I was digging post holes this weekend, so I didn't check my e-mail.
For clarification:
Since Dee has posted a confirmation of sampling of bees to Bee-L - I can
say; yes, we did sample Dee's bees.
We also did a preliminary test for Nosema and Tracheal mites, and followed
that up with PCR for both species of Nosema.
We were not able to look for viruses until the IVDS instrument was up and
running. That event occurred about 6 weeks ago - we first had to raise the
money to buy the instrument, then Dave Wick had to resolve some licence issues.
All of that has been accomplished, and Dave is now running samples for virus
screening on a daily basis.
We have got some very prelimary data and Dee has received some VERY summary
comment. We're re-running all of the samples at this time - since we've been
fine tuning the instrument and have learned how to get better performance
from the system.
So, to clarify:
Dee has had only a very cursory report from us - since we're not finished
with the analyses.
I did e-mail her PCR results, but she doesn't have the software needed to
read the data file, so we're sending it via snail mail.
Dee has been very understanding and very open - until we got the IVDS in
place and the required licenses, we couldn't look for viruses. The only
results we have completed are for Tracheal Mites and for both species of Nosema,
We will have a full set of viruses results shortly.
Finally:
Jim Fisher has not received a copy of the results Dee's for bees. We
still don't have the full set of results. No one outside of our research group
in Missoula has seen the results for her bees, not even USDA.
Jim Fisher does know that we have sampled her bees, and he has known for
some time that we have samples from AZ.
Dean's e-mail could be construed to say we aren't doing anything - that
we've had the samples for far too long without a report. I'd say that our goal
of turning around sample results within 24-48 hrs has not been accomplished
here. Dave Wick and I have over 500 samples in the backlog from last
fall-spring. But, we're working through them now.
And, I don't think an apology is necessary. This whole issue is based on
too many people taking a bit of information and then generalizing.
However, now that the IVDS instrument is up and running, Dave and I will
give priority to any samples from beekeepers who: 1) are experiencing a loss of
bees, and 2) who depend on bees for a significant part of their income. We
will try to turn results around in a few days - not weeks or months.
In other words, we will try our best to help out beekeepers as problems
emerge. We can't do anything about the backlog, but we can prioritize new
events. And, we will try to help out the hobby beekeeper, but we need to consider
the magnitude of the impact. If you've two colonies, its personal. You want
your bees to thrive, and we do to, but you can probably survive the loss
from an economic standpoint. If you derive your income for bees, have hundreds
to thousands of colonies at risk, we might be able to help provide answers
that you can use to make management decisions.
In the meantime, I hate to see finger pointing, he said, she said. I
apologize if anything we've stated added to the confusion.
Jerry
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