# Comb storage and moths/beetles. And, AFB gas chambers and Gamma locaitons



## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

With an airtight room Phostoxin will kill all stages of moth including eggs. If you can't obtain that, burning sulphur will kill larva and adults. Methyl Bromide ( BromoGas ) is also registered for moth but I have never used it. Cyanide is effective if available.


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## fish_stix (May 17, 2009)

Don't look to FL! We burn AFB hives.


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## Skinner Apiaries (Sep 1, 2009)

fish_stix said:


> Don't look to FL! We burn AFB hives.


lol maybe so, but I know of alot of AFB in florida, and alot of nothing getting burned. Mines under control here, enough quarantine, shaking, tylan, and gasing can solve anything


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## wglord (Nov 23, 2009)

Skinner;

I am curious too. I have some nice plastic division board feeders that were exposed that I want to sterilize. Be super careful with Phostoxin and cyanide - they can take YOU out too pretty quickly and you will need a commercial presticide license to buy anything like them. How about heat? Does anyone know if elevated heat can kill spores?


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## rainesridgefarm (Sep 4, 2001)

What about gasing with formic acid? I think it will kill all but afb. I to would like to see a commercial application for honey supers so I can get rid of beetles if we have them in the honey supers before extacting. Does gamma kill them also?


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## rainesridgefarm (Sep 4, 2001)

http://www.isomedix.com/Gamma/Locations.html

here are the locations for gamma.


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## fish_stix (May 17, 2009)

I'm real curious about the AFB you know about in FL. Haven't seen a case of it in about 10-12 years and don't want to. State requirements are to burn them immediately, if not sooner, and I have no problem with that. Mine would get burned that very night they were discovered. Don't hear much about AFB on the forums either and I'm hoping the kill and burn routine has brought it to the rare disease point.


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

I believe AFB spores can tolerate 180 deg F for a 15-30 minutes which is more than the wax can.

Crazy Roland


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## Skinner Apiaries (Sep 1, 2009)

Great link. Exactly what I needed. 

Well fish, I'd tell you that Florida is a tough place to avoid AFB, but I suspect those holding yards in California are worse. Ive burned a couple, but I prefer to isolate them in one yard, bleach the empty pallet spot, and make the decision at isolation to shake or treat. They all get AB in syrup at some point or another.

Roland, you're on the money.

Anybody recall that ABJ article about cleaning comb? Specifically what month and page?


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## Skinner Apiaries (Sep 1, 2009)

I believe Florida just inspects and burns live hives technically. But luckily Spartanburg is much closer than that!
On that note, good link above, they do EO and Gamma. AND,


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## JohnK and Sheri (Nov 28, 2004)

fish_stix said:


> Don't look to FL! We burn AFB hives.


It is my understanding that treatment options can be pursued......I would assume the degree of infection would be a consideration.

From the FL statutes:
http://law.onecle.com/florida/agriculture-horticulture-and-animal-industry/586.13.html 

586.13 Removal, destruction, or treatment of infested or infected honeybees or beekeeping equipment.

(1) If the department finds any honeybees, honeybee products, or used beekeeping equipment or other articles infested or infected with honeybee pests or an unwanted race of honeybees, notification shall be given in writing to the owner or person having charge of the apiary to that effect. The owner or person in charge shall, under the supervision of the department and within 48 hours after notice, cause the infested and infected honeybees, honeybee products, or beekeeping equipment or other article to be removed from this state or destroyed if the problem cannot be successfully treated, as determined by the department. If successful treatment is possible, the owner or person in charge shall, under the supervision of the department, follow the treatment as prescribed in the notice of the department.


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## MCI (Mar 11, 2011)

JohnK and Sheri said:


> It is my understanding that treatment options can be pursued......


This is from the Division of Plant Industry website. http://www.freshfromflorida.com/pi/plantinsp/apiary/ap-fees.html If you follow this treatment regimen you are in the clear. 

"•All hives found infested with American Foulbrood disease shall be destroyed by burning. Other hives in the bee yard shall be quarantined for a minimum of 30 days."

It is my understanding all other you can be given a chance to remedy.


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## fish_stix (May 17, 2009)

JohnK and Sheri; the following summary from the FL Division of Plant Industry should clear up your misunderstanding of FL law. www.freshfromflorida.com/pi/plantinsp/apiary/ap-fees.html
Scroll down to the paragraph Quarantine and Destruction or Treatment of Infested Hives. As you can see there is no treatment option, only burning of AFB hives.


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## JohnK and Sheri (Nov 28, 2004)

Thanks MCI and fish stix for clearing that up. 
Sheri


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## jean-marc (Jan 13, 2005)

I just purchased a 53 foot shipping container. It's a refrigerated unit so... any wax moth issues can be resolved here. 3 days in the cold and it will kill eggs larvae and adults. Not sure about the eggs. I think it would do a number on SH as well. Keep in mind less than 50% relative humidity and SHB eggs do not hatch.

AFB is regular usage of Tylosin. Then we just don't see it, AFB that is.

Jean-MArc


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## Skinner Apiaries (Sep 1, 2009)

jeanmarc, I need a like button


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## jean-marc (Jan 13, 2005)

Yes and all I need to do is push a button and it fires up on its own. Push a second button to set the temperature. Make sure to feed it plenty of diesel and it's all good except for the waxmoths...

Jean-Marc


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## Heavenly bees (Mar 27, 2011)

Hossein Yeganehrad from Caspian Apiaries eliminates afb from his colonies with his method

```
http://www.caspianapiaries.com/info/AFBpres.pdf
```


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## Skinner Apiaries (Sep 1, 2009)

Heavenly bees said:


> Hossein Yeganehrad from Caspian Apiaries eliminates afb from his colonies with his method
> 
> ```
> http://www.caspianapiaries.com/info/AFBpres.pdf
> ```


yea, it's just another infomercial for his product. Ironically I can put "a tiny amount of antibiotics" in my syrup as easily as he does in his solution. He does make some interesting claims about splits tho... He's probably never seen beetles...


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## Beeslave (Feb 6, 2009)

Tylan for treating the infected hives and rotating the outer frames to the middle of the hive body as the season progresses so they all get a good cleaning from the bees. Heavy scale infected frames should be burned. I had a out break 2 summers ago. Never isolated the infected hives......treated as stated above. Tylan again on all hives that fall. Now terramycin in spring and Tylan after the crop is pulled for the year. All hives that were infected were marked so they could be monitored very closely for future infection. Almost 2 full yrs later and not 1 single cell with scale seen in those(or any other) hives


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## Skinner Apiaries (Sep 1, 2009)

Bravo


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## Bob Nelson (Feb 10, 2005)

Skinner Apiaries said:


> Anybody recall that ABJ article about cleaning comb? Specifically what month and page?


May 2010 (pp. 505-506) and 2011 (pp. 508-509) both have abstracts of research articles presented at winter meetings regarding this. Nosema was the target pest in these studies. 

The 2010 article does not cite any specific data but of irradiation, fumigation with acetic acid and heat the irradiation seemed to be the most effective. Levels were followed throughout the production season in this study.

The 2011 article studied formic acid, methyl bromide and phostoxin with phostoxin being the most effective. This study looked at 12 and 38 day levels. At 38 days the control had spores increased by 1404.7% and phostoxin treatment spore counts were reduced by 93.6%.

This was compelling enough for me to fumigate all winter loss equipment with phosphene this year. Disclaimer: I have commercial pesticide applicator certification and have endorsement to fumigate bee combs per label for wax moth control. I started using it 4 years ago for wax moth and also find it works good against SHB.


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## Ted Kretschmann (Feb 2, 2011)

Skinner, down here in Alabama, we store extracting comb, 36 mediums to a pallet shrinkwrapped, in a pole barn with plenty of air circulating around the thousands of boxes of comb. Sunlight is shining in also. Guess what NO moths or damage. We start to store the supers as the crop winds down at the end of July. They stay in storage to the following April. The winter cold also helps keep out pesky critters along with a cat to keep out any mice. TED


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## Skinner Apiaries (Sep 1, 2009)

Ted Kretschmann said:


> along with a cat to keep out any mice. TED


 Cat for the win.


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## Skinner Apiaries (Sep 1, 2009)

Bob, thats really useful. Thanks for paraphrasing the info, We'll hit em with phos this winter


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