Chris Slade wrote:
> Do you know that there is a link between TM and virus? When this was  
> discussed on the Irish list a while ago Norman Carreck was not aware of a  connection 
> other than that they both thrive under the same conditions.
>  
>   
You can say the same thing about Varroa. Were there no virus present, 
colonies could survive with just about one mite per bee. But that does 
not happen. Virus are present in most colonies with more different ones 
in some than others. Both mites weaken the bees. Weak bees are more 
prone to pick up disease. Weak bees will spread the disease without the 
further help of the mite. Just look at the mite levels that are 
considered critical. If I had 20% tracheal in my colonies and no virus 
they would survive the winter fairly well. But they do not because there 
is also virus present.

If I recall what Norman was disputing was the mite as a vector of the 
virus. His research looked at that and he concluded that the mite was 
not the vector. During those days, the mite was blamed as a carrier of 
the virus.

I spoke to a life long beekeeper who said that they knew about the 
different virus long before the mites hit in the US but never had a 
problem with them like we do with the mites present. He never or rarely 
saw any of the virus symptoms before mites and now they are commonplace.

I look at this like pneumonia, which is the usual cause of death of 
those with long term illness, yet it really is not. It is all the other 
things that weaken the person before hand that allows pneumonia to kill. 
A healthy person will get past pneumonia just like a healthy bee colony 
will live with virus, just as they did before mites.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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