Common diseases in bees

Kaitlyn Krebs, DVM, MBA, DABVP (Canine/Feline), associate professor in clinical primary care at the University of Pennsylvania's Ryan Veterinary Hospital in Philadelphia, and a beekeeper, presented a lecture about common diseases that affect honey bees and their hives at the 2024 American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Convention in Austin, Texas. In an interview with dvm360 at the AVMA convention. Krebs spoke about viral diseases that veterinarians should be aware of in caring for honey bees and to answer questions from beekeepers in their communities.

The following is a transcript of the video:

Kaitlyn Krebs, DVM, MBA, DABVP (Canine/Feline): There are so many things that can kill honey bees. It's kind of sad. You do hear about foulbrood the most, especially from a veterinary perspective, because as a veterinarian, if I'm going to have to treat honey bees, we have to treat American foulbrood and European foulbrood. But there's so many other things that, as a veterinarian, we can advise people on, or that affect honey bees. Things like Varroa mites, the No. 1 killer of honey bees. We don't require veterinary intervention for those. But as a veterinarian, I get asked from beekeepers about Varroa all the time, and things like advising on appropriate nutrition for honeybees. And then, if we're talking about other diseases, things like Nosema, things like, you know, sacbrood, or other viral diseases honeybees get. [There are] a ton of different things that we might, as veterinarians, be asked about, even if we're not required as veterinarians to treat them.

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