Dear Mason,
 
 
> My question is, if a hive does have foulbrood and is full
> of bees, can the bees be saved?  If you transfer the bees to new
> equipment, will they re-infect the new frames and boxes??  I seems
> lilkey that they will as the living bees must have the spores on them
> too.
 
As you may know, antibiotics aren't used in some countries to fight AFB.
Here in Germany the hives are mostly killed together with the bees in it if
AFB is detected.
 
But if you don't mind the work you can save the bees. The best way to do so
is transfering them into a new and absolutely clean hive filled only with
clean foundations (no old combs!). You can clean the hives by washing them
with a sodiumhydroxide solution and/or burning them out with a gas-burner.
In the new hive you must feed the bees with sirup (water/sugar = 1/1). They
will then build new combs.
 
Sincerely
 
Reimund
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Beekeeper in Germany (Bavaria)
Queen Rearing of Carniolan Bees
Insemination Station
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