Mike and I know each other, and could easily carry this thread solely
between us.  However, I decided to continue through Bee-L as I think the
discussion may be of interest to others.

If you are bored, let us know (privately or through Bee-L) and we will go
private.

"I have
been raising nucs, and overwintering them."

How many frames in your nucs for overwintering?  Do you wrap?  Stack on top
of full hives or on each other?  I have had real success in the past, but
this year I lost 75% or better of my overwintered nucs so am looking at
different methods.

"The nucs are easy
to check for AFB. The honey producing colonies are checked when honey is
taken off....so not to spread disease through supers."

How so...easy to check when honey is taken off?  Don't you have to look at
all brood frames?  That would be a huge job for me with just 125 hives, and
a much larger job for you!

"if AFB was present in the hive,
wouldn't it show up later in the summer? At that point burning should be
the treatment of choice. Would this plan not keep your equipment clean?"

Yes, it would work but I can't imagine checking each brood frame in the
fall.  My method, not unique to me, is to figure that any AFB infected hive
will not make it through the winter in these parts.  (Given, if the
infection is limited to a few cells it would make it through the first
winter, but almost certainly not the second winter.)  Any dead hive I check
very closely.  If I see any signs of AFB, even 1-2 cells of scale, I burn
everything.

It seems to me that as long as I don't feed honey this will keep me
reasonably free of AFB.  I will get infected from neighbors, but with no
terra. to mask symptoms the disease will manifest itself and I will cull it.

I should mention that I do a lot of frame movement while equalizing and
making nucs and every frame moved is closely inspected.  I haven't found AFB
in a frame to be moved in quite some time.  Of course, if the frame were
full of honey I wouldn't see any scale.


Lloyd
Lloyd Spear, Owner Ross Rounds, Inc.
Manufacturers of Ross Rounds Comb
Honey Equipment, Sundance Pollen Traps
and Custom Printer of Sundance Labels.

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