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Thu, 15 Feb 2001 13:23:00 +1200
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Hi all

My understanding of the research here in NZ (Ruakura) regarding bleach killing AFB was that they were
NOT advocating its use for sterilising woodenware, but rather for hive-tools, excluders etc, and that they
had to be impeccably CLEAN to begin with.

Sodium hypochlorite only kills the spores it comes in contact with (to my understanding), so if you still
have bits of wax or propolis on the item to be sterilised, it won't kill the AFB sealed (for now)
within/beneath.  First you must clean the item (boiling, water-blasting, whatever works depending on the
item in question), then you can sterilise it.  Perhaps this method would allow for re-use of 1-piece plastic
combs, after first water-blasting them clean?

I don't know that i would rely on bleach to penetrate into wood well enough to use this method for re-
using AFB wood-ware, but if you have been handling known AFB hives, then giving your hivetool, gloves,
bee-suit etc a wash in sodium hypochlorite lowers the probability of you spreading it to the next hive you
work.

Woodware can be paraffin dipped, or burnt.

-Pav


At 14/02/01 12:20:00, Allen wrote:

>Seems to me that contact with sodium hypochlorite
>is not doing the job, but rather the chlorine gas which is released.  If so,
>then we basically are dealing with fumigation, not wetting, and have to ask how
>well chlorine penetrates propolis and wax.  I notice that the article at
>http://listserv.albany.edu:8080/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind9911C&L=bee-l&P=R1868
>says that 0.5% solution does the trick.
>
>I quote:
>> Research conducted at Ruakura has shown that concentrations of 0.5%
>> sodium hypochlorite in water will kill all AFB spores in 20 minutes.
>

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  (\      Pav             [log in to unmask]
 {|||8-  Ahaura,  New Zealand
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