irradiation of equipment

[LSPender]

Does anyone know of a facility in CA that would be able to irradiate bee equipment?

Has anyone every irrradiated their equipment? any suggestions or comments.


Thanks, Larry

[Walt McBride]

Larry there was a company in Orange County that I spoke to a rep. about irradiating bee equipment about three years ago. I will see what I can find and give you a post.
Walt

[Walt McBride]

Larry give this a try. IBA/Steri Genics
1401 Morgain Circle
Tustin, CA 92780
contact Sharon Huges @ (959)340-0700

This may or may not the company I spoke to several years back.
After speaking with them I decided, for the amount of equipment I had to sterlize, the two trips it would take to have it done and the minumum charge for the container or toat the equipment is placed in for the process was not worth it.

Walt

[LSPender]

Walt, I will be calling today, The area code needs to be corrected. 951.

I,ll post the results.

Also, what do you know about using Acetic Acid to fumigate boxes against nosema spores? will also kill AFB spores?


Larry

[jean-marc]

I've irradiated equipment at their facility (Port Coquitlam , British Columbia, Canada). It's great, sure beats burning if you've got AFB. Bees have the advantage of the built out comb that is now sterilized. I've observed some nice brood patterns on this equipment. I recommend it.

Jean-Marc

[Walt McBride]

Larry, from "Honey Bee Pests, Predators, & Diseases" Morse & Flottum 1979 : acetic acid fumigation to kill spores of N. apis on wax comb (Bailey 1957a, Jordan 1957).
Dilute acid to 60 percent use 2ml of solution/ each liter of volumn to be treated. Solution is placed in plate placed in empty super on top bars above a stack of supers with combs. To increase evaporation area a crumbied paper or ball of cotton is placed in the acid. Stack of supers is sealed and left undisturbed for at least a week Combs reused after being sufficently aired.
Walt

[Keith Jarrett]

Dilute acid to 60 percent use 2ml of solution/ each liter of volumn to be treated.Walt

Walt this is a great topic.

Can you stack them 10 high or so at that rate? or is that per box.
Thanks Keith

[Walt McBride]

Keith, All the paragraph said is "2 ml solution/LITER VOLUME to be treated is used".
Also "the STACK of supers is sealed".
I imagine it would be a manageable size stack, 5-6 feet.
Literature cited : Comb fumigation for nosema disease. American Bee Journal 97:24-26.
I will search for that article and get back to you.
Walt

[Walt McBride]

Keith, I could not find original Literature Cited ABJ 97:24-26. Must have been a typo.
I have reproduced all ABJ indexes from 1977 to date. Nothing on fumigation for N. apis with acetic acid found. Bummer!
Walt

[Panhandle Bee man]

Do a search here in beesource, I wrote about this last spring, I got the information from the UK, as they recommend using this approach on deadout equipment. I do not remember any recommendation to use this approach on AFB, I do not believe acetic acid affects AFB spores. Just for the curious backyard chemist, white vinegar is 6% acetic acid, it is recommended to use 80% acetic acid to fumigate equipment, acetic acid is usually available at places that sell supplies for film devolpment.

[Mike Gillmore]

In the UK they are using the Acetic Acid at 80% strength for Nosema C. and the same is being used to treat CCD equipment. I've seen a couple of different dosage recommendations but I settled on 125 ml of 80% acid soaked into a rag and laid on the top bars of "each" box. You can stack them as high as you want and then seal them off for a week.