Hive Equipment Irradiation for American Foulbrood (AFB)
Plan now to irradiate your American Foul Brood (AFB) infected or potentially infected equipment. The next processing date is Tuesday, October 27, 2009. Please contact Mark Antunes to confirm your spot 484-955-0768 or honeyhillfarm@verizon.net. See below for the details and costs to participate.
Mark Antunes and Brian Marcy are the coordinators of an emerging program that allows PA and regional beekeepers to sterilize their hive wooden ware and other contaminated equipment using gamma irradiation. The program goals are to provide a viable, sustainable and cost effective alternative to burning hive equipment to control AFB and to allow the safe use of contaminated or otherwise suspect supers, frames & honeycomb after treatment.
A: AFB is a bacterial contamination of the hive that destroys the brood. The spore-forming bacteria Paenibacillus larvae ssp. larvae are ingested by larvae under 3 days old through the ingestion of bacterial spores in their food. The bacterial spores germinate in the guts of the larvae and the vegetative form of the bacteria feed on the larvae, killing them. The vegetative bacteria also die, but not before releasing as many as 100 million spores per larvae. Bees cleaning the contaminated cells spread the spores throughout the hive, and contaminate brood food, thus spreading the bacteria quickly throughout the hive. As the hive weakens, the hive may be robbed by invading bees, thus spreading the contamination to other hives. Similarly, beekeepers can spread the disease through their tools or transfer of hive components to other hives, or through feeding bees contaminated honey. In the spore form, the bacteria can survive for more than 40 years in honey and beekeeping equipment. Although pharmaceuticals have been developed for AFB, there is controversy for their use, as some bacterial resistance has been observed. Other methods such as scorching the interior of the hive, dipping in bleach or parafin have also been tried, but rely heavily on adequate coverage and penetration of the affected surfaces. Therefore, prior to the advent of irradiation, the only sure control mechanism had been burning the hive and equipment.
A: Gamma irradiation is a physical means of decontamination – it kills bacteria by breaking down bacterial DNA, inhibiting bacterial division, using high-energy photons that are emitted from an isotope source (Cobalt 60). Energy (gamma rays) passes through hive equipment, disrupting the pathogens that cause contamination. These photon-induced changes at the molecular level cause the death of contaminating organisms or render such organisms incapable of reproduction. The gamma irradiation process does not create residuals or impart radioactivity in the processed hive equipment. The process has been used for years to sterilize imported leather goods, spices, wine corks, medical dressings and devices, pharmaceuticals, etc.
A: ALL hive components can be sterilized using gamma irradiation. Hive equipment is ready for immediate use after processing. The process is clean; no chemical residues are produced. Most importantly, gamma irradiation destroys, not just suppresses, the pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi) that may contribute to CCD and other biological threats that contaminate hive equipment. The process also eliminates the need to replace equipment or comb contaminated by American Foul Brood (AFB). There is also some evidence that gamma irradiation reduces levels of toxins (i.e., pesticides) present in honeycomb by modifying their chemical structures.
Gamma Irradiation is a Proven Strategy - Long-standing gamma irradiation programs for hive equipment have been operating in
Massachusetts,
California,
Florida,
Canada, and in
Australia. While in
Florida, Dave Hackenberg, one of
Pennsylvania’s largest commercial beekeepers, uses gamma irradiation to sterilize selected hive equipment. During Spring 2008,
Penn
State
University cooperated with MCBA in the successful processing of hive equipment that was known or thought to be contaminated with AFB, IAPV and other honey bee pathogens. Subsequent testing of the processed equipment proved it to be completely clear of all biological contaminants that could have threatened
our honey bees!
A: The commercial facility for gamma irradiation in our area is the Sterigenics Corporation, 75 Tilbury Road, Salem, NJ 08079. This location offers beekeepers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Delaware, the opportunity to clean their known and suspect contaminated equipment.
A: If you are interested in participating in our irradiation program, you will need to prepare your equipment as follows: • Select a regional staging site located away from known apiaries
• Thoroughly clean & repair all hive boxes
** DO NOT send equipment with ants, insects, mouse nests or other loose debris. It will be rejected from the load. **
• Extract honey or be prepared to bag supers individually
• Pack frames in their respective hive boxes
• Use standard 4-way pallets (40” X 48”)
• Pallets must be in good repair and free of stones, soil and debris.
Stacking & Wrapping Pallets
All collected equipment must be stacked onto pallets and wrapped in plastic before shipments to, and processing by Steris, can occur. Please follow these necessary steps to prepare your equipment for processing:
Cover pallet top with cardboard sheet
Cover cardboard with enough 4 mil clear plastic sheeting to extend 12” up each side of your stack
Stack the hive boxes in a 6-column configuration. Supers may overhand the 48" dimension by 1/2 inch. There can be no overhang in the 40" dimension at all. If that occurs, the pallet cannot be processed. The total weight of a pallet may not exceed 1,500 pounds due to the carriers used in the irradiation chamber.
Top-sheet stack with enough 4 mil clear plastic sheeting to extend 12” down each side of your stack
Shrink-wrap stacked hive boxes from top to bottom (excluding the top and bottom plastic sheets.
Extend bottom sheet of plastic up the stack on the outside of the first layer of shrink wrap
Shrink-wrap stack again, making sure that the top & bottom sheets of plastic are sealed under the second layer of shrink wrap
- IMPORTANT: DO NOT EXCEED 1,500 POUND TOTAL WEIGHT PER PALLET
Transporting Equipment to Sterigenics
A sufficient quantity of equipment is needed to make an irradiation “run” practical and economical. Persons who will be responsible for consolidating prepared equipment and delivering it to Sterigenics must follow these preparation and shipping rules:
• Clearly label & ID all equipment on each side of the stack with a full 8.5" x 11" paper that has bold print on it.
• Label each box with first & last name on any pallets with multiple beekeeper's equipment
• Maximum allowable height of stack, including pallet, is 6 feet
• Advise Mark Antunes that a shipment is planned so that a shipment/processing date can be confirmed
• Loading dock height trucks unload in the rear of the building, low trucks and trailers upload in front of the building.
• Line delivery vehicles with plastic or cardboard to prevent contamination – destroy liner after delivery
• Arrive no later than 12:00 Noon at Sterigenics Corporation, 75 Tilbury Road, Salem, NJ 08079.
A: Please contact Mark Antunes if you have hive equipment that you wish to process at Sterigenics. An account will be set-up in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Beekeepers Association to allow for payment of gamma irradiation processing at Sterigenics. Without exception, all expected processing costs for prepared pallets must be prepaid before equipment is transported to Sterigenics.
Minimum cost per run is $900 for 1 to 7 pallets
$125/pallet (full or partial) based on a full capacity equipment run of 8 pallets
Payment in full for all pallets you deliver must be with a certified bank check made out to "PSBA". This is required before or upon drop off of pallets at Sterigenics.
Contact Information:
Mark Antunes
E-mail: honeyhillfarm@verizon.net
Home: 215-257-7121
Cell: 484-955-0768
Help yourself and your fellow beekeepers by spreading the word about hive equipment sterilization!