From: "Helmut E. Garz" <hommes@olympus.net>
Date: Sun, 2 Sep 2001 13:52:54 -0700
To: <BiologicalBeekeeping@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: Re: Killing AFB spores

Hi Trevor and all
Subject AFB disinfection

First: this info is the most explicit article I found and it correlates
with my procedure 5 years ago.

Source: Bee info index. Mid-Atlantic Apiculture. The specific page has a
url worm into infinity. The "About.com" website forums and other info has
the way to get there. Of course this article was written years ago, but
basically it is valid. I contacted Dr Shimanuki at the time and he had no
adverse comments using lye for disinfections.

The state inspector discovered the problem and gave the remedy to save the
colony. I quote a portion of the article:

Equipment that was saved (Bottom boards, hive bodies, and covers; I even
saved the frames) should be scraped to remove all propolis and wax, then
scrubbed with a stiff brush (Wire brush) and hot soapy water. Dispose of
the wash water and burn the scrapings so that they not accessible to the
bees. After scraping and scrubbing, all equipment should be either fire
scorched or completely immersed in a boiling lye solution. Prepare your Lye
solution (Sodium Hydroxide) by mixing 1 pound of lye with 10 Gallons of
water. Boil the equipment for twenty minutes, wooden parts can be damaged
by longer exposure. Weaker solutions may not remove all the wax and
poropolis from the equipment. Ctd with the caution stuff.

Also the next item relates to your tests. It is/was done in the
neighborhood. Now this beekeeper disinfects his equipment routinely when he thinks it's time. Since his operation he Has NEVER had AFB. (He is located
in a remote area). In the past he also routinely applied Terramycin which, so
he tells me, will be stopped from now on. His disinfection method: 300 deg. F. for one hour in a wax melter of old.

Here again it exceeds the timing for Paraffin bath of 160 Deg C. So, what I
see is a plus minus of some sort within the tests and all this seems valid.
The spores can be viable for a duration of 40 years which I came across this
morning in one of the sites I touched on.

Now my personal problem since yesterday. Prior to 5 years ago I never had
an encounter with AFB. (bee haver). I left the colony to their own devices
for over ten years. (late seventies to 1988) The colony resided in boxes
over 6 feet high. Then came the supers. So Cal near Tijuana.

Here I had one colony. A package which exploded with great abandon. Two
swarms emitted within a short time. After that I noticed a massive drone
death, hundreds in front of the hive. And it began to stink like spoiled
meat or carrion. I thought this stench came from the decaying drones. So
moved them. There was no odor from the drones but the stench remained
around the hive. At the time I sat frequently in front of the hive to
observe. Now this arrangement had a prolonged landing board (About 8
inches) extending from the bottom board, 1 foot off the grade and beneath
the landing, at the grade an old discarded broiler vessel to check debris
emitted from the colony. The bottom of the pan I placed a sticky board for
no other reason than then to see better.

For the first time I saw varroa crawling from the entry, across the landing
and down into the pan. Some days I counted up to 400 mites crawling about. I never saw them crawling UP the sides of the BB. They can be remarkably fast for their size and live random times until they croak.

Then came the demonstration at my location and the bee inspector was present. Not sooner was he around he mentioned the AFB presence. And explained the remedies.

Now--- A couple of days ago, checked my apiary at another location and much to my dismay I smelled dirty socks when opening the hive cover. The colony was greatly diminished in numbers, all brood combs totally empty and clean, some food, no brood, no eggs, AND I spotted a new queen, a nice black one.

There were a few cells still capped. When I opened them (Not concaved nor
pierced.) a darkbrown to dark greyish soft, goo akin to decaying
unidentifiable matter. The rope test proofed nothing since I was not in all
but one case able to draw a "thread." Only in one case was I able to draw
just a little, (No tongues sticking out either). It separated about 1/4
inch above the rim of the cell. Question for me is: What is it ??
I shall treat it as AFB in any case. The moral of all this is: Should you
see varroas walking out, watch out there MAY be something else cooking. The rats abandon the ship.

Helmut