Is what I'm seeing chalkbrood?

[Beorn]

I have been seeing hard pieces of white stuff on my tray under the SBB. They look like larvae. Only about 10 or so every two days.. If it's chalkbrood wouldn't have cleared up in the warm weather? It was in a pretty shady area until a week ago.

[RayMarler]

Yea, sounds like chalk brood. I just noticed the beginnings of it in one of my hives today. Surprised me as it's still pretty hot and dry here, but this hive's had issues all year. I killed the queen today...

I had removed her from her hive a month ago and that hive now has a beautiful laying queen with good egg pattern, so I killed the mother queen was in a 8 frame single deep and see if they'll make another queen, since she had chalkbrood in her box.

[chrissv]

Is chalkbrood related to the queen? I thought it was the environment (moisture, fungus, etc.)

[beedeetee]

I think that it is related to cleanliness. I had a bad time with it for several years while I bought queens from my local bee supply house. I started ordering them to be shipped here and now only see a mummy or two a year.

I am pretty convinced that it is the queens genetics that determine how they clean the cells before she lays in them. I think that very clean = no chalkbrood.

[Michael Palmer]

Is chalkbrood related to the queen? I thought it was the environment (moisture, fungus, etc.)

You bet it is. At least the colony's susceptability to the disease.

I think 2 traits are involved with a colony battling Chalk. One is the hygienic trait. They will clean it up as fast as it appears. You won't be able to find any mummies if the colony is hygienic enough. But, it will effect the pattern, which can look spotty...brood is of different ages because the Chalk has killed some, the bees remove and queen re-lays in those cells. The other trait would be resistance. Never any sign of Chalk, and a good solid pattern.