Hello Adony & All,

>  Simply renewing comb is unlikely to break the cycle of infection with
this and related viruses,.

I agree with Adony with the reservation that we really do not know
everything about the current virus issue. Comb which is showing PMS signs
when placed back in service the next spring seems to cause the hive to crash
from virus the next fall. Why I don't understand. Should not be happening .

>Then, of course, there is Allen's point about residues.  Dr. Pettis at the
USDA has done a nice job determining the lethal and sublethal effects of
coumaphos residues on the colony.

Allen is right on about residues. Now we have got many beekeepers jumping on
the Hivastan band wagon. I suppose in a few years Jeff Pettis will be back
in meetings showing slides of comb on which Apistan/Checkmite & Hivastan
have been used.

If fluvalinate effects drones ( hey we need those guys!) and coumaphos
effects queens ( spoke with a beekeeper last night which marks his queens
and he rarely has a queen last 2 years since he used coumaphos).  I ponder
what effect hivastan will have on our bees? I for one are done with
chemicals from Welmark & Bayer. Is not Bayer the people providing
imadicloprid and fighting us saying its safe around bees?

> The work suggests that colony  performance would benefit from comb
replacement, but again, this has not been investigated directly and
experimentally.

Actually it has privately in commercial yards with success. Getting bees off
comb on which coumaphos & fluvalinate has been used really gives the bees a
boost.  Getting bees off comb which before has had high levels of EU or PMS
has been shown to me to be worth the effort but the effort is expensive and
time consuming.

I am anxious to see the result of my friend David Hackenburgs radiation
treatment on all his brood comb. He has been willing to spend the money to
see if radiation of comb might be a solution for many problems. In Australia
radiation of comb is common.

Bob


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