I think that there is right on both sides of the TM argument and
reappearance of AFB in hives when treatment is stopped.
One ex-beekeeper I know had AFB and used TM to treat for it. Did so for a
couple of years but my guess is he kept his contaminated frames and used TM
to mask the disease. When he got busy doing other things, his hives
collapsed with AFB, infecting other apiaries in the area.
Had he been a good beekeeper, he would have got rid of the frames harboring
the AFB and treated. He probably would have had the results of those who
say TM is all you need and do not need to burn. A good beekeeper would not
leave frames with heavy AFB scale in a hive. In essence, he has burned the
frames by removing them. And even if they do not remove all of the frames,
most good beekeepers replace their frames over a five to ten year period.
So if TM is continually applied to the hive, the AFB is eventually removed
before it can re-infect the hive.

What you have is two different approaches to the use of TM or any disease
treatment. Take malaria. You can issue quinine or whatever the treatment is
now to everyone and continue that treatment forever, or you can drain the
swamp and get rid of the mosquitos and could continue to treat just in
case. In the former case, the treatment will keep the disease in check, but
discontinue treatment and the disease will reappear since you never got rid
of the mosquitos. In the second, since you took care of the mosquitos, you
could be fine even without the quinine, since it is being used as a
preventative.

So when you treat over a long time and gradually or quickly replace AFB
infected frames, you are draining the swamp and treating the bees until and
after the swamp no longer is a problem.

If you burn, you drain the swamp immediately and remove the problem, so you
do not need to treat.

So, proponents of non burning are right, if the AFB is eventually removed.
Burning just takes care of all the other beekeepers who relax in there
management practices. Like the first hives I bought as a new beekeeper
which were infected with AFB.

Burning also removes any concern about long term resistance to TM.

Personally, I would rather drain the swamp than drink quinine for the rest
of my life.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, ME