Hi Jerry & All,

> We have major projects for field testing
> this product with both groups.

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/oct04/bees1004.htm

> "While Metarhizium doesn't kill as fast as fluvalinate and coumaphos, the result is the same," Kanga says. "Metarhizium gets the
job done, and we won't have to worry about Varroa becoming resistant to the fungus."
>

Lastly, this article claims in the above quote. The article previously states the quote below.

"We tried to find a pathogen of Varroa, and we did it!" says ARS entomologist Walker A. Jones, research leader of the BIRU. Tests
showed that Metarhizium was as effective as fluvalinate, even 42 days after application. "Commercial beekeepers are very edgy about
using fluvalinate and coumaphos and are eager to see this natural control get to market," Jones says.

My opinion;
First, unless this fungus naturally occurs within a colony of honey bees it really does not make it a "natural control", other wise
it is an intrusive fungal control. Second, stating that "we won't have to worry about Varroa becoming resistant to the fungus" is a
bold statement that probably is not proven yet. I suspect longer and more testing needs done. If it does not eliminate varroa,
resistance may occur. If this fungus is released upon the main population of this social honey bee and does not cause other problems
in the future for honey bees and beekeepers it will surprise me because it seems to me that most things mankind tries to fix by
introducing unnatural things winds up failing somehow in the long run. If I were a beekeeper, I would be very cautious of putting an
unnatural substance in a clean colony of honey bees without a life time of testing being done on the substance.

With feral honey bee colonies making a foot hold in some areas in the world, vorroa resistance and tolerance selection succeeding in
some breeding programs, Primorsky Russian, SMR, and survivor feral colonies already tolerating vorroa, and a natural range of worker
cell size working not only for AHB but for many beekeepers world wide, we really do not need a fungus invading honey bee colonies
without thorough testing for all known and unknown results of doing so. Don't forget about the unknown factors which are inherent in
all scientific study and experimentations.

It appears that this fungus leaves some mites alive, lingers with the colony, and is suggested to be natural control even though it
does not occur naturally in a honey bee colony. This all suggest to me that this control can let varroa become resistant, and
present unknown problems for honey bees and beekeepers alike in the future. Watch out!!

Honey bees are already naturally fighting back, beekeepers just need to let them do it on their terms and not with unnatural help
from impatient individuals.

 . ..   Keith Malone, Chugiak, Alaska USA, http://www.cer.org/,
c(((([ , Apiarian, http://takeoff.to/alaskahoney/,
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Norlandbeekeepers/ ,
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ApiarianBreedersGuild/

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