Rick, I am with you on this. Never in a million years would I use an extractor from someone that had remenants of their honey in it. I won't borrow another person's extractor again either or lend mine out. Period. I may be called stingy, whatever, but when I get an extractor, I won't be lending it out. Period. Done. I am the most generous person you would ever meet, but when it comes to the possibility of any transferrance of disease to my colonies from someone else's, nope, not going there. I will make this clear as clear can be to anyone that I know of that may want to borrow my extractor.
I think the only way to ensure that there are no AFB spores in a communal extractor would firstly be to ascertain if the person lending the extractor to had zero disease issues (that is a given), or burn the inside of the extractor, and I doubt that is a good thing either.
So, I guess this brings a question to the forefront. How do people "steralize" their extractors, if they lend them out for communal uses? This is a grave curiosity to me and needs and answer. Have a beautiful and greatest of this day, yes, great health wishes, too. Cindi