Is it ok to use a used box /frames from a friend if they say there was no disease? How long would the box/frames need to sit before they would be safe to use if you didn’t know the specifics?( e.g. Would they be safer after wintering in a barn, and freezing?)
Hi Marcos, NO. Apparently AFB remains viable for around 40 years. I treat anything that’s second hand as if it has disease. I scrape everything down & scorch it thoroughly. It doesn’t take long to do, it works & gives piece of mind.
I wouldn’t put a swarm in a freshly scorched box, I’d use it as a honey super for a while first. Alternatively I’d transfer an established colony into it.
Your state bee inspector should check them before they are sold.
Whenever you purchase a nuc you are also buying used equipment. How do we know if the package we purchased didn’t come from an AFB hive since AFB is a brood disease and there is no brood? Are they carrying spores on their feet?
A fresh disease free colony could start foraging & on the first day find a hive that has drastically weakened out because of AFB, rob the honey & in doing so, take the disease back to the hive. It’s that easy.
The trouble is: a new beekeeper doesn’t recognize the early symptoms, then SHB takes over the hive. Then the new beekeeper blames all of his/her problems on SHB.
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Alright so AFB can happen to anyone, even apart from the equipment, but if I scrape and scorch everything, is that a pretty good way to be as safe as possible?