> Is the Spanish flu still spreading through the human population?  No, it
> just "disappeared" after killing a fair percentage of all humans on earth.

CCD could be a virus. The likely culprit ( in my opinion I always need to
add it seems) to me would be KBV if CCD was caused by a virus. A known
killer of bees. In Canada researchers say they have no CCD. Zero. Nada.

However the huge bee die off in the peace river district a few years ago was
pronounced to be caused by KBV. The Canada researchers told those beeks
their losses were caused by KBV found in the samples.

I would bet if they went back and took another look now at those old samples
they would also find nosema ceranae. *if* so then those hives would have
contained both KBV and nosema ceranae *exactly* like the first CCD samples.
Hmmm.

Why are not our CCD researchers at least saying KBV may have been at the
root of the problem?
I find it interesting that Canada researchers and U.S. researchers never
seem to march to the same beat.

> BTW, If it were pesticides, by your own logic, we would expect to see it
> again every year, since pesticide use isn't changing that much year to
> year.

Pesticides are one of the four possible causes of CCD the CCD working group
has published.

I see pesticide kills every year in row crop areas. Also pesticide usage
changes dramatically from year to year. The biggest concern for beeks is the
section 18's issued which allow many chemicals pulled from everyday use such
as DDT to be back in use in Missouri almost as much as in the days of
Rachael Carson.

Most small beekeepers would not recognize a pesticide kill unless all the
bees are dead in front of the hive. Such a kill is easy to see but there are
many other types. I am giving up two of my former best bee yards next year
after losing all the hives two years in a row to spraying.

Crops beekeepers are getting the most kill from are cotton, Alfalfa &
soybeans. Cotton has long been the main income source for some Texas
beekeepers. Cotton and soybeans for the large beeks in the Mississippi
delta. Huge losses have been happening to Delta Bee , Jester Bee in the
Delta over the last few years. ( personal conversation)The Tubb's moved
south and gave up their long held soybean locations due to hive
loss.(personal conversation with Hubert Tubbs)

bob

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