Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => DOWN UNDER BEEKEEPING => Topic started by: ozebee on May 17, 2013, 04:08:02 am

Title: AFB found and confirmed!!
Post by: ozebee on May 17, 2013, 04:08:02 am
Looks like I'll be busy this weekend killing off 5 colonies ( what is left of them) after receiving confirmation from the lab that my suspected symptoms were in fact AFB. It will be a time to sort through the boxes and burn some and prepare others for irradiation - what a bugger.  This is the first time in some 20 years that my bees have contracted it.  Looks like it will be a fresh clean start next spring!
Title: Re: AFB found and confirmed!!
Post by: squidink on May 17, 2013, 04:36:58 am
sorry to hear mate. Do you know how they got it? Was it from second hand old hives?

Ben
Title: Re: AFB found and confirmed!!
Post by: Anybrew on May 17, 2013, 05:16:57 am
I feel your pain OzeBee, I went through it earlier in the Year. I destroyed all my gear and started again. Sorry to hear it.



Cheers
Steve
Title: Re: AFB found and confirmed!!
Post by: ThomasGR on May 17, 2013, 07:06:22 pm
Hello there,
Although this is not the forum of my interest ( I live in Greece ) i noticed the title of the post in the first page. Have you ever tried the shaking method ? Do you kill all colonies found to have AFB ? How many frames bees cover in these beehives ?

http://postimg.org/gallery/59r4z82w/ (http://postimg.org/gallery/59r4z82w/)

This is a small colony that was shaked 2 days before photos taken to frames with only a part of foundation. The queen is laying. After a few days you can see the quality of the brood. Last year i "cured" 3 colonies from AFB that this year are productive. Of course killing the colony is 100% safe, but a shaked colony has fewer AFB spores compared to the rest of established colonies.
Title: Re: AFB found and confirmed!!
Post by: Vance G on May 17, 2013, 10:15:22 pm
I too shook OTC resistent AFB infected bees onto foundation.  I have seen no reoccurance this winter and am watching them closely.
Title: Re: AFB found and confirmed!!
Post by: Anybrew on May 18, 2013, 12:25:54 am
For what I have bee told in Australia it is illegal for us to do the shake thing. We have to notify the Bee authorities (Department Of Primary Industry) and destroy infected hives. Gear has to be either irradiated or burnt.

Cheers
Steve
Title: Re: AFB found and confirmed!!
Post by: ThomasGR on May 18, 2013, 03:40:20 am
During the shaking method many things can go wrong, if you are not careful. This law is for 99% safety, so maybe its better that way. I wanted only to notice that a method other that burning can work. Especially if those bees are the last ( very bad scenario ). By the way i believe shaking is a great way to cure most of the diseases. They build their disease free nest again rapidly. Those colonies doing great job, next year.
Title: Re: AFB found and confirmed!!
Post by: prestonpaul on May 23, 2013, 08:10:35 pm
Sorry to hear about that ozebee
Anybrew is correct, AFB is a notifiable disease in Australia and any colonies testing positive must be destroyed.
In Victoria wax dipping has now been recognized by the DPI as a method for treating wooden ware so it may pay to talk to your inspector regarding that and see if you can find someone locally willing to wax dip your boxes as I would imagine it would be cheaper than iradiation.
Title: Re: AFB found and confirmed!!
Post by: ozebee on May 24, 2013, 01:52:05 am
Apart from the pain of packing and taking to the irradiation place, it is not too bad - $9.00 per box is certainly worth while rather than destroying all the boxes and frames. Packing it all up this weekend.
Title: Re: AFB found and confirmed!!
Post by: Wonga on May 24, 2013, 02:08:10 am

Whereabouts in Sydney are you Ozebee? Cos I know there's been AFB at Emu Plains recently
Title: Re: AFB found and confirmed!!
Post by: Sunnyboy2 on May 24, 2013, 02:47:51 am
My sympathies to you ozebee.my prayers that spring hives safe and prosperous.
Title: Re: AFB found and confirmed!!
Post by: ozebee on May 24, 2013, 03:00:25 am
Wonga - I am in the Lane Cove area!