(BTW, Bob has still not explained why he does not deliberately challenge his
hives with AFB, although he advocates deliberately challenging with varroa)

Terry Brown (Browns Bees Australia)called his weekly call last night. He is
still having trouble with me jamming varroa infested brood into the hives
headed by the queens he sent for me!

AFB research is a hard subject to tackle in a public forum. Keeping a hive
around with AFB is not taken very well by other beekeepers or your bee
inspector.

I have recreated (in the Past of course) the work of Rothenbuhler & Tabor in
remote yards. I have talked to Steve Tabor about his research (still
ongoing) with a bee which will tolerate AFB. I have looked at bees in hives
with AFB in several yards in different states in programs to find a bee
which will clean up AFB. Names withheld to protect the guilty!

My conclusion is those bees do not thrive. They do better at times then have
problems. Then do better. The hives dwindle (why would they not!)

The bees are constantly fighting the AFB problem instead of the things they
should be doing. I also believe there is a AFB active disease threshold for
which a hygienic bee can control.

EVERY swarm I every tossed into a *deadout* of AFB died like the swarm
before.

I have given up on a bee being hygienic enough to control a *serious*
active AFB outbreak but others have not. Steve Tabor has not and
Rothenbuhler believed till he drew his last breath that through breeding a
bee could be bred which could handle all stages of the active disease.

I am a long way from being on the level of Rothenbuhler and Tabor but it is
my opinion the search is like the hunt for the Holy Grail!

In my opinion a few AFB cells to  say half a comb maybe yes.

 A complete rob out of a AFB tree deadout my *opinion* is no. I have often
wondered why bees would even rob a deadout full of AFB. My experiments (past
of course) show ALL hives will completely clean the honey from a AFB
deadout. My argument in discussion with Steve Tabor on the subject was . If
bees know enough to clean out a cell with AFB why would they not know enough
to not bring the honey full of AFB spores back to the hive?

Bob

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