Should I use used equipment?

[AR Beekeeper]

The chances of getting AFB from used boxes or inner covers is slim.  Use your hive tool to scrap the inside of the box, the frame rest corners and any obvious wax buildup, pressure wash the inside at the local car wash and the odds drop to practically none.  What you should avoid is used comb unless you know and trust the beekeeper who furnishes it.

[jalentour]

I will use "used" equipment.  I scorch the wood with this:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Lincoln-Electric-Torch-Kit/4742120

Not too interested in used comb now but have used it in the past.  I froze it before I used it. 

[Michael Bush]

>He will pick up you used equipment and take it to Raleigh and have it fumigated, then return it to you

Can't beat that.

>IF you decide to go with the used equipment, the ONLY thing that will kill AFB is to wax dip the equipment at a temperature greater than 270 for at least 10 minutes,  I think I would shoot for 12 or just before the wood begins to darken. 

It's not the only thing.  There is a fumigation method.  There is also irradiation.  And I never could get the wax much over 250 before it starts to boil over.  I also don't think the wax or the heat kills the spores but it does encapsulate them to the point that they are not an issue.  Wax dipping is a common treatment in Australia for AFB in equipment.

[Beepah]

"Disinfection of wooden structures contaminated with Paenibacillus larvae subsp. larvae spores" Dobbelaere, et al. (Journal of Applied Microbiology 2001, 91, 212-216 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1365-2672.2001.01376.x ) showed dry heat at or above 160C (320F) for two hours left no viable spores, surface or internal. Paraffin dip for 10 minutes killed all surface and internal spores at 170C (338F).  Bleach did not perform well even with concentrations above those readily available to the consumer. Scorching only killed spores near the surface.  Fumigation and gamma radiation weren't part of this study.  Autoclaving was less than 100% effective but no details were given for conditions used.

[Oldbeavo]

You can make some assessment of the AFB status, has the owner tested the honey for AFB. In Oz we continuously test honey, costs about US$30.
The other treatment which is very good is sterilisation by radiation, there are facilities in capital cities.
You double wrap the box in garbage bags and pack them on a pallet and the go through like that, you do frames, boxes, bottoms and lids.
Price is about US$7 per hive. You have to build it into the purchase price.
The thing of will the new hives fit into a present system, especially for transport in a migratory situation. We are 100% 8 frame and would not consider any 10 frame gear , even for free, too much hassle.