Hello Allen & All,
 The following I would like to comment on and expect Jerry will jump back
but I feel comments need to be made.
Allen wrote:
 If we want hives that are not much bothered by AFB, then, to select we
should  use the hygienic test that was first promoted by Steve Taber, then
improved by  Jerry Bromenshank and more recently popularized by Marla Spivak
et al.  We can  medicate the bees -- or not -- and apparently not affect the
selection, since  this test seems to be a pretty good surrogate for an
actual challenge with AFB.

Allen has asked the list about AFB resistant bees before.  The subject is
touched on lightly at bee meetings.  Lightly because many of the old
beekeepers are still around which remember whole yards burned because of
AFB.  Most of us use hygenic queens.   My main line is from the Marla Spivak
line.  The other line is out of Florida.  Hygienic bees are important to me
but I would consider trying to remove AFB a henderance to me finding the
disease and eliminating it.   I do the most looking for AFb before the
Drones are active.    In early spring. we look at each frame.   Drones in my
opinion are as big a factor as robbing in the spread of AFB.   Drones are
allowed free access to any hive in the spring and drift freely between
hives.   The idea of AFB resistant bees was dropped after years of tests in
the early years when beekeeping was almost wiped out by AFB.    Most
beekeepers (myself included) have been treating  with Terramycin to prevent
the active stage of AFB.  We have seen a increase in AFB over the last few
years and blame resistant strains.  None of us can not say for sure how
widespread the problem will be when Terramycin is no longer effective at
all.  We have after all been masking the disease for over 40 years with
Terramycin. In my opinion you either treat with a antibiotic or check and
burn all AFB.  I have been doing both.  In my opinion AFB resistant bees are
a pipe dream of our researchers.  Hygenic bees appeal to me but I would hope
they leave the AFB spores alone. I don't want the frames/cells cleaned. I
want the frames removed by me and burned. About 200 frames of AFB were
burned in a fellow beekeepers yards to the west of me last spring. He was
using hygienic queens of the Florida line. There was not one indication that
those bees tried to remove/clean  the AFB out of those frames. All
hives/frames were burned and when I talked to the beekeeper on the phone
last night he reported no signs of AFB this year.
Sincerely,
Bob Harrison
Odessa,  Missouri