> >Thanks Peter for your well written thoughts on "to treat or not to treat".
>


Hi All,

Re treating for AFB, I've tried it all over the years--winter/spring
prophylactic treatments, dusting, waxed paper bags,  grease patties, in
syrup, etc.  I also used to advertise and sell hygienic queens in the early
1980's, and have used Minnesota Hygienic stock.

All methods can work.  To me it boiled down to cost/benefit analysis, plus
the market for my products (nucs and honey), plus landowner concern on the
organic farms upon which I place my bees.

Several years ago, as I was going down the grocery isle, with a cart filled
with Crisco and sugar to make up grease patties, I was struck by just how
much twice-yearly grease patties actually cost me.

I compared that cost, plus the labor, to the loss of burning the percentage
of colonies that come down with AFB without treatment.

I also considered the impact of antibiotics on the beneficial gut flora in
my bees.

The main factor was that I sell hundreds of nucs a year, many to hobbyists.
I don't want those nucs to seed new colonies with AFB spores from combs in
which the active disease is merely suppressed by antibiotics.

So now I am DILIGENT in detecting any AFB, and practice "shake and bake"
(check the archives).  I use TM in the new shook colonies, and sometimes in
a yard that may have had an exposure to the disease.  I sterilize my boxes
in a hot wax tank at 325F.  I incorporate much hygienic stock in my breeding
program.

AFB generally shows up when bees are nutritionally stressed, so I try to
maintain good nutrition at all times.  In every yard, if I see any colony
lagging, I tear into the broodnest to carefully inspect for ABF.  Also, any
colony with a spotty brood pattern gets a close inspection.  Since I nuc up
all my colonies each spring, I and my son are able to inspect every single
brood frame in my operation at that time each year--this really helps.  I
also have a nose like a bloodhound for the smell of AFB.

These practices have worked well for me, and I know that my colonies are
regularly exposed to AFB.  Dr Mark Goodwin's book that Bob mentioned is an
excellent resource--I've been trying to get around to publishing a review of
it.

With the approval in the US of Tylosin for AFB treatment, the situation has
changed in commercial operations.  Much of it is used off label--as a
prophylactic.  Since, unlike TM, it has a long life in the stored honey, it
is effective at suppressing the symptoms of AFB.  Soon, however, AFB spores
are spread through the entire operation by drifting, robbing, frame
swapping, and honey supers.  At that point, the beekeeper is stuck with
needing in perpetuity to regularly dose his colonies with Tylosin to keep
AFB in check.  This works for some, but I personally don't want to be in
that situation.

If one has regularly used an antibiotic, and decides to go "clean," expect
to take frame losses as you burn equipment until you have cleaned up your
operation.  Hygienic bees will help a great deal, as will regular comb
rotation.

The question that you will ask is, What if I just see one cell of AFB in a
colony, can I just remove that frame and treat?"  I've experimented
informally with this method, since it is so dang attractive, but did not
find it to be effective.  I now burn the entire multistory colony if I find
a single cell of AFB.  Extreme, yes, but it works well in practice.

Last season, I finally cleared up an AFB infection that had spread after a
truck wreck and the resultant robbing of some infected colonies.  It took
burning some 70 deep brood chambers worth of frames (the bees were shook and
saved).  This year, we have just finished inspecting every single frame in
our operation, and haven't (knock on wood) seen a single cell of AFB!

Randy Oliver

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