> It has been suggested (offlist) that my discussion of this study (which someone else posted excerpts from) amounts to little more than uninformed armchair beekeeping.  I'm not sure what one is supposed to do with a published study if one is not to read it, evaluate it, critique it, and discuss it.  This study was performed, written up, reviewed, and published...ideally the end result should be robust enough that it can stand up to criticism...especially criticism from an uninformed armchair beekeeper with ignorant positions.

The purpose of my bringing the study up was to discuss it. One does not have to be a career researcher to discuss the work of career researchers, though they may think otherwise. But my objection was not that. It was the old straw man technique: you interpret the study and then critique your interpretation of it. That's not how it works. We need to lay down what they were looking for, what they found, and what they thought about it.

They were looking for indicators that one can use to predict the failure of colonies in the subsequent months. They found that varroa was the most accurate correlate to colony collapse, which confirms what others have been saying for the past few years. This makes it non-controversial, and suggests that while it is still important to examine these other factors, one must concentrate on the key players.

You wouldn't worry so much about a catching a cold, if you were just exposed to HIV, for example. Following this logic, however, one bears in mind that to an immune compromised individual, a cold might be fatal. By the same reasoning, a hive that is immune compromised by varroa predation is more likely to succumb to virus, nosema, or pesticides. 

One could reasonably suggest that all of these things should be controlled. One could just as reasonably suggest that if the key player is knocked down, these other so-called opportunistic factors may recede into the background, where they always were. Personally, I don't take vitamins, and I don't obsess over my diet. I do consume from all food groups, and have been vaccinated against most of the major disorders for which there are vaccines. My health is acceptable and I don't expect to die over winter. If I do, put this on my stone: "What, me worry?"

PLB

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