Sanitizing Vanilla Beans

I've got an unflavored mead that is approx. 4 months old. I ordered ten mexican vanilla beans to rack it with. The mead is approx. 13% ABV. Do I need to rack with campden or to sanitize the the beans? I've racked it about 4 times and used campden in it once already...I am worried about the campden coming thru in the taste. It may not be a threat at all for all I know. Any suggestions?

P.S. Would you chop the beans or split them long ways?

I split and scraped the beans when I used them for the Leap Year Mead. I also didn't worry about sanitizing them, as they came in a vacuum sealed package. I may have needed to, but I haven't had any issues with infestation.

What happened to the Leap Year Mead thread? I was just reading it a week or so ago and now there are only two posts?

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f30/leap-year-mead-2-a-54281/
I don't see a problem with it.

sweet I was only finding "Leap Year Mead", thanks.

yeah, a second one was started, the first was just for interest I believe, don't remember

I've got about a gallon of head space above my mead. I'm wanting to boil some water and rack it until the top of my carboy is almost full. I'm afraid of it oxidizing. What would you guys recommend? I was thinking maybe boiling the water with campden, cooling, then racking into my mead carboy.

I'd recommend leaving it alone. Worrying about too much headspace can cause hypertension. As long as it's fermenting there is a nice blanket of CO2 covering your mead, keeping it nice and unoxidized. Whereas if you mess with it you will most certainly oxidize it.

I am however by no means an expert in this category, so maybe wait for another reply to confirm or deny my post...

No need to "sanitize" the bean.
I usually use one bean in the primary, and than add another to the secondary, along with the original, both split of course to let the "goodness" out.
At first the vanilla overpowers the honey, but after aging a few years it all balances out.

Well you waited for another post and look what it got you...an answer you already got. Oh well, I still say leave it alone; I am a newb at this (~3 years), but I have read many places on many forums that leaving it is the best course of action in this case.

If the primary fermentation is done and you have 6-18% Alcohol I wouldn't worry about wild yeasts or bacteria.