"Also, does anyone know how long the bacterium stays infective on combs if they are just left to sit without bees on them"

I see EFB in a nuc or two or five every year for the last half dozen years. I see it in weaker nucs.  Ones with five or less frames of bees.  I see it starting in late May in mating nucs and as late as August.  I have never seen a case in my ten frame hives, but have seen two cases in other local hives that were close to 20 frames of bees.  Untreated it never goes away in my experience.  Treat three times according to the label directions with terramycin and symptoms are gone in three days and I have yet to have a nuc relapse after treatment.  I have heard claims that the bacteria can survive for months on comb.  That does not seem to match my experience at all.  I do nothing at all to sterilize combs and pay no attention at all to the history of the many combs I swap from place to place over the summer.  Infected hives stay on the combs they are on thru and after treatment.

Dick

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