Mike asked

> Where can you find food grade irradiation sites?

I cannot speak for the USA but here in Australia we have three sites at 
Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

>Will the process prepackaged hive units (packaged with plastic bags so that 
>there no danger of dropping debris)?

We have certain protocols that we must adhere to for the gear we send to be 
irradiated.  One is that the frames inside the boxes must be in plastic bags 
to stop any debris or honey dripping out.

>What level of irradiation needs to be used to ensure the demise of all 
>spores in the honey, in the equipment, in the pollen packets?

For us 10kgy will kill AFB, 15 kgy for chalkbrood and EFB.  I haven't seen 
any figures for nosema but as we ask for 15kgy I would imagine nosema is 
being zapped also.

>Does irradiation degrade the quality of the pollen?

Apparently not.  Actually it can enhance the life of pollen.  If you have 
frozen pollen, after about a year the fats start to go off.  If you seal a 
container of pollen and then have it irradiated, it will last for several 
years and be suitable to feed back.

Trevor Weatherhead
AUSTRALIA 

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