Date sent:              Sun, 25 Jul 2004 18:50:07 -0400
From:                   Andrew Dewey
<[log in to unmask]>
Subject:                [BEE-L] List as Learning Tool
To:                     [log in to unmask]
Send reply to:          Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues
and Bee Biology
        <[log in to unmask]>

> >> Why do you people REFUSE to LEARN?
>
>
>
> George - with all due respect, what do you think people are doing on
> this list besides learning?

I can understand the tension here, as so many topics come up over
and over and over. I've tended to take a different approach; I just
don't answer, rather than submit the regulars on the list to the
tedium of repetition ad infinitum.

The valid suggestion is frequently made here that the archives be
searched on these common issues that come up over and over.
Then take everything said with a grain of salt. A little time spent
reading will help to judge those who post with experience and
compentence - and those who are just opinionating. After that the
search can be narrowed a bit - to eliminate the pontificators.

AFB has been endlessly discussed, there should be a wealth of
information in the archives. But I will offer some comments.

1. Get an accurate diagnosis. An experienced beekeeper knows
AFB when he sees it. There is little question about diagnosis. That's
because experienced beekeepers have all had cases of it. I am
suspicious of any beekeeper with more than a couple hives who
says he's never had it. Either he's lying (most likely) or he's got his
eyes firmly shut. (I once went through bees with a sideliner who
supposedly was competent, and he was so badly infected in his
operation that he was obviously shutting his eyes for several years.

2.  When you find a case, it is serious but not an occasion for panic.
Some will tell you to burn everything in the yard. That's nonsense.
Burn the infected hive and watch the others more closely.  You may
have contaminated hives a half mile away that you don't know
about, always ready to reinfect yours. As much as possible make
sure other beekeepers in the area take care of their disease. That's
one of the  values of a local bee club.

3.  Understand the mechanisms whereby it's spread. The most
common is beekeepers transferring equipment from contaminated
hives to uncontaminated. That means they aren't watching the hives
they work with.

   The other means is robbing. Note that a hive that has AFB, that is
still strong, is not going to get robbed, so it's not an occasion for an
all-night burn session. It is when the hive gets weak that they get
robbed. Also the danger increases when a honeyflow stops and
bees are looking to rob. Usually you have a little time to learn and
plan.

4. Understand that foulbrood spores are everywhere, and that most
hives clean them up. I've seen good hives have a couple cells of
foulbrood and never see it again in the hive. But it is a warning, to
recheck again in a week. If the cells have increased, then it's time to
be hard-nosed and burn.

5. The massive doses of spores that are most infective come from
brood scale. You should learn to recognize brood scale instantly,
both by smell and sight. Never put any frame with brood scale into a
hive, or leave it out in the open when it can be robbed. There are
photos of fresh and dried scale and lots more information at:
http://www.pollinator.com/afbscale.htm


I hope this helps.

Dave in SC
The Pollination Home Page:  http://pollinator.com

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