How to Identify AFB (American Foulbrood) - The Bush Bee Man

[@TheBushBeeMan]

Legally you have to report AFB in South Australia and then once confirmed the hives need to be destroyed. We're sorry if this episode is a little upsetting but it's an important topic.

[@slavkei]

I'm sorry you had to put some of your girls down. Believe me, us Yanks would rather be without AFB too!

[@clergyurge]

AFB was first differentiated in the USA from common foulbrood. A very unfortunate nomenclature indeed, many think that AFB began here, but the origin can’t be determined and it is worldwide. Great condolences for the loss of your wonderful girls, it is a crying shame for sure.

[@justwinks1553]

The Bush Bee Man hugs and my condolences. It is hearbreaking. Nature makes us do necessary and sad things. This was better for your other hives. At least that is what I keep saying. *tears*

[@hazelhazelton1346]

@@clergyurge In Norwegian, they're named "open" and "closed" foulbrood. :)

[@piggydust8752]

The Bush Bee Man I’m sorry for your loss 😔 but you live in SA I just moved there for a sheep feed lot

[@eezybeez5705]

Having also had a case of AFB myself lately I know that it is not much of a fun job. If more beekeepers speak openly about then such openess will become normal. Nice job.

[@BDORR93]

I cried a bit with you Mark. As a beekeeper, I know how much work goes into maintaining bees and preventing disease inside the colony. I'm sorry you had to do it, but I appreciate your transparency and taking care of it properly.

[@lizarddrinking1449]

Did I hear correctly that someone went through your hives without you knowing and that is how you eventually found the AFB? Thank you for showing this … I'm checking my hives today just in case. Keeping any animal requires you to take the hard decisions with the good. Thank you for your continued entertainment and information. On a side... your videos helped my mother and I through a very difficult time. My dad had a bleed on the brain and I showed my very proper mother these videos in hospital whilst we were waiting for Dad to get out of surgery. She laughed and laughed at your swearing... thank you. Dad is fully recovered.

[@hazelhazelton1346]

If it is any consolation, there is reason to think that measures like this work. In Norway, we had- like everybody else- a number of cases of AFB every year until we went full Nazi on it. We started sanitizing all hives that had the disease. A few years later, we started sanitizing every bee yard that had the disease. Now it's been more than a decade since we had an outbreak. It's miserable while it's going on, but it looks like we got healthier bees for it.

[@pix5]

Fire and irradiation is really the only way to kill the spores. If you're worried about the hive tool then it might be worthwhile dangling it through the fire briefly, though it'll ruin the paint

[@eezybeez5705]

you can kill afb on tools by putting them in the oven at 100degreesC for 30 minutes

[@CoachLexie]

Really sad Mark, glad you showed the 'shitty' side of the business though and hope you got it all in the one go! No matter how hard, it's important for all the rest of Australia's bee ladies to do the right thing - and good messages to those with one hive etc in the cities near all the points of entry into our country - they can be our 'canaries' so to speak cheers and hugs :)

[@roycarter6235]

Someone sold me four hives with AFB. It spread through my other hives like wildfire. I had to destroy the lot. I stopped beekeeping for over 4 years. I'm back now much wiser.

[@jotttn]

That’s an horrific story. Glad you’re back beekeeping again 👍

[@fuckoff299]

hey mate i feel for you. I just wanted to point out the correct methods for disposal of a hive infected with AFB. The bees should be locked up at night so you have all the bees you can in the box. Then on the same night apply the cup of petrol and close lid. Now you have time to decide whether to burn or irradiate. boxes (as you have done) should be burned in a pit to contain honey and wax, then buried at least 30cm under the earth. With regards to tools and equipment, the only sure way is irradiation, for steel hive tools you can place them in a 200c oven for 30mins to sterilize. All the best mate

[@gangewifre]

I'm SO sorry. As an aspiring beekeeper, I really appreciate you showing us the nitty-gritty.

[@johnpaynter4509]

Thanks for an open and clear episode. Having had this problem myself I understand the feeling. The more we talk about this problem the better chance we have to get it under control. Keep up the good work.

[@-Jesse.C]

Sorry for the loss you had mate.

[@Saratonnin]

This is a super sad video today. So sorry to hear that you got afb. Here's to hoping summer is good for you guys and you get some great honey this season.

[@loislangley2975]

What an informative video. My heart is with you. Thank you for your honest and caring for your bees and ours. Wishing you a quick recovery.

[@LordInter]

such a wonderful lovely man, even when you're sad you're still cracking jokes and being funny, still trying to keep your spirits up, im sure he is but if your son takes after you i bet he's very proud! :)

[@susanmarsh2856]

Thank you for being open and honest and sharing when your heart must have been hurting knowing the repercussions that could be ahead. Farmers live lives of ups and downs, feasts and famines, reliant on Mother Nature. Sending our best wishes for a speedy recovery and a great 2019.

[@JoanneLorriman]

Sorry that you guys had to go through this. At least you caught it at a stage where you didn't lose everything.

[@joachimbramson1991]

is this the bob ross of bees?

[@mimib3396]

No, that would be Frederick Dunn from Pennsylvania. Check him out.

[@jdawgz3971]

im not sure how this came up on my recommended feed, but i have to say, this is the most Straya'n video i have ever seen haha! good on ya mate!

[@reapermansoldholdensixmech8675]

I had a quiet teary seeing you having to do this mate.

[@shohoku10]

Sorry for the loss, thank you for the educational video

[@priyacharichakravarti6868]

A very important episode about confronting every beekeeper’s worst day. Really felt your torment. 😭😭😭

[@SuperBuickregal]

Could you do a pro and con in regard to the Paradise polystyrene hives? Thanks Tom

[@Baker-tx7yg]

"Bless you Americans" HAHAHA !!! LOL !! You cracked me up with that bit of sarcastic humor !! Lots of Love from Texas !! Keep it up. I love your channel !!

[@TammieYoMammie]

Oh, my heart goes out to you! So sad and so hard! But thank you so much for sharing your experience for all of us to learn from. Sometimes life just sucks! Thanks for the lesson! I've subscribed!

[@rabijassi2421]

You’ve got a wild colony there with AFB , you could take a nuc without a Queen and try to breed up your own queen from that area, it will be more resistant to afb

[@rivuletflyfishing905]

Sad to see mate, hope you stopped it there. How'd your poly hive cope with the petrol? Melted one of mine

[@Guysm1l3y]

That sucks and doubly so because it's clear how much you care about your bees. But the rule about it is because people naturally don't want to take the necessary step. You saying "it's only a few cells" is like saying "it's only a little bit of cancer". That's a dangerous line of thinking and it's why the rules are so harsh. Still a massive bummer though.

[@TheBushBeeMan]

We totally agree and hence the action we have been taking. The only way to get on top of it is to be proactive and destroy the hives even if it's only early stages.

[@hotaru8309]

It's actually kind of a beautiful thing that the mind does. Even knowing the truth with a few hard pieces of evidence, you just keep seeing the good parts. I spent a lot of time in the ward of a childrens hospital and you see a lot of it. There's a lot of kids that know the truth and keep on going with that fact. I had a friend that had a bad blood infection that they just couldnt get rid of. We went back to her room to play. Mother's talked in the background. You caught a bit of it, through words and faces. She has a nasty little bugger that they cant seem to get rid of. She's having a good time. She has a bad infection Yeah but she's smiling She's gone through 5 rounds of different antibiotics Yeah but she's playing. They're not sure if there's anything else they can do if this doesn't work Yeah but her color doesn't seem that bad. Yeah but... there's a lot of trying to rationalize it. Honestly all that good in the face of such situations and sometimes hard lines, even if you knew the outcome, I welcome it. It's a wonderful thing to want better, even when you've accepted how it will end. Even when you know better. I love that part of humans.

[@Tucher97]

foulbrood could be a possibility be a mixture of various other strands of foulbrood from other parts of hte world and humans getting the idea of making genetically modified super bees sort of well a shot in the foot

[@mia-beee]

This is so sad, I’m sorry you have to do this. Such a painful task to undertake

[@baggysmalls]

Sorry you had to do this, I can see how passionate you are about the ladies, hope you've contained it mate

[@hellraiser666666]

Very interesting. Love the content, keep it up!

[@jordanbovee386]

This is terribly sad im sorry for your loss mate. I hope its eradicated at your farm keep updating!

[@privatebubba8876]

Just to give you an idea of the cost to irradiate here in the USA (Pennsylvania) it costs about $177.78/pallet 2018 pricing (full or partial) based on a full capacity equipment run of 7 or more pallets (standard pallet is 40″x48″) 1 pallet can accommodate 42 deeps @ $4.10 per box and 6 mediums on top all with frames and comb @ $3.70 per box or 66 mediums on a pallet for $2.70 per box. So it seems that the hobby beekeeper really isn't given the choice to irradiate for just a few hives.

[@Med1na2012]

What about virkon s? I used to use it for my pigeons a while back? It’s pretty powerful stuff?

[@tomcrynock37]

It’s unfortunate you have to contend with this aspect of beekeeping. At least you caught it early enough to hopefully stop it. Thank you for all you do. Showing the good and bad.

[@ualuuanie]

Can't he use disinfectant to wash the boxes and frames instead of burning them? I mean like soak them in a bath for sometime and let it dry?

[@baazigaj9125]

can it be salvage with wax dipping?

[@jacqulineirons1601]

Commiserations guys, as said the other night I have disposed of 5 hives recently. It's interesting what different countries and even states (here in Aus) allow for treatment of infected material. As for euthanising the colony I tried a few option, pumped propane gas into the hive which killed 98% quickly however remaining were extremely angry. Tried 2ltrs of dry ice which got 99%. Even had to do the soapy water tub way to reduce numbers on one hive as at night they would beard out the front all night. Don't try to put them to sleep in a deep freezer as it takes way too long even with the lid off. Didn't want to use petrol as it contaminates the honey, so from now on extract honey 1st and use petrol as it's the fastest way. Have also heard of people using superheated steam chambers and also immersing boxes in chlorine for some time to clean up gear.

[@keithpadbury9818]

Chlorine immersion doesn't work. The only recommended methods in Australia are irradiation, hot wax dipping (must be done for a set time and temperature) or disposal by burning.

[@corryrounsevell5548]

You realise also the honey is infected with spores making transmission possible..

[@jacqulineirons1601]

Tasmania allow the use of antibiotics, and to do a shook swarm. As well as using chlorine to sanitise hives, but then don't recommend scorching

[@jacqulineirons1601]

Corry Rounsevell , AFB contaminated honey is still able to be sold

[@corryrounsevell5548]

Aware of that but always a risk to extract and spread it around, something new beekeeper may not be aware of..

[@josephkrug8579]

Its not paranoia if they really are out to get you. Sorry to see it happen, but thanks for sharing the good and the bad.

[@michaelholcombe2552]

Very sad day for you Bush bee man! i feel for you, however right thing to do but always hurts to see it happen!

[@NolaSpiersMitchell-gu5iu]

I’m glad you did show us I was sick for you

[@DatTheDragon]

You can use just a fire pit I thing I’m not very experienced in bee keeping but I know how to burn stuff

[@judysummers4178]

Question. Where did it come from?

[@TrickyTrev01]

Although sad to see, it good to know what to do. Keep up your great work, thanks for sharing this vital information. Tricky Trev 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

[@thedr00]

Just curious, if you had plastic hives, could they be disinfected or would they also need to be destroyed?

[@hotaru8309]

They would still need to be destroyed.

[@gradyceruso7108]

Y do u have to burn the entire hive? Y not just the frames after u kill off the bees some how? I want to set up a hive in my yard and a lil nervous don't want to hurt them or have them relocate.

[@GreenAppelPie]

What you wanna call an eye dropper is called a pipette.

[@001lostagain]

But what was in the Camp oven??? I have to know. lol

[@shegocrazy]

Sad day. Did you notice a smell from the hive?

[@MistyMoorsHomestead]

Some days are good and some are shit. Hopefully tomorrow will be good. Sorry you had a shit one today.

[@ldawn7019]

*hugs*

[@justinmills8084]

Thanks for sharing your bad days to show all is not Rose's in beekeeping.

[@franciscohernandez9369]

*Military Taps Plays In The Background*

[@backyardbeekeepingmelbourn8861]

Breaks my heart killing them but as you said it’s to protect the rest of the healthy ones.. feel for you mate….

[@plains12]

cant you dip your frames in hot wax?

[@justinmills8084]

Sad day for beekeepers when you get AFB.

[@wazza33racer]

The native American Indians have a saying "for something to live, something must die"...........its a reality that cant be avoided. Containing disease is for the best in the longer run.

[@NolaSpiersMitchell-gu5iu]

Omg sorry about that hope you can contain them

[@jeremiahyeo5863]

I’m sad with you mate. Thanks for doing the right thing. The right thing doesn’t always feel so great, does it?

[@Drunken.Lyrics]

Sorry for your loss mr beeman. Thank you for looking after our biodiversity!!

[@dd1394]

Sorry this happened to you, thank you for doing the honourable thing. ❤️

[@kathyhathaway8823]

Well when you have to do it you have to do it but it is still a kick in the teeth 😢😢😢

[@LordBaldie]

I wonder how the powers that be can order you to burn polystyrene?

[@corryrounsevell5548]

Its done at night

[@privatebubba8876]

Yes, they can.

[@TheBushBeeMan]

we didn't burn the polystyrene there going to get sent for other treatment

[@privatebubba8876]

@@TheBushBeeMan What's the cost for Gamma treatment in Australia?

[@shovelrickshovelhead8713]

I’m felling for ya , fucking lost for words I am right now

[@aliceholbert1246]

❤❤❤

[@RetentiveCloud]

I really hope this is the last time you gotta do this. That really sucks.

[@simondent2196]

The mites Did come in.

[@TotallyAGoblin]

Sorry about your bees =(

[@helenjanelowden8572]

Crap but you have to do it feel for you . Luv the videos keep them coming 😀

[@celtgunn9775]

Mark, I'm so sorry about your ladies having to be flamed! 😪 AFB is no joke. At all! Hopefully you'll be able to recover from this, losing the hives & bees is not cheap at all. Do you use essential oils for your bees, to help with their immune systems? You really should! ~Blessings to you 🕊

[@doop00]

That sucks must feel sad having to do this.

[@KnollNomad]

Sorry

[@jasonpatterson8091]

Sorry, this sucks. Thank you for showing the process though; fun videos are great, but ugly videos are probably more important in the long road.

[@rhondasavva2500]

Oh boys I’m crying with you or for you very very sad.

[@teh_major4106]

Sorry sight indeed.... my sympathies mate :(

[@MReynolds101]

Why couldn’t you just freeze them

[@hotaru8309]

When under stress, the disease causing organisms creates spores that can survive the freezer. They retreat behind very effective defenses. You have to break down the molecules they're made of, like how burning destroys dna.

[@shegocrazy]

Freezing doesn't kill the spores.

[@SuperBuickregal]

Big goverment AKA big brother when it comes to regulations.

[@privatebubba8876]

The is such an ignorant comment from someone who doesn't know the ramifications of not destroying the equipment and bees. You would rather see the whole population of honey bees to collapse?