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Author Topic: Sharing Bee Equipment...Chance of disease transfer???  (Read 1577 times)

Moots

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Sharing Bee Equipment...Chance of disease transfer???
« on: June 06, 2013, 12:01:58 pm »
I've read plenty about the warnings and dangers of using used bee equipment because of the possible transfer of AFB and other diseases.

Naturally, I know this applies to boxes, frames, hive tools, etc. etc.

However, the other night at our LBC meeting they were talking about how the club owns a couple of stainless steel extractors and they are available for club members to sign out, use, rinse and return. This got me wondering...Is their any possibility of disease transfer via sharing an extractor?

Offline iddee

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Re: Sharing Bee Equipment...Chance of disease transfer???
« Reply #1 on: June 06, 2013, 12:21:59 pm »
Ask the 84 y/o lady in Florida the difference in possible and likely.

It is possible, but not likely.

She probably had better odds of it happening.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

*Shel Silverstein*

Moots

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Re: Sharing Bee Equipment...Chance of disease transfer???
« Reply #2 on: June 06, 2013, 12:56:26 pm »
Ask the 84 y/o lady in Florida the difference in possible and likely.

It is possible, but not likely.

She probably had better odds of it happening.

iddee,
I get your point  :), "any possibility" is a bit of a dangerous and loaded statement on my part.  My question probably should have been....Is there any reasonable reason to avoid sharing an extractor because of fear of disease transfer?

And while technically in may be "possible", I'm taking it your answer is it's nothing to worry about!

Thanks!

Offline WarPonyFarms

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Re: Sharing Bee Equipment...Chance of disease transfer???
« Reply #3 on: June 06, 2013, 01:14:51 pm »
No worries if the machine is clean. 

It should be cleaned between users, usually by the last person to use it, but certainly before you put your equipment in for extraction.

It's a very cost effective way for a hobby beek to get his honey without buying all the equipment or crushing all his comb.

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Sharing Bee Equipment...Chance of disease transfer???
« Reply #4 on: June 06, 2013, 01:17:44 pm »
Moots,
It might be a problem (very little) if you were going to feed the honey you extract back to the bees. Then if there was a little bit of honey left over from a previous AFB infected hive, you could have a problem. More than likely you will not, there fore no.
Just make sure you wash it out with water real well and dry it, so you don't add water to your honey and you will be fine.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline iddee

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Re: Sharing Bee Equipment...Chance of disease transfer???
« Reply #5 on: June 06, 2013, 01:29:13 pm »
Everything my honey touches, extractor, buckets, strainers, jars and lids, EVERYTHING, gets washed with clorox and let dry before using. I would be more afraid of a borrowed extractor or other tool containing human disease than bee disease.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

*Shel Silverstein*

Offline Better.to.Bee.than.not

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Re: Sharing Bee Equipment...Chance of disease transfer???
« Reply #6 on: June 07, 2013, 12:06:20 am »
if you borrow equipment wash it out with bleach or iodophor, and you'll be fine. don't depend on the last guy cleaning it properly, and it is a simple enough thing to do. do you need to? no probably not, but there is no reason not to imo.

 

anything