John asks:
Are the overwhelming majority of bee dieoffs occurring in migratory operations or along migratory routes? 
 
Answer:  We see both migratory and non-migratory operations with CCD.  We also see isolated bee operations, well away from the major migratory routes, with CCD.  So, its not as simple as migratory versus non-migratory, or near or away from migratory routes.

That said, beekeepers who work together - i.e., haul bees together, share warehouse space, share honey extraction facilities, etc. TEND to have a high percentage of CCD (i.e., most of the group gets it).  And, this year, some of the folks pulling bees out of sheds found empty boxes that  had bees in them when they went in to the sheds.

John asks an important question that we're trying to answer.  If this is a contagious disease, we'd expect to see connections.   

Therefore, on this trip, I sampled bee operations from as many states as I could, from CA operations that don't go out-of-state, and from three areas of CA - Oakdale/Fresno/Bakersfield.

Our failed USDA proposal  (2008) predicted that CCD would re-occur, and that only intensive and extensive sampling would answer questions like John's.  We wanted wide-spread coverage, stratified sampling, as well as time sequence, and importantly, First Response funds to jump to go investigate and sample when something like this new wave of CCD happened,  but the reviewers considered this to be a wasted effort.

So, I don't have any of the big funding, but Kim Flottum bought me a plane ticket to get to CA (thanks Kim), and I was able to sample 35 bee operations in 10 days.  Also, we're going to receive some emergency funds to analyze composite samples from these samples that I collected, plus some others.  (the funding is not official until the ink is dry, but I've the samples and they've been shipped to three labs, all of which are working on them, anticipating that we can pay the analytical costs when the bill comes due).

I'd love to have more samples, more states, and more areas,  but I'd need additional funds to analyze - the proteomics analysis that we use is very broad spectrum (gives us all known bee pathogens, plus lots that occur in other insects), but like the 178 pesticide analysis done at Gastonia, its expensive on a per sample basis (i.e, about the same cost). 

I'd love to see state bee associations step up to the plate, organize sampling, and pay to have representative samples from each state analyzed - wouldn't that be a data set?    In my dreams, I'd get samples of  at least 5-6 bee operations per state, from end winter/spring, summer, and fall; and from all 50 states.  Using proteomics, we could identify, map, and benchmark the pathogens and pests all across the U.S., as well as in Hawaii, Puerto Rico.  Of course, I'd like to do the same for Canada and Mexico, but starting with the states would be good.

FYI, for those of you who are CA beekeepers, I do have some matching funds for analysis of samples from CA Beekeepers, provided last year by the CA beekeepers association.  These funds are intended to provide financial assistance to any CA beekeeper who'd like to provide samples, by paying half of the analysis costs (CABA provided funds to share the cost 50/50 with the beekeeper).

That offer has been available for more than a year now, although I had to work out some unexpected logistics with the Army lab - which has now finally been accomplished.   So, I had to delay project initiation, but we're off and running now, so to speak.  Ideally, I'd like 10 southern, 10 middle, and 10 northern bee operations, with samples from the three 'seasons' of the year.

The idea of the CABA project is to benchmark what is  now in CA bees, so one can compare that to bees coming in from out-of-state, and to see what changes (new pathogens appear, old ones subside, etc.)  show up in coming years.  That way, we wouldn't have to ask - when did this pathogen show up? as we are now doing with N. ceranae.

For the CA project, we'd like samples from the southern, mid-,and northern parts of CA, before  almonds,  then summer, and finally in the fall after the honey is pulled.   

Unfortunately, I can't use the CA Beekeeping Association money to pay for analysis of the samples from out-of-state beekeepers -- this project is aimed at bees in CA, whose owner is a member of CABA.  

Please keep in mind, matching funds don't give us any control of who/when/where we get samples from.  That's the problem of a volunteer program.  And, we tend to mostly get samples from sick bees, not healthy bees - and we need both to solve an issue like CCD.  That's why I was in CA taking samples from regions and from both healthy and affected beekeeping operations, some of which were from out-of-state, others that only move locally in CA.

So, we've got some money coming to help with the ~ 35 bee operations that I sampled this month (I expect formal notice and a press release from the funding sponsor, soon).

Sorry to go on so long, but John touched on a critical question - where did CCD come from, how is it distributed.  And, before anyone goes off on another rant against migratory beekeepers - we're looking at the possibility that the two-pathogen complex is relatively common; maybe hiding as a covert infection, among U.S. bee operations, with some external factor (we suspect weather, especially wet/damp) triggering expression.  

Jerry










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