Frequently Asked Questions
Welcome to our Beekeeping Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, where we’ve gathered the most common questions to help you find answers quickly. If your question isn’t covered, get in touch with our team through the contact form and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
The vaccine works via a biological phenomenon known as Transgenerational Immune Priming (TGIP). The vaccine, containing a killed pathogen, is administered orally to the maternal insect—the queen bee. Attendants caged with the queen are fed queen candy containing the vaccine. Work carried out in Dalan’s laboratories has indicated that the attendants digest the vaccine and produce royal jelly containing vaccine particles. The royal jelly is fed to the queen, and as she ingests it, pieces of the vaccine are transported via her body fat to her ovaries where it is deposited in the eggs. The developing larvae are exposed to the vaccine and start to build up immunity before they hatch.
One vial of the vaccine is thoroughly mixed with 300g of queen candy. 6g of candy is placed in a queen cage containing 6-10 attendants and a mated queen. The cage is kept in a cool dark space with proper water exposure for 7 days while the attendants feed the queen. On day 8, the queen can be released into a hive or be placed in a queen bank.
The vaccine is conditionally licensed by the USDA and CFIA to prime larvae against mortality from Paenibacillus larvae. This bacteria is the causative agent of American Foulbrood Disease (AFB), a highly contagious and devastating disease that destroys the developing bee larvae.
Learn more about new experimental data showing how vaccination significantly reduced DWV-B in a large commercial yard in American Bee Journal.
No, the vaccine does not contain mRNA technology. The vaccine contains inactivated (dead) Paenibacillus larvae bacteria, the causative agent of American Foulbrood Disease. The vaccine does not contain any chemicals or harmful preservatives and is suitable for use in organic agriculture.
More information on the vaccine’s properties can be found in the package insert.
The USDA and CFIA have approved the vaccine for use and reviewed Dalan’s data indicating that the vaccine is safe. After over 5 years of study using thousands of doses of vaccine, immune priming has never indicated a negative impact on queen fitness or honey composition.
View the safety data at USDA.gov.
The vaccine does not kill the bacterium. Our AFB vaccine utilizes a dead bacterium to promote an immune response within the honeybee. Vaccination of the queen bee has been shown to limit disease by passing on immunity and/or stimulating immunity in newly hatched larvae (Transgenerational Immune Priming or TGIP).
No. This has not been assessed. We recommend vaccinating a fresh queen for 8 days outside of the hive, making sure her attendants have access only to the vaccinated candy. Removing a queen from the hive, vaccinating her for 8 days, and returning her to the hive is not recommended.
The immunity lasts one generation. We recommend requeening annually with vaccinated queens.
The product is bottled at 50 doses/vial. Therefore, the minimum order size is for 50 queens or 50 hives.
< 50 hives
Currently, you can sign up to preorder vaccinated queens and packages for 2025 here.
> 50 hives
Visit our website to submit a quote request or call 844-483-2526. One of our team members will get in touch with you shortly.
Safety and efficacy data is found on Dalan’s website at https://www.dalan.com/package-insert/. Other data and publications can be found here: https://www.dalan.com/media-publications/
Call Dalan at 844-483-2526, or submit the form below.