Greetings all, I was asked by some of Ontario beekeepers to write about this subject "disinfection of AFB infected plastic comb". I searched the scientific literature about an answer but I did not find any answer. Plastic combs have been used intensively in the last several years in honey bee colonies. Most of the reported experiments were done on wax combs. The infection of the plastic comb with AFB spores is a problem. I did not find any registered fumigation agent to use for disinfection. In tha past ethylene oxide at 1g/liter for 48 h at 43C in fumigation chamber could be used for disinfection of combs and boxes. As it turned out that the ethylene oxide could leave carcinogenic residues in food stuff and was banned for this reason. Suggested other chemicals can make the combs brittle. I would suggest that gamma irradiation from Cobalt-60 can be used for disinfection of plastic comb. Remember, AFB is a real threat. AFB spores can tolerate heat and remain dormant for years. If you wash the combs well and do'nt see th spores (!!!!!) with naked eyes ??? it will not mean "DISINFECTION of combs from AFB spores". Good luck. Medhat Nasr > I saw the post concerning scraping the plastic foundation down after > AFB infection. I am a big fan of the Rite-Cell foundation. When I scrape it > down, I also take it to the car wash and power wash it. When finished, it > looks almost like new. Would it be possible to disinfect the foundation > with bleach, or even a lye bath? Would AFB spores be able to withstand such > treatment? > Thanks, > Scott Moser > Medhat Nasr, Ph.D. Research Scientist, Ontario Beekeepers' Association Dept. Environmental Biology University of Guelph Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1 Tel: (519) 824-4120 Fax:(519)837-0442 e-mail: [log in to unmask]