After following the AFB threads on Bee-L for years I wish to report a
possible AFB anomaly.
The single beehive in my backyard (100-150 at my apiary depending on the
year) is used just for pollination at the house.  Three years ago I brought
home a truckload of scorched woodenware that had "AFB" marked on every 10'th
one or so.  They were clean of wax so I tested a deep with the backyard hive
using my frames.  Within 2 weeks I found AFB in the hive.  The disease had
just started but passed the ropey test when stirred with a stick & smelled
the distinctive AFB smell - though slight.  Instead of culling the hive I
simply removed the brood & 'test' deep and treated with TM by dusting the
bees.

That was 3 years ago and I've never used TM since without ANY outbreak in
that hive.  Today the same hive is roughly 4 deeps of solid brood and
inspected last week - and healthy as any I have at the apiary, supered up
for a good year coming.  & that's after 3 years without TM.

Cured?  Masked?  I would suggest that perhaps AFB "can" be cured if caught
during the early stages.  Certainly this hive would have shown AFB again?
If the infected brood is removed & the remainder bees treated perhaps I was
lucky enough to kill the live foulbrood within the bees and removed the
spores with the brood?  The AFB was certainly no older than 1 week as I had
inspected the hive the week prior.
Other ideas?
-----------------
At the apairy any AFB found calls for culling the infected hive.  I've found
3 hives over the past 4 or 5 years.  Suspected from introducing used
woodenware.  I DON'T use TM unless a nearby hive has come down with AFB.
Though unlike other commercial beekeepers I have the luxury of keeping the
majority of my apiary within arm's length.  If the bulk of my investment in
hives were 30+ miles away I would surely protect them with TM since it would
be tougher to catch early on.

Matthew Westall
E-Bees - Castle Rock, CO - USA
-where it's been raining every 3 or 4 days and the hay, clover & alfalfa are
unlike any year & a GREAT summer expected-

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