?> Actually, I am fairly skeptical that any sort of sterilization or 
sanitization of combs will have the anticipated benefit. This attitude 
derives from an experiment we did at the Dyce Lab. We were struggling with 
chalk brood in the colonies, so we decided to have a bunch of equipment 
irradiated....

I have experience with both ETO and electron beam sanitization.  The ETO 
experience was direct and documented in the archives.  ETO was promoted by 
the late Roy Thurber and adopted in a number of jurisdictions, including 
Alberta for a period of time before being abandoned due to its being 
cumbersome and due the increasing realisation of the potential and unknown 
myriad chemical possibilities that attend using such a reactive and toxic 
agent on painted wooden boxes containing metals, honey, pollen, wax and who 
knows what.

Electron-beam radiation has been studied and an accepted protocol 
established at Beaverlodge for significant reduction to the point of 
effective elimination of of common bee pathogens in properly selected and 
prepared equipment and pollen.

Nothing short of fire eliminates 100% of pathogens, but this process is 
widely used in Western Canada and it is widely observed that the irradiated 
equipment and pollen do not carry chalkbrood, AFB or other pathogens 
sufficient to cause symptoms.  We do not know about viruses.

Other sources of radiation have been employed and I am unaware of protocols 
for exposure to assure adequate destruction of pathogens for them.  Cobalt 
and neutron generators have been used to my knowledge, but electron beam is 
the one that does the job economically.  Iotron in Port Coquitlam B.C. runs 
many, many truckloads through each year from all over Western Canada and the 
beekeepers report brood patterns after that look, "Like the good old days". 
Zero chalkbrood, too.

Just yesterday, I spoke with Doug Colter, chief inspector who first 
approached Iotron back in the seventies or eighties (can't recall).  He has 
been out of the loop for a while and he asked if radiation was in use much 
these days.  He recalled that when he first spoke to Iotron they wondered if 
$35 a super would be OK, since that was what they were getting for medical 
equipment runs.  Hehehe.  I think we are paying somewhere around $5 a box 
today.  Maybe someone knows?  Anyhow, with trucking, boxing, etc., it comes 
to more, but beekeepers find it very worthwhile, especially when combined 
with some minimal drug treatment.

The only problem for inspectors is we can't tell if scale is active or has 
been irradiated by looking in cases where the bees have not gotten around to 
cleaning it up.

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