Hi Bonnie:
I thought a lot about the e-mail yesterday, and this reply is after its been
erased, so some of this response about AFB may be out of sink because I
cannot refer back to the letter, but here goes.  First it appears this is an
old beekeeper and a new beekeeper discussing the inevitability of AFB.  The
reason the person sees AFB as inevitably and has accepted AFB as an
acceptable part of beekeeping is because he has probably never had the desire
to put an end to it in his own apiaries by doing what is necessary (burn),
and now and worse yet he's perpetuating the disease in an even more
contagious manner by advocating and teaching novice beekeepers to expect an
accept AFB.
    He doesn't think he has AFB, he doesn't want to know and never will know,
as long as he is feeding terramycin. Its funny the beginner knows what is
supposed to be done an is asking an old timer. Its probably an old timer like
him that sold him the contaminated equipment to begin with.  I have been at
this awhile also 30 years worth, my one experience with this scrooge made me
even more determined to keep my yards clean and practice hygienic beekeeping.
Its also funny we are trying to engineer hygienic behavior in bees, but it is
time we worked on hygienic behavior of the beekeeper as well.  Genetically
alter beekeepers is a must.


Forwarded from Denzil StClair, Lorain County, Ohio, Bee Inspector