Summary
The aim of the CS-DeChrEase project is to support beekeepers in combating chronic bee paralysis. This disease affects adult honey bees and can lead to the death of entire colonies. In the project, we work together with beekeepers to test treatment measures and create educational material (e.g. educational videos). In addition, the virus genome is being analysed to determine whether new genetic variants could be responsible for the current increase in occurrence.
Please help
We are looking for beekeepers from Lower Austria who have colonies affected by Chronic Bee Paralysis and would like to take part in the project.
Participating beekeepers
- will work with us to research the disease.
- will test one or two treatment options on their colonies.
- will be visited by expert beekeepers (CBPV advisers) and given advice on treating the affected colonies.
- receive several PCR analyses of their affected colonies free of charge to confirm the diagnosis and monitor the colonies’ recovery.
- use their experience and feedback to ensure that the project’s findings are practical and applicable to all beekeepers.
If you suspect that your colonies are suffering from Chronic Bee Paralysis and are interested in participating in the project, please send an email to virenmonitoring@ages.at. Please include your contact details and a brief description of the disease situation. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
You can recognise Chronic Bee Paralysis by the following symptoms:
- trembling, glossy black bees
- bees crawling with distended abdomens
- a high mortality rate in front of the hives; possibly accompanied by an unpleasant odour
- Bees being turned away from the hive entrance
More information on the disease and its symptoms
Your experience counts
As part of the project, we are also developing educational videos on chronic bee paralysis. To ensure the content is as practical and useful as possible for beekeepers, we would like to hear from you about where you find information and what makes a good educational video for you. Your experiences will help us to create educational materials that meet the needs of the beekeeping community.
We’d be delighted if you could take part in the survey and share the link with other beekeepers.
Project description
The project deals with the chronic bee paralysis virus, a virus of the adult honey bee. The disease "chronic bee paralysis" was previously relatively rare, but is currently being observed more and more frequently. Due to the rare occurrence and the different courses of the disease, there is hardly any practical experience of how to optimally support a diseased colony with measures. When diseased, the adult bees show signs of paralysis, become hairless (=shiny black) and die within days. The course of the disease can vary greatly; in the worst case, so many workers fall ill that the colony dies.
The project has three objectives:
- the optimisation of beekeeping measures against chronic bee paralysis in cooperation with citizen scientists (= beekeepers)
- the establishment of a knowledge network in Lower Austria on the subject of chronic bee paralysis and
- research into possible genetic changes in the chronic bee paralysis virus in recent decades.
Researchers, beekeeping advisors, beekeepers and media scientists are working together to solve these problems. Research provides the tools to test measures correctly. The beekeepers test and provide their practical experience and tips - the collected scientific findings and practical experience are recorded in training material and videos. They will be freely available to affected beekeepers, beekeeping advisors and veterinarians in the future.
Benefits of the project
The aim of the project is to significantly improve the fight against chronic bee paralysis through scientifically proven facts and high-quality information material. In future, Lower Austrian beekeeping advisors and experienced beekeepers will be able to provide expert advice on the disease. Beekeepers will also be able to inform themselves independently using the materials, enabling them to recognise the disease in a targeted manner and take effective measures to support the diseased colonies. The resulting network of specialists and interested beekeepers will extend beyond Lower Austria and have a positive effect on bee health throughout Austria.
On a scientific level, the knowledge gathered will help to close the gaps in knowledge about the virus. The benefits of the currently recommended measures will be tested on the basis of standardised data collection and statistical analysis. The genome analyses of the CBPV samples will also provide more clarity about genetic variants of this virus.
Project details
Project title: Citizen Scientists reduce the damage of chronic bee paralysis
Project acronym: CS-DeChrEase
Project management: AGES, Linde Morawetz (Department of Apiculture and Bee Protection)
Project partner: Warth Beekeeping School (Land-Impulse); St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences - Media Creation Group
Funding: Province of Lower Austria; FTI-Citizen Science
Project duration: 1.6.2025 - 30.5.2028
Last updated: 03.09.2026
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