Hobbyist
Beekeepers
As a hobbyist beekeeper, your care for honeybee colonies supports the global ecosystem and helps create thriving sanctuaries that promote their preservation and well-being.
What Role Do Hobbyists Play in Global Honeybee Conservation
Your involvement extends far beyond the hive. By fostering honeybee populations, you contribute to pollination, essential for the survival of many plant and crop species. This activity supports local agriculture and sustains natural plant diversity, important for a balanced ecosystem.
Beyond pollination, your commitment to beekeeping also serves as an educational resource, raising awareness about the challenges facing pollinators and the importance of biodiversity. This awareness encourages community actions towards a more pollinator-friendly environment, amplifying the positive impact of your beekeeping efforts on global conservation.
Backyard beekeeping
key benefits
-
Honeybees are essential for pollinating plants. Keeping bees can contribute to increased pollination in your local area, potentially improving the yield of your garden and neighboring gardens. Additionally, backyard beekeeping aids other native pollinators by providing them with a habitat full of flowering plants.
-
Honeybees are important pollinators for a wide variety of plant species, which makes them essential contributors to biodiversity. By keeping hives and promoting bee-friendly practices, hobbyists actively participate in the conservation of plant species and ecosystems.
These are only some of the ways that hobbyists positively influence global honeybee conservation. Hobbyists’ efforts, however, are often deeply impacted by various factors, such as pests, environmental stressors, and diseases such as American Foulbrood (AFB).
It’s important to note that current disease treatment and prevention methods often rely heavily on chemical solutions and antibiotics. While these methods can be effective in the short term, they can also harm overall hive health, leading to concerns about the sustainability of such practices and the long-term well-being of honeybee populations.
Dalan’s Role in Protecting Against American Foulbrood Disease (AFB)
American Foulbrood is a bacterial disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Paenibacillus larvae. The prevalence of this highly contagious disease poses a dire threat, with studies indicating presence of P. larvaespores in up to 50% of hives in some areas. Traditional methods for managing AFB involve treatment with antibiotics, or destruction of infected hives by burning to prevent further spread of spores.
Purchasing queen bees inoculated with Dalan’s AFB Vaccine is an innovative solution for hobbyists to help protect their honeybees from this devastating disease. Administered to the queen, the vaccine has shown increased resistance in larvae to AFB infection in laboratory studies, offering a safe and sustainable solution to help protect hives from this disease.
Dalan’s AFB
vaccine benefits
-
Dalan’s vaccine is a safe and pure, safe, and a sustainable preventative treatment, which may in turn lower the need for antibiotics to control AFB in honeybee populations. Plus, preventing AFB through vaccination is less expensive than treating the disease in the long run.
-
Dalan is committed to providing innovative beekeeping resources for all beekeepers to protect the health of their colonies. As such, our AFB vaccine undergoes rigorous testing with established research designs to demonstrate laboratory safety and efficacy.
Take the proactive step to safeguard your honeybee colonies from AFB and promote their well-being by contacting Dalan ↗ for more information on all our beekeeping resources.
Frequently Asked
Questions
What is American Foulbrood (AFB)?
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.
How does Dalan's AFB vaccine contribute to Honeybee health?
Dalan’s AFB vaccine is an innovative solution that helps protect honeybees from American Foulbrood infection. By supporting honeybee health, you’re ensuring your local pollinator populations thrive.
Why choose AFB-vaccinated queens from Dalan??
Hobbyists are encouraged to consider queens inoculated with Dalan’s AFB vaccine for several reasons. It is a pure, safe, and sustainable preventative treatment, potentially reducing the need for antibiotics. It is also laboratory-tested and proven for safety and efficacy, providing a proactive solution to safeguard honeybee colonies.
How does the vaccine work?
The vaccine, containing inactivated (killed) P. larvae, is administered orally to 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 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.
Is the vaccine approved for organic farming and organic honey production?
Yes, the vaccine is suitable for use in organic agriculture. It is non-GMO and does not contain any chemicals or harmful preservatives.
Additional Resources
-
![]()
Pollinator Steward Certification (PSC)
PSC empowers people with the scientific know-how to make a real difference for pollinators, people, and the planet. This course is ideal for home gardeners, land managers, farmers, and anyone that wants to do more to support pollinators. Join the growing community of Certified Pollinator Stewards!
Learn More → -
![]()
Transgenerational Immune Priming
This white paper is on the topic of: How insects pass immunity to their offspring.
Learn More → -
![]()
Guide to Honeybee Pests and Diseases
Information about common honey bee maladies, including varroa mite, tracheal mite, bee louse, skunks, bears, foulbrood, and nosema.
Read More → -
![Dalan Biosciences Close-up of a bee on a yellow flower]()
Pollinator Week Mark your calendars
Pollinator Week 2024 will take place June 17 - 23, 2024. National Pollinator Week is an annual event celebrated internationally in support of pollinator health.
Read More → -
![Dalan Biosciences beekeeping gear]()
Find your State's Apiary Inspector
Apiary Inspectors are the regulatory authority responsible for the enforcement and compliance of local laws and regulations that relate to honey beekeeping, colony transport and health. For honey bee health issues and inspections, contact your state's Apiary Inspector.
Read More → -
![Dalan Biosciences beekeeper]()
Good Neighbor Policy
Beekeepers should strive to avoid community conflict by implementing beekeeping practices that help to prevent honey bees from becoming a real (or imagined) threat to others. The following are suggested practices for being a good neighbor when keeping honey bees.
Learn More → -
![Dalan Biosciences beekeeper]()
Resources for those interested in becoming commercial beekeepers
Are you a hobbyist interested in expanding your beekeeping passion into a profession?. View these resources from the Washington State Beekeepers Association for a guide on becoming a large-scale beekeeper.
Learn More → -
![Close-up of a bee on a yellow flower amidst green grass.]()
Product Brochure
Download our brochure to discover more about Dalan Animal Health's AFB Vaccine, its benefits, and how it works.
Learn More →
