> Has any tests ever been run to see how long it takes
> for spores to become active?

I think 'inactive' is what you meant to say.  That has been researched and we
know AFB spores last a long, long, time.

Nonetheless, a lot of the research has been culturing or introducing AFB under
artificial conditions and also we do know that seeds and spores do not improve
in vigour with age.  There is a decay curve for most things and I will assume
that AFB spores are no different and have a finite useful half-life.  I must
emphasize most strongly that this may be distinct from the time during which
they are able to be cultured in a lab.  Moreover, there must be things that
weaken them.  If not they are unique among living things.

Add to this the fact that we do know AFB spores have a *short time window for
success* in a developing larva, and if they fail to kill the larva in that time
window, then they fail.  Period.  Spores that seem viable in culture may not
make the grade in a real life situation, or they may need a lot more help from
their buddies.

> We have got a bee supply dealer in our
> area which maintains it takes 2,000 degree temp to kill AFB spores.  The
> maker of the *Better Way Wax Melter* claims 350 degrees  will do the
> job.  Which is right?

I think they are both right.  It is a question of degree.  To kill 100% would
take the more drastic environment, while killing or weakening the spores enough
to render them harmless would take the latter -- or even much less.

Add to that the fact that no one has proven that spores cooked in wax can cause
disease in a real-life situation, and once again we are confronting theory with
practical, empirical evidence.  I prefer to believe the latter -- and to hell
with the theory.

I researched pasteurization some time back and found -- interestingly enough --
that the process does not kill all the bacteria, but eliminates sufficient
numbers and weakens the rest enough that the product is safe for consumption.
Fascinating...

* Most of us who are seriously in the bee business for a long time in North
America believe that once the AFB spores are deep fried in wax for a while, they
may still be able to be resuscitated in a lab somewhere (and thus considered
viable), but they are no threat to us in real life.

M* any of us have also observed that, although there are still (reportedly)
measurable AFB spores in hives that have been properly treated with drugs, the
disease does not express itself significantly more often in such hives than it
does in supposedly clean hives.

Why? I don't know.   Personally, I don't care why.  It works.

I leave it to the theorists to try to reconcile their ideas with the reality
that surrounds them.

allen