1979 Volume 32 Issue 2 Pages 82-86
Spores ofBacillus larvaewere destroyed effectively by disinfection with gas containing 10 or 27% of ethylene oxide (EO) for 12 hours. The disinfection was more effective at 50°C than at 30 or 40°C.
When the frame of the beehive was disinfected under the same conditions as the spores, the residual EO gas decreased rapidly with the lapse of time, being undetectable 7-14 days later. The higher the EO concentration used, the longer the duration of disinfection, and the higher the temperature of application, the larger the amount of residual EO gas in the frame.
EO gas seemed to be available for the prevention of foul brood when the concentration of the gas and the temperature and duration of disinfection were combined efficiently and adequate after-treatment was performed.
