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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">
<P><FONT face="Lucida Sans Unicode, Lucida Grande, sans-serif" color=#ff0000
size=7>CATCH THE BUZZ </FONT></P>
<P></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Lucida Sans Unicode, Lucida Grande, sans-serif" color=#0000ff size=5>AFB
Found In South Africa. Antibiotics Not Being Considered, Yet. </FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">
<P> By Alan Harman</P>
<P></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">American Foulbrood has been found in South Africa
for the first time and authorities are mulling an eradication program.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> The disease, caused by the
spore-forming bacterium Paenibacillus larvae, has never been previously reported
in sub-Saharan Africa.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> Department of Agriculture plant
health director Alice Baxter says AFB was found during a survey by the Plant
Protection Research Institute (PPRI) of the Agricultural Research Council of
honeybee colonies and retail honey in South Africa for the presence of the
disease.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> Mike Allsopp, head of the Honeybee
Research Section at the PPRIs Agricultural Research Center, became aware of the
disease when a beekeeper experienced problems with unhealthy colonies.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> It was first thought to be European
Foul Brood, which hit Western Cape apiaries last year, but tests at PPRI’s
laboratory in Pretoria came up positive for AFB.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> Standard operating procedures for
eradicating the disease is to burn the hive, including the bees, wax,
frames and honey, and bury the ashes.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> Infected apiaries could face a
quarantine of up to 18 months.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> “The bad news is that AFB has now
been found in some colonies and some apiaries in the Western Cape,” Baxter says.
“The disease has been confirmed using all standard diagnostic tests, and the
identification is considered to be entirely reliable.”</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> The Western Cape is a province in
the southwest of the country. Its capital is Cape Town, the country’s main
aviation hub. Until 1994, Western Cape was part of the huge Cape Province.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> “At present it is not known how
serious or extensive the disease outbreak is, but a precautionary approach
requires that we consider there to be the potential for a full-scale AFB
outbreak in South Africa, and to act accordingly,” Baxter says.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> It’s not known how AFB entered South
Africa. All imported honey and honeybee products are irradiated in a regime
designed to block its entry and it’s thought untreated honey smuggled into the
country could be the source.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> The Department of Agriculture has
been conducting an urgent but extensive delimiting survey of the Western Cape to
determine how widespread and extensive the AFB infection is, and particularly,
whether it is present in the wild honeybee population.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> “Once the extent and distribution of
the AFB presence is known, the DoA in consultation with organized beekeeping and
other stakeholders will decide on the appropriate course of action to be
followed,” Baxter says. “This is likely to entail an attempt to quarantine and
eradicate the disease.” </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> In the interim, beekeepers are
strongly urged to adapt extreme precautionary measures so as to not spread the
disease further, and to prevent their apiaries from contracting the disease.
This applies to all beekeepers in <COUNTRY-REGION w:st="">South
Africa</COUNTRY-REGION>, but particularly those in the <STATE w:st=""><PLACE
w:st="">Western Cape</PLACE></STATE>. </P>
<HR>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 8.5pt; BACKGROUND: yellow; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Find out what’s
new at Mann <PLACE w:st=""><PLACE w:st=""><PLACE
w:st="">Lake</PLACE></PLACE></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 8.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></PLACE> <A
title=http://www.mannlakeltd.com/catchthebuzz/index.html
href="http://www.mannlakeltd.com/catchthebuzz/index.html"><FONT
color=#0000ff>www.mannlakeltd.com/catchthebuzz/index.html</FONT></A></SPAN>
<HR>
They have been advised to keep all apiaries distinct from each other and not
move honeybee colonies from apiary to apiary; not to place colonies in the near
proximity of colonies belonging to other beekeepers; not to move equipment
(brood boxes, supers, frames) from apiary to apiary, or from colony to colony;
to sterilize all beekeeping equipment (hive tools, gloves) with alcohol or
boiling water after use; not to put out wet supers for bees to feed from; not to
feed colonies with anything containing honey or pollen; keep robbing to an
absolute minimum, and hence, keep beekeeping management to a minimum.
<HR>
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<HR>
Beekeepers are being urged to contact Allsopp if they consider their colonies
either infected with AFB or have shown any symptoms in the past six months.
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> Allsopp tells <I>Bee Culture</I> he
is trying to complete a scientific report on the outbreak before the end of this
month.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> “So far it is only in the Western
Cape, but already spread over some 200 kilometers (125 miles), and in at least
four or five commercial beekeeping operations,” he says.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> “No decision yet on the course of
action to be taken, but we should know quite soon.”</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> Allsopp says antibiotics are
unlikely to be an option.</P>
<HR>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 8.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">For a Comprehensive listing of
beekeeping events around the country and around the world go to <A
title=http://www.my.calendars.net/bee_culture/
href="http://www.my.calendars.net/bee_culture/"><FONT
color=#0000ff>www.my.calendars.net/bee_culture/</FONT></A></SPAN>
<P></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 8.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">To list your event on this
calendar, send your information to <A title=mailto:info@BeeCulture.com
href="mailto:info@BeeCulture.com"><FONT
color=#0000ff>info@BeeCulture.com</FONT></A></SPAN></P>
<HR>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">“A couple of beekeepers want to use them,
but I don't think it is an option that is being seriously considered,” he says.
“All advice that we have received (including from the <COUNTRY-REGION
w:st=""><PLACE w:st="">U.S.</PLACE></COUNTRY-REGION>) is for us to not go that
route.”</P></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT lang=0 face="Gill Sans MT" size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>Laurie Davies Adams<BR>Executive
Director<BR><B>Pollinator Partnership </B><BR>423 Washington Street, 5th
floor<BR>San Francisco, CA
94111<BR>415-362-1137<BR>LDA@pollinator.org</FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial
color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"><BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0
face="Gill Sans MT" color=#0000ff size=4 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="14"><B><A
href="http://www.pollinator.org/">www.pollinator.org</A></B></FONT><FONT lang=0
face="Gill Sans MT" color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"></B><BR><A
href="http://www.nappc.org/">www.nappc.org</A><BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0
face="Gill Sans MT" color=#000000 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="12"><B><I>National Pollinator Week is June 22-28, 2009. <BR>Beecome
involved at <A
href="http://www.pollinator.org/">www.pollinator.org</A></I></FONT></B></DIV></FONT><br/><font style="color:black;font:normal 10pt arial,san-serif;"> <hr style="margin-top:10px"/>Access 350+ FREE radio stations anytime from anywhere on the web. <a href="http://toolbar.aol.com/aolradio/download.html?ncid=emlcntusdown00000003">Get the Radio Toolbar</a>!</font></DIV></BODY></HTML>