Questions for beekeepers

Initially during an infection, the virus particles replicate in the developing larva, which appear to develop normally until after being capped over. Typical symptoms include:
The infected larva then turns from its usual pearly white to a pale yellow colour;
The larva will eventually die and begin to dry out, turning a dark brown to black colour, giving rise to the characteristic ‘Chinese slippers’ or ‘gondola-shaped’ scales;
As the larvae die, the workers will uncap the cells to expose them, creating an uneven brood pattern with discoloured, sunken or perforated cappings scattered through the brood cells;
The skin of the dead larva also changes into a tough plastic-like sac, which is filled with fluid. It is this stage of infection that gives the virus its name.

You can read more about sacbrood at the National Bee Unit's page http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/index.cfm?pageId=198

May 2020 - Wax moth question - Useful links
NBU Wax moth page which includes links to

Further information about the biology and identification features of all stages of wax moth can be found on the COLOSS website.
Wax moth leaflet- Pdf.

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