Steve wrote >I don’t see, for
example, how sampling bees now could determine the means by which the virus
was spread a year or more ago.

If the virus is widespread in the US, then we wouldn't obtain much info, 
unless we can track the different "strains."
But if its distribution is still limited, we could determine if it spread 
from imports only from certain areas of Australia, or from queen operations 
that used Chinese royal jelly, by doing standard epidemiological detective 
work.

Sampling could also let us know how quickly the virus spreads between 
operations, and whether we're all going to get it in almonds.

Right now, only the few beekeepers tested know whether or not IAPV is in 
their operation.  It would be of great interest for the rest of us to know 
whether it is in our bees.  For all we know, as Jim has pointed out, IAPV 
could already be widespread in the US and lying latent most of the time.

Randy Oliver

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