Hello,

The recent discussions has been focused on cleaning frames of drawn comb 
and equipment with bleach solutions.

In my readings on the web, in the journals, and in recent beekeeping 
books, I note the recommendations to cull comb every 3 to 5 years. 
Currently the emphasis is on changing out drawn comb within the 3 years, 
rather than longer. In my practice, if the bees draw comb in an 
unsatisfactorily manner, I even cull that comb that 1st year. Therefore, 
if comb is being culled so frequently, they why would we need to spray 
bleach solutions on the empty drawn combs? Some beekeepers in their 
effort to contain costs during comb culling will scape off all comb from 
plastic foundation and pressure wash the plastic foundation and frames.

The discussion has also spoken about cleaning hive boxes and other hive 
equipment. In Australia and a few places in the US (I don't know about 
other countries) sterilization of wooden hive components is achieved by 
immersion in hot paraffin/resin solution. The outcome is sterilized wood 
requiring no painting. The processed equipment is supposed to last 
longer than normal and can be reprocessed as needed every 3 or5 years. 
This processing supposedly kills AFB. Would it not also kill fungal 
spores and other diseases? The related cost the last time I checked was 
about US $3.00 per deep hive body. The closest processor is on the 
eastern portion of Ohio about a 4 or 5 hour drive from my home base.

In PA, a few members of the state beekeeping organization has negotiated 
and made available irradiation of equipment, that is Boxes with frames 
of Empty drawn comb at a similar cost. I think this processing is in 
western New Jersey, but I currently do not recall the specific location. 
The gamma radiation blasts thru the equipment (without damaging it). As 
the radiation hits bacteria and spores, those pathogens have their cell 
walls damaged which make them non-viable or in other words Kills them. 
This is the same processing that gives uncooked food including meat a 
long shelf life in your grocery store without refrigeration. There is no 
guarantee that every pathogen and spore will be killed during this process.

In review of the aforementioned methods, my gut feeling is that frequent 
comb culling and hot dip treatments for wooden ware would give the best 
treatment strategies to remove and/or inhibit disease. I do not 
understand why there are inadequate numbers of hot dip treatment 
facilities or even irradiation facilities for beekeepers in the US.

The only drawback on hot dip treatment that I can see, is the 
slipperiness of newly processed stacked equipment on each colony.

Anyhow, there's my two cents.

Alf Bashore

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