Re: Temporal Analysis of the Honey Bee Microbiome Reveals Four Novel Viruses

You cite a 2011 paper which makes this statement:

> The effects of Nosema infection on individual bee and colony health are unclear [24,26]. Some reports suggest infections decrease longevity and may lead to collapse [27,28,29], but since Nosema is widespread and often detected in healthy colonies its role in colony health requires further investigation [10,26,30]. 

I based my statements on recent work from our region (northeast US)\

> Our observations on seasonal variation of N. ceranae infections have shown significantly higher levels in April-June and lower levels in the fall and winter. Treatment with chemicals during the spring, as the major nectar flow starts, is not advisable because of the potential for honey contamination. 

> We no longer recommend treatment for N. ceranae in the fall since winter infection levels are low and do not appear to impact colony survival.

Nosema and Honey Bee Colony Health
Brenna E. Traver, Richard D. Fell
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

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