> If the spores are in the honey consumed by the bee, the TM will not kill the spores.  It only kills the vegetative stage of AFB.

Antibiotics have been used for the prevention of foulbrood since the 1940s. I have personally used them since the 1970s. I have officially inspected large outfits where antibiotics are routinely used to prevent foulbrood and outfits where they are never used. I reckon I have a pretty good idea how they work. 

The use of TM for prevention of brood disease is fully documented, generally recommended, and fully approved in the USA. Eric Mussen writes:

> There is no method by which your bees can be prevented from robbing a dying or dead colony. So, if you are keeping bees in an area known to have a history of American foulbrood, it is a good idea to use limited prophylactic antibiotic treatments during the periods when your bees are most likely to be robbing (nectar and pollen dearths).  Dr. Eric C. Mussen

Dealing with American Foulbrood
Department of Entomology, UC Davis
http://entomology.ucdavis.edu/faculty/Mussen/beebriefs/Foulbrood.pdf

Additional sources

Honey Bee Disorders: Using Terramycin™ in Honey Bee Colonies
Cooperative Extension Service, The University of Georgia
http://www.ent.uga.edu/bees/disorders/Terramycin.html

Antibiotics in the Hive
The Dyce Laboratory for Honey Bee Studies, Cornell University
http://www.masterbeekeeper.org/mgmt/antibiotics.htm#formulations

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