Afb

[Barney]

Hi Everyone
If you have a hive with AFB that is sitting on a stand made from treated 2x4's should you burn the stand as well as the hive or cn it be used for other hives?
Thanks
Barney

[peggjam]

The only thing the state of NY makes you burn are the frames. The hive bodies we can scorch out and reuse, so I suppose you could do the same thing with a stand. I'm glad I have never had to deal with it:).

[Jeffzhear]

Hi Everyone
If you have a hive with AFB that is sitting on a stand made from treated 2x4's should you burn the stand as well as the hive or cn it be used for other hives?
Thanks
Barney

I would be careful if you plan on scorching the pressure treated stand. You shouldn't breath that stuff at all. I know when I scorch boxes my propane flame thrower from Northern only has a six foot hose and one can't help but breath the smoke.

I am a bit paranoid when it comes to AFB, having burned a hive last year. For my own piece of mind, I would get rid of the stand, but in reality, the probability is that the stand should be fine.

[Ian]

Very little chance the stand will be contaminated and spread disease to the next hive.
Little chance the tops and bottoms will spread the disease,
Chance the supers will, but not usually exposed to AFB
Good chance the brood chambers will harbour the disease, but as my superiors advise me, the chance is actually minimal
Absolute chance the frames will spread the disease, so burn them all!
As for the bees, and you have time and patience, shake them out into another box, of foundation, and feed them medicated syrup. They tell me it works wonders to salvage the bees. Never done it myself. But know of beekeepers who have done it with great sucess.

[Pembinabee]

Barney,
As Ian mentioned - transfering the bees from AFB infested combs onto new foundation works wonders.
But note the following:

DO NOT shake the bees from the old frames into the new box directly. You will inevitably shake in debris from the frames - infected frames !

Place in front of the new brood box a piece of newspaper or other material that may be burnt after use - shake the bees on to that. The bees will run in and leave any debris behind. After all have gone in - remove, put in a bee tight container and burn ASAP.

Leave the bees without food for 24 hours - they will then have to digest any food that may be contaminated. Again cutting down the ability to transfer material from the old to the new box.

After 24 hours - feed with syrup: 1 litre H2O: 1 Kilo Sugar

Regards,
Pembinabee

[deantn]

You all ought to know that in Tennessee that anything that has AFB has to be burned,including all the bees in the hive. No IF'S AND's or BUT's about this either.
Had two hives late last year that were bought in S E Vir and moved to N E Tn. that had AFB, upon inspection by one of our Local inspectors, and by the way a very new inspector at that he found AFB, took a sample and sent it to UT Knoxville to DR. Skinner at their lab and he replied to him to burn everything.
Medication only slows down the AFB and doesn't kill it, so technically that only increases the chance of spreading the AFB to other hives.
AFB spores can live up to 50 years so nothing to play with in the health of hives,better to be safe and destroy everything connected with a hive with AFB.
I understand that a lot of money is involved in a hive of bees but I would rather lose a couple of hives now than take a chance of spreading AFB all over N E TN.
As one of the local bee inspectors around N E TN. I've never seen AFB on a hive except on a slide show at our inspectors classes and hope to never see it or smell it either. All that were involved in the finding last year say the smell is unforgettable
Just my opinion about AFB and equipment.

[Jeffzhear]

You all ought to know that in Tennessee that anything that has AFB has to be burned..".

The bees have to be dispatched and the frames burned in NY also. Then you have to scorch the boxes, roof and bottom board...

[Robert Brenchley]

Same in Britain. We've kept the level of AFB at a minimum over many years now with a policy of burning bees and frames, so regrettable as it is, I'd support that rather than medication.