# drugs for AFB



## WineMan (May 16, 2003)

Just make sure you can recognize an outbreak of it and are prepared to contain and handle it. It doesnt take long for afb to get a foothold and before you know it, it'll take out every colony you have. And you are sitting in a prime location for afb outbreaks.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I don't use any drugs for AFB and have not for 28 years. I've never had an outbreak, but if I did, state law in Nebraska says I have to treat with TM or burn the hive.


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## WineMan (May 16, 2003)

Just one comment....Swarm will be surrounded by thousands of colonies within two months and afb is extremely common and sometimes terra resistant here. you wont keep bees here without running into afb.


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## dickm (May 19, 2002)

I don't use Terra. In CT here we have to burn an infected hive. (See the thread "AFB and feelings.")I agree, learn how to recognize it and cull quickly. There are ways to "shake down" the bees by putting them onto a new comb after isolating them for a few days while they use up what honey is in their gut. Since they then have to start from scratch and may still carry the infection, it may not be worth it. 

Dickm


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## swarm_trapper (Jun 19, 2003)

do you think that i could not use drugs if the hives were in small cell?


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## Curry (Sep 22, 2003)

Keeping your brood comb fresh (less than 5 years old) will keep AFB spores from building up enough to start an outbreak. This is how europeans prevent foulbrood, and they've been successful without using any chemicals (which is illegal in many countries there). It is newborn bees that create an outbreak of foulbrood, so don't worry about your supers. It's true that brood comb can go many many years and not cause an outbreak, I'm just saying that keeping it fresh will for sure PREVENT an outbreak.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

>>do you think that i could not use drugs if the hives were in small cell?


Small cell doesnt prevent bacterial infections. What makes you think smallcell will pervent AFB invasion? It apperently helps agains t the v-mite,..

Ian


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

The only "evidence" I know of that small cell is effective against AFB is that Dee Lusby got hit with a lot of AFB when the T-mites and V-mites hit before she started regressing, did not treat it but regressed and got it to go away. It's hard to say if that was from the genetic shift to the bees that survived it or the small cell, but she seems to believe it's both.


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## WineMan (May 16, 2003)

From reading some of bwranglers thoughts about small cell, it seemed like small cell may be considered as promoting a hygenic response from bees that dont necessarily have that trait on other sized cells at least in response to varroa. I have no idea whether that has anything to do with AFB or not.

What is documented about bees and AFB is that hygenic behavior in the form of cleaning cells or completely stripping wax/cells to the midrib and rebuilding is associated with resistance. It can be readily observed under controlled conditions but its often debated at what level those traits are required to hold off a wide spread outbreak in a hive under field conditions.


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