Flow Hive in Canberra with confirmed AFB

Well the document is longish and complicated but it seems sodium hypochlorite is one thing that can be used if the disease is not at an advanced stage, but it also looks like that treatment might not be so good for some plastics. If the disease is advanced, burning and burying under soil looks mandatory. Back yard beekeepers would possibly have to take the hive somewhere to burn it as you can’t burn off in your back yard here- especially plastic. I knew something about American Foul Brood before I got the flow hive but I must admit I had thought that there might have been an irradiation service here when I first read about irradiation in the flow pamphlet. Anyhow, I think it was Mark Twain who said, “I’ve been through a lot of terrible things in my life, and some of them have actually happened”.

@Dan2 did you check with ANSTO? http://www.ansto.gov.au/NuclearFacts/BenefitsofNuclearScience/IrradiationServices/

They are in your neck of the woods (relatively speaking…I’m in Perth ;)) so might be able to offer advice.

Edit: perhaps @Dan2 was just commenting…Tasmania isn’t Canberra. Oops…

Hi Alan, thanks for this. Yes, Tasmania is a special place in many ways. I’ve had a quick look at the ANSTO website but can’t see that they have facilities in Tasmania where they treat bee hives, but I guess in the event that I ever got AFB I would investigate further. I think anyone in Tasmania would have to follow the advice of the DPIPWE if they did find AFB (a notifiable disease here) - and from what I can see from their online document we can’t irradiate here at present. I haven’t phoned them to check however if that document is still current, but one would think they would remove it from the internet promptly if it wasn’t.

I believe in Western Canada we also have a burn only policy.

awhile ago now but check out this page

would be great if we had one for every state or even Australia wide

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Hi @RBK, we have just received a notification that AFB has been found in our area. I will inspect the hive as soon as this rain stops, but am wondering if you know anyone in the Newcastle area that can inspect the hive to help me identify it. I have received some information about testing it, but wouldn’t even know where to get the ‘slide’ to do the swab. I’m happy to pay for someone’s time to help me responsibly identify and if necessary resolve any issues we may have. Any advice you have would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Hi Salford, you should be able to get slides from your local beekeeping club, the NSW DPI have sent them out for hobbyists. If not, take a sample of your honey in a small jar or container and send in to the DPI. The address is in the link below:
https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/animals-and-livestock/bees/afb-awareness-month

Hi @salford, @RBK appears to have left the forum. The best advice would be for you to find a local mentor.

In the meantime familiarize yourself with what it looks like via images on the internet. It looks the same in reality.