Biosecurity is one of the simplest and most effective ways beekeepers can reduce the spread of diseases. Many honey bee diseases persist in wax, comb and hive materials for long periods, making contaminated equipment a major source for reinfection. Keeping up with biosecurity practices in the hive, through regular cleaning, disinfecting tools and sanitizing equipment, helps prevent pathogens from moving between colonies and supports long-term colony health. This includes everything from flaming hive tools to washing bee suits and gloves, because any surface that comes into contact with wax, honey, brood, or debris may carry infectious material.

Biosecurity Practices for Healthier Honey Bee Colonies

Biosecurity begins with understanding how long pathogens can survive in hive materials. Vairimorpha (formerly Nosema) spores, for example, can be killed by heating hive tools to 60°C for 15 minutes or combs to 49°C for 24 hours¹. These spores can survive for a year or more outside of the host, so contaminated equipment can reinfect colonies if equipment is not properly disinfected ¹. Fumigation with 80% acetic acid is recommended to fully eliminate Vairimorpha spores ¹. There will be more information about fumigating hives in a future blog post.

American foulbrood (AFB), caused by Paenibacillus larvae, is even more resilient. AFB spores can survive for decades in hive materials and persist in wax, propolis, and honey for up to 80 years^2,3. AFB spores in wax can be destroyed at 121°C for 30 minutes ².Scorching wooden equipment with a blowtorch is a common practice, but this method does not destroy all spores². While flame sterilization and chemical cleaning remove most microorganisms, AFB spores are extremely resistant, and common disinfectants such as acetic acid and bleach do not reliably eliminate them⁴. In confirmed AFB cases, the only effective solution is to euthanize the colony and dispose of all contaminated equipment. 

Although European foulbrood (EFB) is not spore-forming, it can remain viable in comb for years, and contaminated equipment can contribute to the spread of disease between colonies⁵. Regular cleaning and sanitizing of hive tools, smokers, gloves, and supers can reduce the transmission of EFB⁶.

 Figure 1: Blowtorch and hive tools (ATTTA ©, 2022)

Flaming hive tools is essential to prevent cross-contamination because these tools frequently contact wax, brood frames, and debris. Metal hive tools reach sterilizing temperatures much more rapidly under a propane torch, because propane flames exceed 1000°C, applying heat until wax and propolis residues burn off is sufficient to kill AFB or Vairimorpha spores on metal surfaces^1,2,7.

Protective clothing such as bee suits and gloves can also contribute to disease transmission, as they frequently encounter brood frames, wax, honey and other debris. Equipment and clothing should be cleaned thoroughly after use in an apiary to reduce the risk of spreading pathogens⁴. Washing bee suits regularly and replacing gloves helps prevent spores, bacteria, and parasites from moving between colonies or apiaries. Disposable gloves are a great way to minimize spread of disease between colonies. These simple hygiene practices support stronger colonies.

Figure 2: Beekeeping with disposable gloves (ATTTA ©, 2025)

Biosecurity works best when practiced consistently rather than only in response to disease. Many pathogens persist in wax, comb, and hive debris for long periods, so routine sanitation, cleaning hive tools, washing protective clothing, sterilizing equipment between apiaries, and removing contaminated materials all greatly reduce the risk of transmission. These small, regular steps help maintain healthier colonies and strengthen disease prevention throughout the apiary.

Written by Kaitlyn Newton, ATTTA Seasonal Apiculturist

Connecting with ATTTA Specialists

If you’d like to connect with ATTTA specialists or learn more about our program, you can:

visit our website at https://www.perennia.ca/portfolio-items/honey-bees/

Email attta@perennia.ca

References:

1. Stainton, K., 2018. Recent Research on Nosema. National Bee Unit. Available at: https://www.nationalbeeunit.com/assets/PDFs/3_Resources_for_beekeepers/articles_reports/BBKA_news/BBKA_59_Recent_research_on_Nosema_BBKA_18.pdf (Accessed 26 August 2026).

2. Hansen, H. and Brødsgaard, C.J., 1999. American foulbrood: a review of its biology, diagnosis and control. Bee World, 80(1), pp.5-23. 

3. Sammataro, D. and Avitabile, A. 2021. A Beekeeper’s Handbook: Fifth Edition. Cornell University Press

4. Meredith, B., Parkinson, B. and Walker Bravo, A., 2024. Thriving Hives: Cleaning and Sterilizing Beekeeping Equipment.

5.  León-Door, A.P., Pérez-Ordóñez, G., Romo-Chacón, A., Rios-Velasco, C., Órnelas-Paz, J.D., Zamudio-Flores, P.B. and Acosta-Muñiz, C.H., 2020. Pathogenesis, epidemiology and variants of Melissococcus plutonius (Ex White), the causal agent of European foulbrood. Journal of Apicultural Science, 64(2), pp.173-188.

6. Government of Alberta, 2021. European Foulbrood. Available at: https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/3df95a52-ed96-4ae7-96d6-f4944ecc63bf/resource/17048d92-ac45-42ce-b74b-9afd6528c5b2/download/af-european-foulbrood-fact-sheet-2021-03.pdf (Accessed: 17 August 2026). 

7. Construction Safety Nova Scotia (n.d.) Propane torch – safe work practices. Available at: https://constructionsafetyns.ca/safe_work_practices/propane-torch/ (Accessed: 13 August 2026).

 

Last month a member of the Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture had the privilege of attending the Eastern Apicultural Society Conference in Shepherdsville, Kentucky. The conference was a fantastic learning and networking event. Attending conferences outside of your region provides a beneficial opportunity to better understand the similarities and differences that exist between regions, and to hear beekeepers’ experiences from across the globe. This week’s blog will share some conference highlights, and also some of the knowledge exchanged with the Maritime beekeeping region.

Review of the Eastern Apicultural Society Conference 2026 (Shepherdsville, Kentucky)

Over 300 beekeepers and industry representatives from over 30 states gathered in Shepherdsville, KY between July 26th and July 31st to learn about beekeeping practices and research both in the classroom and in the apiary.

With a busy conference those in attendance had to prioritize what they wanted to learn about each day. The EAS conference had options for everyone with sessions categorized into beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. Additionally, there were options for hands-on training in the apiary and a unique opportunity to attend queen production workshops.

The queen production workshop series was led by Leslie Huston. Leslie is a small-scale queen producer from Connecticut with over 20 years of experience. The workshop series started with an introduction to queen production and reviewed the various methods available for beekeepers to produce queens including the use of swarm cells, queenless splits, the Miller method and the Doolittle method. The Doolittle method was the focus of learning over the next two days. Leslie discussed the options of using the queen confinement method or grafting practices to produce queens. Over a two-day period the group of participants would prepare a Cloake board colony, practice grafting and have the opportunity to graft young larvae to place into the Cloake board colony.

Students grafting during queen production workshop (ATTTA 2026).

Teaching apiary for the EAS conference 2026 (ATTTA 2026).

While in the apiary, there was a unique opportunity to discuss differences in pest and disease profiles and management practices across North America. For example, small hive beetle is a common beekeeping pest in the state of Kentucky but in the Maritime region this pest is reportable and rarely found in colonies. It was interesting to hear about how some challenges beekeepers face are similar across large geographic areas, but other challenges are more unique and isolated to a specific region.

During the third day of the conference there was an opportunity to tour a local apiary. Approximately fifty conference attendees boarded a bus to visit Chesak’s Honey Farm. The honey farm is owned by Don Chesak (a sideliner beekeeper in Kentucky). Don gave an overview of his many unique hive modifications that work for his operation. Don emphasizes efficient workflow that reduces labour and maximizes hive health. Don is also an avid swarm catcher and utilizes the honey bees natural urge to swarm to grow his operation.

Colonies located at Chesak’s Honey Farm.

During the fourth day of the conference Dr. Clare Rittschof presented on “Learning about Social Behaviour from the Honey Bee”. Dr. Rittschof discussed how honey bees live in intricate societies where individuals pay close attention to their nestmates and environmental conditions. Honey bees require advanced learning and memory capabilities to be productive as a unit, and these abilities are closely tied to their health. Dr. Rittschof discussed her research on robbing behaviour and how this increases aggression in both guard bees and foraging bees. Additionally, she discussed how during dearth conditions foraging honey bees have a greater risk tolerance for injury with the ultimate goal of providing for the colony.

Dr. Michael Simone-Finstorm (United States Department of Agriculture) presented on integrated pest management of Varroa mites with a focus on breeding and treatment strategies. Dr. Simone-Finstorm discussed the role that honey bee genetics, monitoring and treatments all have on managing Varroa mites. His research has looked at the efficacy of various Varroa mite treatments including Narroa^TM and VarroxSan, and he has studied how various genetic lines of honey bees are more hygienic and, therefore, better at managing Varroa mite infestations.

Additionally, Dr. Simone-Finstorm presented a second time on how propolis can be used to prevent pests and diseases. Rough surfaces on hive bodies promote propolis production and what was found in Dr. Simone-Finstorm’s research is that colonies that produced extra propolis had a reduced molecular load of European Foulbrood. However, it was noted that under stress conditions the extra propolis production has minimal impact on the health of colonies.

For the honey enthusiast, there were multiple workshops and events throughout the conference focused on marketing and utilizing  honey. Workshops and events included cooking with honey, medicinal uses of honey, infusing honey, multiple honey tastings, a honey exchange and a honey show (nearly a 70-year tradition).

During the final day of the conference the annual business meeting of the Eastern Apicultural Society was held. Additionally, this was the final opportunity to visit the tradeshow which consisted of nearly 50 vendors.

Eastern Apicultural Society Conference trade show.

The EAS Conference 2026 provided an excellent opportunity to build practical skills, hear about current research, and connect with beekeepers across North America. Discussions of queen production, pest management, and colony health provided valuable information for the Maritime region. Overall, the conference highlighted the importance of ongoing education and science-based management to support the beekeeping industry. A big thanks to all those who organized and facilitated this year's conference!

Connecting with ATTTA Specialists

If you’d like to connect with ATTTA specialists or learn more about our program, you can:

visit our website at https://www.perennia.ca/portfolio-items/honey-bees/

Email attta@perennia.ca