> The circa 1955 assertion is a non-sequitur in the context of modern Nosema -
"It was considered unlikely that stored honey would be contaminated with
spores, because defecation over stores before they are sealed during the
summer would normally be unlikely", as this would not be the case at all
with Nosema ceranae.  

In my original post I stated 
> This refers to N. apis, of course. New work would have to be performed to determine if honey is a significant source of nosema spores and/or reinfection.

The point however being that spores if present are more likely to be on the surface of the combs rather that in the honey, rendering them accessible to acetic acid fumigation. Personally, I think there is ample work to support the contention that N. ceranae is not a serious pest of bees in the summer in temperate zones such as Northeast USA and Northwestern Europe. It may slow buildup in spring, but as the only available treatment is Fumagillin (which probably should be withdrawn because it is an important human medication), -- there isn't much to do about it. I would wager spring feeding with clean syrup would help spring buildup as much or better than anything else, except a natural nectar flow.

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