Brood pattern
Hive symptom checker
Could it be American foulbrood?
Answer a few quick questions about what you’re seeing in the brood nest. This tool is not a diagnosis, but it can help you decide what to inspect next.
2 minute check
Start with what you see.
We’ll walk through brood pattern, cappings, larvae, adult bee symptoms, and common lookalikes like EFB, Varroa, chalkbrood, wax moth, and small hive beetle.
Question 1 of 7
Cappings
Do you see sunken, dark, greasy, or perforated cappings?
What do normal vs. suspicious cappings look like?Larvae
What do the unhealthy larvae look like?
What do healthy and unhealthy larvae look like?Ropiness
If you tested dead larval remains, did they string out?
What does “ropy” mean?Adult bees
Are you seeing deformed wings, crawling bees, or a fast population decline?
What do Varroa-related adult bee symptoms look like?Comb condition
Do you see webbing, tunnels, slime, or fermented honey?
What do wax moth or small hive beetle signs look like?Timing and stress
Has the colony recently been stressed?
What does stress-related brood trouble look like?Your result
Still not sure?
Send us a picture of your hive.
Share a brood-frame photo link and tell us what you’re seeing. We’ll do our best to respond within one business day.
Visual guide
What does this look like?
Use these quick references while answering the quiz.
Brood pattern
Healthy brood usually looks compact and consistent.
A strong brood pattern often has many capped cells grouped together with only small gaps. A patchy pattern has scattered empty cells, uneven brood ages, or an irregular appearance.
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Cappings
Healthy cappings are usually raised, dry, and even.
Suspicious cappings may look sunken, dark, wet, greasy, or perforated. This does not automatically mean AFB, but it is a reason to inspect more closely.
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Larvae
Healthy larvae are pearly white and well-positioned.
Brown, melted, twisted, chalky, watery, or discolored larvae can point to different brood issues. The color, texture, and whether the cell is open or capped all matter.
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Ropiness
“Ropy” means the larval remains stretch into a sticky string.
This is a classic warning sign associated with AFB and should be confirmed responsibly. If you see this, avoid moving equipment between colonies until you know what is happening.
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Adult bees
Adult bee symptoms can point toward Varroa pressure.
Deformed wings, crawling bees, shortened abdomens, or a fast population decline can suggest mite-related stress. These signs are different from classic AFB signs, but they can also create poor brood patterns.
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Comb condition
Webbing, tunnels, or slime usually point away from AFB.
Wax moth often leaves webbing, tunnels, and cocoons. Small hive beetle can create slimy comb, fermented honey, and a strong odor, especially in weak colonies.
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Stress
Stress can make brood look worse without one clear disease cause.
Cold weather, poor nutrition, queen issues, weak population, pesticide exposure, or heavy mite pressure can all cause patchy brood or colony decline.
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