page gives details of the key legislation that you need to know about as a beekeeper and your obligations if you do discover American Foul Brood.
  • Image Gallery
    You can find useful pictures of the symptoms of American Foul Brood disease here.
  • Advisory leaflets and training manuals
    Including publications on Foul Brood Disease of Honey Bees, which you can download free of charge.

Register as a new beekeeper

As a beekeeper in England, Scotland or Wales, if you register on BeeBase you can:

  • Request a free apiary visit from your local bee inspector;
  • Be alerted to pest and disease problems in your area;
  • Have secure access to your own (and only your own) inspection history and apiary information, via the web;
  • Find out about beekeeping training events near you;
  • All these services are free of charge.

BeeBase - an information resource for beekeepers and the beekeeping industry

BeeBase is a sophisticated IT system that supports the bee health programmes of England, Scotland and Wales. It is important to be able to visit every apiary within an area of confirmed disease, so it is vital to have beekeepers' apiaries logged onto BeeBase, to make sure that no potentially infected and/or at risk colonies are being missed. BeeBase provides information on the activities of the NBU, legislation, honey bee pest and disease recognition and control, interactive maps, current research areas, and lots of helpful contacts. Many beekeepers find this an extremely useful resource.