I and many other beekeepers received the following via email:

> If you wish to participate and treat your hives with Remebee™, please send us an email to [log in to unmask]  to secure a position on the priority list.  This will allow us to better schedule and include you in the treatment regime, beginning in December 2010.  Please include the anticipated number of hives that you wish to treat, and your contact details. 
 
> Please feel free to ask questions.

I am concerned about unintended consequences. In the early stages of research into RNA interference, no unintended consequences were seen because *they were not anticipated and therefore not looked for*. Broader examination revealed *off-target effects*, which may also be heritable. I am seeking comment on the issues of off target effects, heritability and inadvertent selection for more virulent forms of viruses and nosema ceranae. Feeding honey bees concoctions containing small pieces of synthetic RNA has not been tried on a large scale, and the approach of selling it to beekeepers all over the country seems premature at best.

Peter L Borst
Finger Lakes Beekeepers Club
Ithaca, NY  USA
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