Oxtetracycline (Terramycin) medicated sirup, extender patties or dust have been shown to be effective in controlling of American foulbrood in hee colonies in Finland and in Poland. No residues of oxytetracycline were found in surplus honey from 103 randomely chosen colonies treated with the antibiotic at doses from 150 to 600 mg/colony. The therapy should start at least 30 days before honey, extraction to ovoid contamination of this food product with oxytetracycline. A high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to detect oxytetracyline in honey samples. The separation was performed on a steel column packed with Li Chromosorb RP-10 (10 µm) with methanol-acetonitrile-0.01 N aqueous hydrochloric acid (1:1:4) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.7 ml/min at room temperature. 0.1 g sample of honey was dissolved in 20 ml of 0.1 M Na₂EDTA- Mc Illvain buffer (pH 4.0) and cleaned to remove many peaks of interferring substances appearing in honey. The detection limits is 0.02 ppm for oxytetracycline in honey.
Hafnia alvei that occurs in man, animals and birds, in natural environments such as soil, savage and water causes secondary septicaemic infections in the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) and a distinct illness - hafniosis. Hafniosis characterized by high losses of bee colonies (100 out 190 bee colonies died) appeared in two bee yards (130 and 60 colonies) in the Oulu region of Finland. Ninety-eight percent of Italian, 50% of Bukfast and 33% of carniolian bee colonies died. The first losses were noted in the end of March - beginning of April then the losses were cumulated during spring despite of the warm May and ceased in the beginning of June. Colonies that survived remained weak until July. H. alvei was present in the content of intestines, tissues of bees and in food stores. Nosema apis invasion (an increased level) found in bee colonies could initiate H. alvei infection in bees and aggravate the course of hafniosis. Viral infections, Malpig- hamoeba mellificae and Acaropis woodi invasion, and pesticide poisonings have been excluded as a cause of bee losses. The Hafnia isolates were susceptible to carbenicillin, streptomycin, tetracycline, polymyxin В and nalidixic acid.