Honeybees play a significant role in agriculture and food production and are rightfully classified as livestock. As such, they require the same type of veterinary resources as livestock to thrive. As honeybee veterinarians, your role in preserving the health and population of honeybees is significant. By providing guidance, medical expertise, and support to beekeepers, you contribute to the conservation of honeybees and the ecosystem that needs their support.
As a veterinarian involved in honeybee health, you’re trained to diagnose and treat diseases affecting honeybee colonies. This includes identifying bacterial, fungal, and viral diseases, and providing medical expertise on how to prevent and treat these diseases. One such disease includes the highly contagious bacterial disease, American Foulbrood (AFB).
This is where Dalan’s innovative AFB vaccine can be an indispensable veterinary resource for practitioners.
American Foulbrood is a bacterial disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Paenibacillus larvae. In the U.S., AFB outbreaks had previously been controlled with the routine use of antibiotics. However, heavy antibiotic usage has its own consequences, such as bacterial resistance and negative effects on overall hive health. In 2017, the FDA eliminated the prophylactic use of antibiotics, leaving the industry without an effective solution.
Dalan’s prophylactic and sustainable approach aims to decrease the risk of infections, saving not only hives, but protecting from revenue loss and excess costs.
When queen bees are fed Dalan’s oral vaccine, protection works through a biological mechanism called Transgenerational Immune Priming (TGIP), whereby the queen passes immunity to her daughters before they hatch. Dalan’s vaccine exposes queen bees to inactivated P. larvae, which enables the larvae hatched in the hive to resist infection to AFB.
The Dalan vaccine technology exposes queen bees to inactive (i.e., “dead”) bacteria, which enables the larvae hatched in the hive to resist infection.
Dalan can assist in creating a custom vaccination program for your operation that is compatible with a variety of commonly used queen cages.
Our vaccine is conditionally licensed by the USDA-CVB and CFIA-CCVB for the vaccination of queen honeybees to prime larvae against mortality due to Paenibacillus larvae.
Dalan’s AFB vaccine can help ensure the health and survival of honeybee colonies, making it an essential veterinary resource. Here are some of the ways Dalan’s AFB vaccine can benefit honeybee veterinarians:
These reasons and more are why honeybee veterinarians are encouraged to consider Dalan’s AFB vaccine as part of their disease mitigation strategies. Take the proactive step to help safeguard your client’s honeybee colonies from AFB by contacting Dalan today for more information on all our resources.
American Foulbrood is a bacterial disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Paenibacillus larvae. The disease-causing bacteria can be present at subclinical levels in hives which can erupt at any time. Infective spores may last in the environment for several decades.
The vaccine, containing a killed pathogen, is administered orally to the queen honeybee. 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 fat body 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.
Dalan’s AFB vaccine offers a prophylactic, non-chemical approach to managing AFB. It focuses on maintaining hive health preventatively, providing a safer and more cost-effective solution in the long run.
In the United States, beekeepers do not need a prescription to purchase the vaccine.
In Canada, beekeepers do need a prescription from a Veterinarian to purchase the vaccine. For more product information, you can view our package insert or contact us today.
Yes, the vaccine is suitable for use in organic agriculture. It is non-GMO and does not contain any chemicals or harmful preservatives.
To request a quote, please contact us today.
Dalan Animal Health presents an informational webinar discussing the science behind the first vaccine for honeybees, how it can be used in hives, and how Veterinarians can now offer this new tool to their beekeeping clients.
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