>In the UK the NBU recommends cleaning hives tools and gloves with a >strong 
>solution of washing soda (1 kg per 5 litres) to reduce the risk of 
> >spreading foulbrood.
First question that comes to my mind is that has anyone seen a study that 
actually proves that beekeeper can spread foulbrood with gloves and hive 
tool in normal work ?

As far as I have read the studies about afb it seems most unlikely to be 
able to spread it with 1 – 2 grams of honey /propolis/ wax from hive to 
another. Much more I can not see changing place in normal bee work. When 
researchers in Denmark studied AFB they could not infect all colonies with 
100 g of honey tranferred from deseased colonies.

We know that bees drift from hive to hive and they rob each others. Both 
activities are much bigger risk. And the biggest of all is the beekeeper who 
transfers frames from hive to hive. Sometimes with bees, brood and honey and 
almost always extracted ones. Extracted frame has easily 10 grams of honey, 
and full box with ten frames 100 grams. A box of extracted frames is a real 
risk.

20 % liquid of washing soda is quite potent. Caustic soda is stronger but 
that works already with 1- 2 %. I think they should work alike. At least 
that’s the experience here. Someone better in chemistry might compare these 
liquids. AFB spores are very hard to kill. Boiling them in 2 % caustic soda 
will kill, but most likely not in lower temperatures for 100 % . So the 
effect in washing in lower temperatures is in removing honey, propolis and 
wax.

Ari Seppälä

Finland

 

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