I think Tim and Waldemar's thoughts are about right.  There is little chance
of spreading AFB by open feeding.

While I was a NYS Inspector we were told of a project at Penn State where
they tried to inoculate brood with AFB with a hive tool.  They apparently
went so far as to coat the end of the hive tool with diseased brood and then
scrape the result onto brood of the right age.  They could not infect a
single larvae!  Hands, hive tools and gloves and unlikely infection sources
as are bee bodies.

On the other hand, if one does not treat hive prophylacticly AND has the odd
hive or frame of AFB every year or so, the likely source is an infected hive
in the area.  Moreover, it is possible the bees/larvae in that hive are more
or less immune to AFB.  In such a case it is possible that extensive robbing
as part of or after the feeding could spread the AFB more than it otherwise
would.  Otherwise,  I don't think that open feeding is at all likely  to
spread disease.

-- 
Lloyd Spear
Owner Ross Rounds, Inc.
Manufacture of equipment for round comb honey sections,
Sundance Pollen Traps, and producer of Sundance custom labels.
Contact your dealer or www.RossRounds.com

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