Buying Used Hives/Equipment

[PALS]

Is there any way to tell if old hives/frames etc have AFB?  I have read on how to check for AFB in an active hive, but I don't have any hives yet. I may have a chance to buy some old boxes that have not been used for a while but don't want to get "stung".  

I went to a local beekeeping club meeting last night and one of the guys said he never buys used equip, however forum members here seem to be able to move hives/eqp between yards/states without infecting own hives.. probably due to experiance and knowing what to look for..

My impression is that there seems to be only one way to treat AFB in a hive and that is to burn it.. hives are not very usefull afterward though.... There was some discussion at the meeting that W.VA. has a mobile 'autoclave' that is used to sterilize entire hives and another person mentioned that someone used "HTH" (the stuff for swimming pools) to clean there hives with good results.

I live in Stafford Co. Va  and the club reported that AFB has been discovered in the Co. south of us.. which heightens my concern.

Any guidiance on what to look for, how to treat after discovered etc is appreciated.  

Thanks.

[Robo]

I don't think there is a sure fire way to determine if they have been infected.  You can examine the frames for signs of dead brood scale, etc.  
Ethylene Oxide (ETO) fumigation is another option for treating equipment as well,  if there is a facility near year.  Keep in mind,  that onces you have AFB,  you can easily spread it with hive tools etc. so all your equipment will need to be sterilized.

If you are just starting out,  I would not buy equipment with unkown history.  If you are buying from someone you trust, and they know that the equipment is OK then fine.  Otherwise stick with buying new.

[Anonymous]

Having never experienced AFB problems myself (knock on wood) I can only pass on what some of the beekeepers (some with more than 40 years experience) in my local club have told me.

Never buy from an unknown source unless you're planning on scorching the inside of the boxes and other wood items with a torch and burning all frames and comb. The same applies to extractors as they also can harbor disease and you must throughly sterilize them before use.

As long as you inspect your hives regularly and know what you're looking for, you can move your hives around between apiaries and farmers fields without overly risking the health of your bees. However, if you do discover disease in an out apiary you should treat them and have them inspected by somone (state bee inspector) before transferring them to another out apiary or your home apiary

[PALS]

Appreciate the input..  I'll check with the guy who has custody of the equipment and try to get in touch with the original owner... personal problems forced him to abandon the hives..

PD