>> Just in case any novices are reading this, 
>> shake the bees into new gear, but burn the hive.

> This is just the opposite of what I would recommend. 
> If you are going to destroy the equipment, the bees should go too. 
> You would be only saving a weakened colony of AFB susceptible bees. 
> This is penny wise and pound foolish.
	
This sort of attitude is what can drive many novices into the hands of the
charlatans, and into "faith-based beekeeping". 

The current crop of novices view their bees as pets, so suggesting that they
kill what may be their only hive is going to do nothing but alienate them,
and make you seem a Neanderthal to them.  As Grant so succinctly illustrated
a few posts ago, the most common starting point for novices is a tacit
rejection of "traditional beekeeping", summarized with "But we're going to
do it all naturally and chemically-free."  

So, given choices between (a) "treatment" with mere growth inhibitors that
never kill spores, (b) limited burning of frames showing initial AFB
symptoms (and adjacent frames!) (c) alienating the beekeeper with talk of a
full-hive-burn, and having them turn to crystals and incense, I'll give the
advice that the novice will heed, and avoid "drastic orders" that will lead
to them dismissing me as a source of future advice and counsel.

> However, treating foulbrood is a scientifically accepted procedure

Sure it masks the symptoms of AFB, but if it really was such a great idea,
why did Dennis vanEngelsdorp fight such an epic battle in PA for so many
seasons against AFB that persisted in the face of so much "treatment"?  His
presentation on this was a parable on the hubris of beekeepers in general,
and a pretty effective unintentional indictment of approaches to AFB not
involving the use of fire.  I hope someone recorded it, as he gave it to
many clubs.

I submit that the intelligent and measured response of a limited burn at the
earliest possible time is far superior to using any of the antibiotics, as
burning eliminates the spores before the bees have a chance to attempt a
"clean up" and merely spread the spores, reuse the wax on capping more brood
cells, entomb the spores in propolis, and do other things which spread the
spores around.  As I pointed out, the spores are amazingly robust, and
survive just about everything short of e-beam, gamma-ray, or fire.  Fire is
affordable. (I'd love to have one of the WV-developed trailer-mounted
autoclaves, but parking it would be a problem in NYC, and such a gizmo would
be viewed as a "weapon of mass destruction" by the local authorities, and
they'd be right.)

As for "susceptible bees", I submit that all EHB larvae are AFB-susceptible,
without exception. I challenge anyone to show me a line of bees that can, if
given a heavily AFB-infected frame, clean up the problem, and not make it
worse.  What we do have are lines of merely hygienic bees, which can
sometimes handle very small AFB problems with aplomb, but this is a
behavior, not a "resistance" to infection by AFB spores.

The current crop of novices are not going to take everything said to them as
received wisdom, even if they are being taught the hard-won experience of
generations of beekeepers extending back to Langstroth and A.I. Root.  I
have found that they bristle at the suggestion of certain things, and
respond well to carefully-crafted presentations of CHOICES, with the science
presented to show the expected outcomes of those choices.  When it comes to
AFB, "Kill It With Fire" (a quote from the movie "The Thing", 1982) is
advice that resonates with the student, if one explains exactly how long we
have been fighting AFB, and how easily things can get out of hand.  That
said, the concept of proportional response must be used to temper the
reaction, so that we minimize the worst-case scenario of having to burn a
first-year student's hive.

I think it is also important to note that the most common way AFB appears in
a novice's hive is the case of a "nuc" sold to them by a more experienced
beekeeper.  The AFB came with the frames.  This in itself is not a good ad
for "traditional beekeeping".  Funny how nobody ever gets AFB from a
package, even though everything in sight gets shaken at package time.

So, I'm going to stick to my stance, and go further to suggest that
rethinking is in order for those who might initially disagree.

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