Washing american foulbrood from combs

[Finsky]

It is known that spores of american foulbrood is in combs in previous year honey. We know also that it need to be quite a much spores before signs of disease come visible. Presence of spores can be detected  2 years before that visible symptoms emerge.

In Finland it was made research 2005 that old honey was washed away and combs was handled then with sterilizing chemical Virkon S. http://www.antecint.co.uk/MAIN/virkons.htm.

The aim was to save new white combs in hive renovation where has not been brood.

Sick hive was shaked and double shaked on treated combs and they researches how foulbrood emerges.

The results were quite good. Good fames is worth to save with this method and not to burn.

Do you know these kind of results?  

[amymcg]

Hi finman, tried to go to the website, but it wasn't available.

I did a google search and this was at the top http://www.growhere.com/insectcontrol/vikrons.htm  It appears to be available in Canada, but not sure if it's available here in the US.

How exactly did they wash the combs??

[Finsky]

How exactly did they wash the combs??

They shaked water away but I am going to extract water from combs with extractor.

* First I dip frames into  warm water and honey crystals dilute a couple of hours and  get loose.
* I extract water with honey exctractor.

* Then I sink frame to Virkon water. I let it affect some time and extract the solution away and use again.

* I dry frames with air somewhere .
.

[latebee]

This is totally new to me. Has anyone been succesful using this method for more than two years?

[ian michael davison]

Hi all
In the UK one of the few things we get right is the treatment of brood diseases. In the case of AFB and most cases of EFB the colony along with the frames are destroyed. In a few cases of very mild EFB  the shook swarm method and antibiotics are used, but this is not the norm.
These measures may seem harsh but the fact remains that last year my county had 15 cases of EFB and 0 cases of AFB. Because of these very low figures insurance is built into your local association membership fees at a very low figure. I can insure 40 hives and membership for under £50.00. Those with only a couple of hives pay about £20.00 membership and this includes insurance.
The great benefit of this is people are not shy about getting these diseases delt with and are compensated if they do. We also don't have antibiotics turning up in honey and resistant diseases developing.
How do you guys deal with it???


Regards Ian

[Finsky]

In the case of AFB and most cases of EFB the colony along with the frames are destroyed.

Yes but, in this research they excamined is it possible to "rescue capital".
Yes, we know how to burn it.

[Dick Allen]

“Dr. Steve Pernal, who works in one of the last Canadian government funded bee research facilities in Beaverlodge, Alberta, Canada, arrived at his job when American foulbrood (AFB) was really causing problems for some commercial beekeepers. He first looked at possible ways to decontaminate woodenware from hives containing dead larvae, scale, and contaminated food stores.

1. Scorching and Virkon S were about 84% effective.
2. Powered water was 81% effective.
3. Scrubbing was 77% effective.
4. Steam and lye were nearly 100% effective, as is irradiation.�

The above was taken from page 4 of Dr. Eric Mussen’s (University of California, Davis) beekeeping newsletter.

http://66.102.7.104/univ/ucdavis?q=cache:NyXjWSA81d8J:entomology.ucdavis.edu/faculty/mussen/03-04-04.pdf+Virkon+S&hl=en&ie=UTF-8