Pete,  Very interesting citation on Nosema control.  I just finished up a 2
year beekeeping project in the Republic of Georgia.  In spite of all the
wonderful things you hear about Georgian bees I learned first hand that the
Georgian beekeepers have just about the same set of problems we have in the
US, including Nosema problems.   Prior to the war with Russia in 2008
Georgia had very close trading ties with Russia and since many Georgian
beekeepers are older and products of the Soviet school system they speak
Russian and still maintain ties.  My chief beekeeping trainer in Georgia
told me in the spring of 2014 that he was using metronidazole for Nosema
control with great success.  When I asked him how he applied the drug he
showed - and gave me - a pack of pills intended for human consumption
manufactured in Russia.  I had been preaching honey quality for 2 years in
Georgia but realized that keeping bees alive trumped food safety in this
beekeeper's mind.  I have been on several courses of metronidazole over the
years for some very unpleasant problems such as Giardia and Amoebiasis and
it is a strong drug with dangerous side affects.  Needless to say I was
shocked that he was using this drug, but I was fascinated to read the
citation you posted that the drug is active against Nosema.  I don't know
how this beekeeper knew the drug was active but I do know that he was using
it, though I warned him about residue problems.

The good news is Georgia signed the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade
Agreement (DCFTA) with the European Union in 2014 and they are in the
process of bringing their food safety lab and monitoring program into
compliance with EU standards and they are actively working on honey residue
analysis capacity.  The Georgian beekeepers know that their honey is going
to be tested by an accredited lab and I fully believe they will come into
compliance.   In their defense I will say that they have been using
off-label drugs and chemicals because they could not get labeled products
in the past.  On my last day in Georgia in October I met with a national
veterinary supply house in Tbilisi at their request to give them a
list of EU-approved
bee medicines that they intend to purchase and distribute.

Bill Lord
beekeeping consulting for development.com
Louisburg, NC

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