Greetings Lloyd and Everyone,

> Why do almost all commercial operations still use terra
prophylactically?  Because they are afraid of being infected by 'someone
else'?  Get real...the 'someone else' is themselves!  By using terrap
prophylactically the disease has been masked (not cured) but is still
widespread.

Our state bee association is comprised of at least 99% commercial
beekeepers and if you less than a thousand hives you don't count. At a
meeting on the beek got up and told of his experience.

He moved a yard of bees into a new area and promptly found foulbrood in
that yard.

After noticing another nearby beeyard operated by a hobbyist, he reported
it to the state inspectors and demanded they inspect it for foul. They
inspected the hobbyist yard on two seperate occassions without finding a
trace of foul.

Yet, the foul persisted in his yard, so he demanded they inspect the
hobbyist again. Sure enough foul was now found to effect the hobbyists
bees also.

So he reiterated the threat that untreated(prophylactically) hobby hives
had on his operation. I about fell out of my chair. Then he proposed the
use of ethylene oxide as a fumigant. He had used this successfully in the
past by purchasing the ampules from the hospital and using them in a
chest freezer in the gargage next to his house!

But since the EPA has restricted it's use, it's carcinogenic, and the
hospitals wouldn't sell it to him. He wanted the state to persue its
registration. The organization readily endorsed the proposal.

I couldn't believe it. Imagine how the hobbist felt. Ironic, huh? No need
to wonder why there are only a couple of hobbyists that belong to the
only beekeeping organization in the state.

Regards
Dennis
Perspective is Everthing

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