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Thread: Chalkbrood can we be rid of it

  1. #11
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    My own practical experience suggests it is fairly easy to breed susceptibility to chalk brood out of a population, just dont breed from queens whos colonies show any chalk, I don't see much now and if I do I mark them for requeening, simples.

  2. #12
    Senior Member busybeephilip's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mbc View Post
    Ive always taken the view that the spores are endemic and so there's little point in sterilisation, the bees do a good job of cleaning it up themselves if they aren't prone to it.
    I agree with this and have used chalk comb with no detriment to the colony

  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jon View Post
    Not 100% sure about EFB and it's not effective against AFB spores.
    As EFB is non sporulating I would imagine that acetic acid fumes would kill this bacteria

  4. #14
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    Hmm...... just to throw in another spanner, in ages past formalin was recommended for treating comb, you used to be able to buy formalin devices for fumigation greenhouses - nasty stuff, it fixes everything
    (not recommended)

  5. #15
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    Acetic acid is getting hard to get now and expensive - It is being used as a drug precursor by the bad boys and only a matter of time before the concentrations we need to use it at (80%) will be banned. Many chemists will not dispense it now and you may be reported to authorities if a chemist/pharmacist thinks it is to be used illegally. Even if a Pharmacist is happy you might only be allowed a 100 mls or so.

    Better to use fresh foundation/comb and recycle the old comb

  6. #16

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    I thought the action of acetic acid on the nosema was to fox the spores into thinking they were in a honeybee gut
    They fire out the harpoon thing and thats their lot They are now deactivated/harmless

    Technically I suppose one of the other acids like formic would do the same job (although a trip to A&E might follow )

    Chalkbrood is a different kettle of fish because I am not sure what acetic acid would do to kill or deactivate those spores

    I'm more of a slash and burn type myself Although it means a loss of brood and safest in the first half of the season when new wax is easily drawn

    I would like to be able to sterilise combs

    Wonder if this stuff would work (clipped from link in first post)

    5.6
    Peracetic Acid and Hydrogen Peroxide
    Two chemical sterilants are available that contain peracetic acid plus hydrogen peroxide
    (0.08 peracetic acid plus 1.0% hydrogen peroxide [no longer marketed],
    0.23% peracetic acid plus 7.35% hydrogen peroxide).
    The bactericidal properties of peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide have been established.
    Manufacturer’s findings demonstrated that his product inactivated all microorganisms with the exception of bacterial spores within 20 minutes.
    The combination of peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide has been used for disinfecting hemodialyzers (whatever they are? )

  7. #17

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    with the potential a spin off that all the bees using the comb afterward would be blondes

  8. #18
    Senior Member busybeephilip's Avatar
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    [QUOTE=The Drone Ranger;31059
    The bactericidal properties of peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide have been established.
    Manufacturer’s findings demonstrated that his product inactivated all microorganisms with the exception of bacterial spores within 20 minutes.
    The combination of peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide has been used for disinfecting hemodialyzers (whatever they are? )[/QUOTE]


    "Domestos kills 99% of all germs" - I think thats how the quote goes, Virkon S might be stronger but I think that all this would be overkill (pun) ,

    Easier to burn/melt/recycle - heating will kill any chalk/nosema spores and black comb makes good firelighters

  9. #19

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    I think it was the year before last might have been further back
    I had a hive with bad CB so I tried Mycostop -- waste of time
    I requeened still there
    I put the broodbox over a queen excluder and had any mummies fall though onto a solid floor onto a layer of hive clean
    I gave them a top entrance to keep them off the contaminated floor -- still the same

    So shook them into a sleeved down hive with foundation and burned the old combs and brood
    That worked but nothing else seemed to
    So I'm with you on the burn them front

  10. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by The Drone Ranger View Post
    [There is also ancient reports that the chalkbrood fungus produces something that inhibits AFB sporulation.]
    Somebody mentioned this I think it was Emma in another thread
    The rumour I'd heard was about EFB. Alas, as discussed before, probably just a rumour.

    What I have been noticing myself this year is that more chalkbrood has coincided with fewer varroa mites. After two years with a low varroa load, I'd seen a bigger mitefall after oxalic trickle this winter, and it didn't tail off quite as cleanly as it usually does, so I was expecting numbers to build up this season. Instead - going mostly by natural mite drop, but also by a couple of bits of early-season drone culling - I've seen very few. I'd usually expect quite a dump of mites on the varroa boards after artificial swarms, as the old nests become broodless, but there have been very very few.

    Has anyone else noticed this?

    I'd still rather do without the chalkbrood, but it's interesting, if it is a genuine effect.

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