[log in to unmask] wrote: "AFB is the disease everyone worries about being
transmitted with pollen and I wonder if the worries are justified."

Afterwards he consistently referred to AFB as ABF.  Of course his computer
is acting up, it should have been AFB throughout.  Perhaps Lloyd is taking
his laptop to the convention next week.  :-)

Another and perhaps a greater concern with purchased pollen from an unknown
source is chalkbrood!  Mummies can and do end up in collected pollen.
Designs that cover the collected pollen (such as the Sundance trap) reduce
the incidence of chalkbrood mummies ending up in the collected pollen, but
even the superior designs do not eliminate the concern.  Chalkbrood mummies
mixed into pollen patties is a surefire way to spread the disease.

Concerns over chalkbrood and AFB can be eliminated by irradiating the
pollen.  I recall reading that this is SOP in Australia and New Zealand.

As always, know your supplier, and if the supplier is unknown (or not
recommended by a trusted reference) it is best avoided

Aaron Morris - thinking Caveat emptor!