Unfortunately your answer is why I recommended a New Zealand resource to local beekeepers at www.nzbees.net Following international based methods could leave an inexperienced hobbyist open to prosecution.
To inspect hives for disease, a beekeeper will undergo training and agree a disease workplan that forms part of an agreement called a Disease Elimination Conformity Agreement (DECA) which is issued by Assure Quality. A DECA holder has to inspect hives for disease at least twice a year. I spoke to one of the Approved Person (AP1) that covers our region for Assure Quality last week about whether there are any known DECA signed off to allow alternatives to burning for plastic equipment. His answer was that he knows of none in circulation currently. This means that it is a legal requirement to burn hives with AFB in New Zealand and sterilisation of plastic hive ware is not an accepted legal practice. NZ actively prosecutes beekeepers for breach of DECA agreements and routinely cancels DECA for those that breach the requirements. In the last 3 years I’ve had 2 national disease screens of my hives by Assure Quality AP2 inspectors, due to my relatively close location to a major port.