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[bontbee]

Just had an alert that there is an outbreak of AFB in the area....

There was nothing untoward in my colonies when I did my first disease inspection earlier this year, and I hope to keep clear, (obviously), but apart from making me cross my fingers, it got me wondering about wax. I am very careful about scrapings, brace comb, etc, and it all goes in a sealed bucket as I go, but this then goes into the solar wax extractor. Is rendering like this sufficient to kill AFB spores? Does it matter if it isn't? It would appear that, in this country at least, wax is deemed to be low risk - otherwise super combs would also be destroyed, along with the bees and brood frames. I think I have just answered my own question...


I had a quick look online and found a reference to dipping in paraffin wax at 160C for 10mins It was from the New Zealand where the legislation specifies that:

all bees, bee products and appliances associated with an American foulbrood (AFB) diseased colony must be burnt. The only major exception to this ruling is people sterilising equipment in accordance with their Disease Elimination Conformity Agreement (DECA). If you do not have a current DECA that specifies how you will sterilise equipment rather than burn it, you must burn all equipment associated with an AFB diseased colony. (My emphasis)

The document I found ends with this cheery little note...
There are a number of other methods that are used overseas to attempt to sterilise AFB infected equipment e.g. scorching boxes and steam chests. These are not recommended and should not be used because they are not sufficiently effective

Any views/comments?

 

[wessexmario]

at Pontarddulais, and another at Keighley, Yorks:

https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/beebase/public/BeeDiseases/afbReport.cfm

 

[For want of a better word]

Would be interesting to know the cause of the outbreaks... Infected honey... Infected kit or Infected beekeeperer?


I dread hearing of these disease outbreaks.

Yeghes da

 

[Hawklord]

Would be interesting to know the cause of the outbreaks... Infected honey... Infected kit or Infected beekeeperer?


I dread hearing of these disease outbreaks.

Yeghes da

Infected honey from an importer at Keighley.

Good luck to those in the infected areas.

 

[bontbee]

Source of Pontardulais outbreak not known, but main suspects are an abandoned apiary and/or a feral colony.

The beekeeper hasn't bought/brought in any bees or other stuff, other than brand new equipment.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Just had an alert that there is an outbreak of AFB in the area....

Sorry to hear that, I hope the outbreak(s) is(are) contained.

Good luck.

... apart from making me cross my fingers, it got me wondering about wax. I am very careful about scrapings, brace comb, etc, and it all goes in a sealed bucket as I go, but this then goes into the solar wax extractor. Is rendering like this sufficient to kill AFB spores? Does it matter if it isn't? It would appear that, in this country at least, wax is deemed to be low risk - otherwise super combs would also be destroyed, along with the bees and brood frames. I think I have just answered my own question...

No, using a solar extractor isn't sufficient to kill AFB spores and yes, it does matter.

If a colony has one cell of AFB it's likely to be dead within a couple of weeks, the disease moves fast and spores can remain active for 45ish years. It's about the only time that we can say wax moth is our friend, because it's nature's way of getting rid of feral colonies' old comb and all the nasties it may contain.

Super combs are destroyed in this country, as are all parts of an infected hive. Quote from "Hive Cleaning and Sterilisation" http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/downloadDocument.cfm?id=1069

Wooden equipment can be burnt in a pit about 45 cm deep (Figure 9), and the pit must be covered in afterwards.​

From NBU booklet "Foulbrood Diseases of Honey Bees" http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/downloadDocument.cfm?id=7

Chemical sterilisation - There are no chemicals that have been shown to be fully effective for the sterilisation of stored combs against foulbrood.
AFB spores in particular are strongly resistant to virtually all sterilising agents. Super frames that haven’t had brood in them can, however, be sterilised to destroy the spores of chalkbrood (and Nosema disease of adult bees), using acetic acid vapour. However, there is no evidence that this treatment is effective against AFB or EFB. It is much better practice to melt down or burn old combs and replace them with new frames fitted with foundation.​

Actually, it's a bit ambiguous isn't it? But our RBI and SBI have said the whole hive is destroyed - all comb and all woodenware. I have no idea what would happen to a metal roof, and hope I never have to find out.

I had a quick look online and found a reference to dipping in paraffin wax at 160C for 10mins

NBU booklet suggests 150C for 10 minutes. Probably not for the faint hearted, and not for the amateur!

More stuff from Beesource, assuming the link works http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?213394-Killing-AFB-spore

 

[Hivemaker.]

Only the bees, frames and comb need be destroyed, the boxes are sterilized, poly ones with bleach.

If a colony has one cell of AFB it's likely to be dead within a couple of weeks, the disease moves fast

It is also just as likely to still be alive a couple or more years after first infected, more hive specific than EFB, which is likely to infect more hives within an apiary/area, than AFB.

 

[Michael Palmer]

It is also just as likely to still be alive a couple or more years after first infected,

I had an AFB colony with just a few cells of disease. I left it for a month, wanting to use it to educate my employees, and with only a very few cells of disease it would have been a poor example. One month later it had only a few cells of AFB. One month later the same. I eventually destroyed the colony and burned the hive. Some colonies will have AFB and keep it under control, or eliminate it entirely.

 

[madasafish]

Last year a our Association apiary had two outbreaks. All frames/combs were burned. The Bee Inspector scorched the hives with a gas torch.

 

[For want of a better word]

Infected honey from an importer at Keighley.

Good luck to those in the infected areas.

As per another thread, where a horse feed manufacturer ... too close to one of my out apiaries for comfort...... I am concerned about these honey importers... Is there any information as to where the infected honey was sourced?,,, country of origin?

How can infected food slip through the Governments various controls and inspections?


Yeghes da

 

[Hivemaker.]

How can infected food slip through the Governments various controls and inspections?

I doubt it does, if there is a risk it could be harmful to humans, like containing antibiotics.

 

[B+.]

I had an AFB colony with just a few cells of disease. I left it for a month, wanting to use it to educate my employees, and with only a very few cells of disease it would have been a poor example. One month later it had only a few cells of AFB. One month later the same. I eventually destroyed the colony and burned the hive. Some colonies will have AFB and keep it under control, or eliminate it entirely.

I think its more likely that they were asymptomatic. The infection would still be there. You certainly did the right thing by destroying it but, where did it come from? Who else had it? Are there other beekeepers in your area?
AFB is a notifiable disease here in the UK. You'd be breaking the law by leaving it.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Some bees are resistant to AFB.

http://www.apidologie.org/articles/apido/abs/2001/06/spivak/spivak.html

 

[For want of a better word]

Originally Posted by icanhopit View Post
How can infected food slip through the Governments various controls and inspections?

I doubt it does, if there is a risk it could be harmful to humans, like containing antibiotics.

Not getting tassy with honey importers... but is the product not checked for spores etc etc by either the Government labs or the importers own labs /agency. ????

I worked for a ( the biggest at the time ) nut importer in the UK... and samples of peanuts, Brazil nuts, cashew nuts, almonds, pecan, wallnuts etc etc all had to be checked in our own food lab, and samples sent to ? Leathehead ?Chessington Surrey Government labs, for analyses.
1000 tons of Chinese peanuts has to be destroyed due to being contaminated with Glycol..( used as a sweetening agent in some countries at that time... illegal in UK). had to be burnt under supervision... went into the factory boiler house as fuel... Croydon stunk of roasted peanuts for weeks... I still can not stand the aroma to this day.

Any one actually know what checks are made on honey.. as a regulation?

Yeghes da

 

[B+.]

Some bees are resistant to AFB.

http://www.apidologie.org/articles/apido/abs/2001/06/spivak/spivak.html

Good point. However, they would still infect others that aren't...or, are you arguing that as a case for evolution?

 

[bontbee]

No, using a solar extractor isn't sufficient to kill AFB spores and yes, it does matter.
I thought it probably did, (matter) but what does kill AFB spores in wax? - eg. is commercially produced wax treated in any way to ensure it is "clean"? I am afraid I am not charitable enough to believe that everyone who has an AFB outbreak obeys the law and disposes of any (likely to be) infected wax properly. If the spores aren't killed, do we rely on them being sufficiently "diluted" in commercial quantities of wax?


If a colony has one cell of AFB it's likely to be dead within a couple of weeks,
I don't believe that is correct - I understood that the bees usually recognise the larvae as infected and remove them - hence the "pepperpot" brood - thus keeping the disease "under control", but also acting as a potential reservoir of infection.


Super combs are destroyed in this country, as are all parts of an infected hive.
Yes, that's true - if the beekeeper hasn't already removed them to extract, and doesn't own up to that fact...!

I was thinking, more generally , too, how many people keep supers for one hive, let alone one apiary? Most people I know move supers from store to hive quite randomly. Supers that were on an (undiagnosed) AFB hive would be, quite innocently, untraceable - especially after the likely shuffling of frames during extraction, as well! Or those boxes that were carefully stored for a few years, only to be dragged out in a good year... How many stored supers are destroyed?!!


NBU booklet suggests 150C for 10 minutes. Probably not for the faint hearted, and not for the amateur!
I agree - Definitely not!!

Nothing like an outbreak of the nasties to start the cogs grinding

 

[BeeJayBee]

It is also just as likely to still be alive a couple or more years after first infected, more hive specific than EFB, which is likely to infect more hives within an apiary/area, than AFB.

Just parrotting what *BIs have said. It seems they aren't correct, but should it be a reason for complacency?

- eg. is commercially produced wax treated in any way to ensure it is "clean"? I am afraid I am not charitable enough to believe that everyone who has an AFB outbreak obeys the law and disposes of any (likely to be) infected wax properly. If the spores aren't killed, do we rely on them being sufficiently "diluted" in commercial quantities of wax?

Perhaps the foundation producers can answer that one?

If a colony has one cell of AFB it's likely to be dead within a couple of weeks,
I don't believe that is correct - I understood that the bees usually recognise the larvae as infected and remove them - hence the "pepperpot" brood - thus keeping the disease "under control", but also acting as a potential reservoir of infection.

As above...

Disease is transferred on the mandibles of the bees that clean out the diseases larvae. A weak colony can be robbed, with knock-on effects.

Nothing like an outbreak of the nasties to start the cogs grinding

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Croydon stunk of roasted peanuts for weeks... I still can not stand the aroma to this day.

Croydon has that effect on me - peanuts or no!

 

[Hawklord]

I am concerned about these honey importers... Is there any information as to where the infected honey was sourced?,,, country of origin?

How can infected food slip through the Governments various controls and inspections?


Yeghes da

This must be the 5th outbreak in the last 10 years. Would the cause be difficult to prove? I just don't understand how it's allowed to go on.

 

[Finman]

If a colony has one cell of AFB it's likely to be dead within a couple of weeks, ]

It does not. Disease will spread into whole brood area and hive will leave whole summer. Propably it dies in winter.



]

. It's about the only time that we can say wax moth is our friend, because it's nature's way of getting rid of feral colonies' old comb and all the nasties it may contain.]

that is fairytale

If we think about wild hive or swarm, which has disease and die in winter, next spring new swar, occupye the nest and it gets again the disease. Wax moth will not sterilize the cavity.


][/QUOTE]