On Sat, 25 Jul 2009 05:39:41 -0700, kirk jones <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I blame grease patties and subsequent long exposures in hives on much of the 
resistance issues we have. I recommend minimal treatments with terra or tylosin. 

I used to, but I never found anything that would substantiate such a conclusion. In fact, I 
know folks who use year round antibiotic patties. They don't have foulbrood, resistant or 
otherwise. 

Just as good a case could be made against short term antibiotic use: if you use it for a 
week or two in spring, you will kill off the susceptible bacteria, leaving only the resistant 
ones. This is why they always say to use the full course of antibiotics (in people). Not to 
quit as soon as the symptoms disappear.

Resistant AFB is not that common, in my experience. I saw only a few cases of it out of 
the hundreds I have sent to Beltsville. And those could be traced back to one particular 
beekeeper who sold his bees to the other folks. It may be in every state by now, though. 
Ask Bart Smith.

I have met many people who have successfully stamped out AFB. Some burned the few 
cases they got, some treated them. Some simply gave up and feed patties year round. I 
recently read that the worst possible method is to put TM in syrup. The amount of 
residual TM in the honey was something like ten times the legal limit for honey.

Foulbrood is definitely not something to trifle with but it doesn't have to be the terror that 
it once was. It responds very well to treatment, as long as the case is not very far along, 
and there are still plenty of bees. A bad infection is not worth messing with. If you can 
get a backhoe you can dig a six foot hole and bury it, bees and all.

plb

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