pb wrote:
Exchanging combs is crucial to all the beekeeping that I
do: raising
queens, making nucs, supering, etc. To not be able to
exchange frames
from one hive to another is my worst nightmare.

Reply:
This is practical commercial beekeeping. Interchangeable
combs are necessary for good production of pollen and honey
and maintaining good broodnests.

pb continuing:
 Therefore, I run 200+
hives with a zero tolerance for AFB. I can exchange combs
because *I
don't have AFB*.

Reply:
Now this is impractical beekeeping. Zero tolerance is an
unobtainable goal even in Nature in the real world. You
only think you can exchange combs because "you" don't have
AFB. But a steril environment is as bad or worse then
chemical overtreatment and AFB taking hold and ransacking
colonies. With your method you develop no immunity within
your bees for AFB and doom them to sudden death should it
appear. This is not natures way with no second best for
living. The weak die and the healthy live. Perpetuating the
healthy and letting the weak die in field management is
what makes bees strong. Also pulling AFB when the bees
cannot handle it. A handful of spores in cells is nothing
to worry about with bees that can clean on a good system.

Unless you are studying AFB, there is no justification for
having it.

Reply:
Wrong. Unless you have a little and learn how to control it
the old way you have out of control bees and hives dying in
mass. We have I would guess 1-2% infection within our
colonies and many looking at our bees find nothing. You
have to show them how to look. We know when we get a good
beekeeper looking for he can find the 1-2 or so cells on a
frame in a small colony. The trouble is most beekeepers
need to have over a few dozen cells of foul to be able to
even find it with their eyes. They are not trained to find
it in the beginning and watch it and note when it gets out
of control and then pull it routinely.

pb wrote:
Because commercial operators have tons of it, does not make
it OK, a
good thing, or acceptable.

Reply:

Yes, this is very true and shows bad management IMPOV and
indicates that training is needed to show the beekeepers
involved how to field manage foul properly by comb culling
and remelting. Also shows that the person does not know how
to select and perpetuate his bee stocks for natural
resistance to foul also.

Regards,

Dee A. Lusby





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