Why you should never dispose of honey jars unwashed!

Once the honey jar is empty, it goes into the glass container. But be careful: if the jars are still dirty, you risk disastrous consequences.

After emptying: Please dispose of the honey jar only clean.

Honey is considered healthy and beneficial. Not only with colds, the natural active ingredients and the delicate sweetness of honey are a welcome addition to the menu. And even the disposal of honey jars seems simple at first glance: off into the bottle bank with it - done. But it is not quite that simple. You should make absolutely sure that you always rinse the jars carefully. There must be no honey residue left in the jars. The reason: the disease American foulbrood poses a serious threat to our bee colonies - at least according to a post shared thousands of times by a beekeepers' association on Facebook.

American foulbrood: up to 90 percent of honey is affected

"Ca. 80 - 90% of imported honey contains spores of American foulbrood, which can also be transmitted to our domestic bee colonies by bees collecting the honey residues in the jars. This can lead in the worst case to total losses of bee colonies." the article states. And indeed: the Bavarian State Institute for Viticulture and Horticulture warns against the spread of spores near glass containers, near landfills or even highway rest areas. However, this is rarely the main source of transmission - foulbrood spreads particularly frequently when an already diseased bee colony is attacked and cleaned up by other bees. Nevertheless, to prevent further spread, it is essential that people pay attention to proper disposal.

Why is American foulbrood so dangerous?

Highly contagious American foulbrood has an immense impact on the entire honeycomb system of bees. Thus, brood combs are cracked and full of holes and discolored when infested. Honeycombs are also affected with discoloration and scabs forming. But the bee larvae are particularly hard hit: the young animals also change color and collapse over time - a fatal end, often for the entire population. After all, foulbrood is absolutely harmless to humans.

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