AFB found and confirmed!!

[ozebee]

Looks like I'll be busy this weekend killing off 5 colonies ( what is left of them) after receiving confirmation from the lab that my suspected symptoms were in fact AFB. It will be a time to sort through the boxes and burn some and prepare others for irradiation - what a bugger.  This is the first time in some 20 years that my bees have contracted it.  Looks like it will be a fresh clean start next spring!

[squidink]

sorry to hear mate. Do you know how they got it? Was it from second hand old hives?

Ben

[Anybrew]

I feel your pain OzeBee, I went through it earlier in the Year. I destroyed all my gear and started again. Sorry to hear it.



Cheers
Steve

[ThomasGR]

Hello there,
Although this is not the forum of my interest ( I live in Greece ) i noticed the title of the post in the first page. Have you ever tried the shaking method ? Do you kill all colonies found to have AFB ? How many frames bees cover in these beehives ?

http://postimg.org/gallery/59r4z82w/

This is a small colony that was shaked 2 days before photos taken to frames with only a part of foundation. The queen is laying. After a few days you can see the quality of the brood. Last year i "cured" 3 colonies from AFB that this year are productive. Of course killing the colony is 100% safe, but a shaked colony has fewer AFB spores compared to the rest of established colonies.

[Vance G]

I too shook OTC resistent AFB infected bees onto foundation.  I have seen no reoccurance this winter and am watching them closely.

[Anybrew]

For what I have bee told in Australia it is illegal for us to do the shake thing. We have to notify the Bee authorities (Department Of Primary Industry) and destroy infected hives. Gear has to be either irradiated or burnt.

Cheers
Steve

[ThomasGR]

During the shaking method many things can go wrong, if you are not careful. This law is for 99% safety, so maybe its better that way. I wanted only to notice that a method other that burning can work. Especially if those bees are the last ( very bad scenario ). By the way i believe shaking is a great way to cure most of the diseases. They build their disease free nest again rapidly. Those colonies doing great job, next year.

[prestonpaul]

Sorry to hear about that ozebee
Anybrew is correct, AFB is a notifiable disease in Australia and any colonies testing positive must be destroyed.
In Victoria wax dipping has now been recognized by the DPI as a method for treating wooden ware so it may pay to talk to your inspector regarding that and see if you can find someone locally willing to wax dip your boxes as I would imagine it would be cheaper than iradiation.

[ozebee]

Apart from the pain of packing and taking to the irradiation place, it is not too bad - $9.00 per box is certainly worth while rather than destroying all the boxes and frames. Packing it all up this weekend.

[Wonga]

Whereabouts in Sydney are you Ozebee? Cos I know there's been AFB at Emu Plains recently

[Sunnyboy2]

My sympathies to you ozebee.my prayers that spring hives safe and prosperous.

[ozebee]

Wonga - I am in the Lane Cove area!