Barry Donovan wrote:
>Does not this paper identify N. ceranae as the cause of CCD, and provide the control?

Nosema can certainly cause colony collapse in bees, and it seems to be
at the root of widespread collapse in Spain. It may also be the main
cause of collapse in the US but it has not been proven to be the sole
cause.

Bees in the US have been found to be carrying a wide variety of
pathogens. The media have made a lot of hay out of this, blaming
modern agricultural, exploitative beekeeping practices, etc. Others
point to genetic weakness as the underlying cause; poor health being a
symptom.

In NY State, nosema has been found to be widespread and at high
levels. I think most progressive beekeepers have been treating for it
for over a year now. Controlling nosema will no doubt go a long way to
getting a handle on honey bee health.

However, as Charlie Mraz warned forty years ago, modern agriculture
has emphasized production over health; breeding for vigor has always
been peripheral to performance. Beekeeping is not different from the
rest of farming and he advocated practices that are worth
reconsidering.

There are many things we can do to get better bees; there is no one
thing that is the underlying problem. I think genetic diversity is a
good place to focus. Also, we must make an effort to keep bees away
from pesticides and continue to raise awareness on the vulnerability
of pollinators to pesticides and other environmental hazards.

The public has our attention (for now) and doesn't want to contemplate
a world without bees and all that would imply. But we can never become
complacent and thing "problem solved, time to get back to what I was
doing."

-- 
Peter L Borst
Danby, NY  USA
42.35, -76.50
http://picasaweb.google.com/peterlborst

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