Several people wrote and asked me to explain the quotes from W. Ritter. In my view the thrust of that and other things I have posted is that there is no proof Nosema _causes_ illness or collapse in hives, nor is there clear proof that fumagillin is effective. Logic would dictate that there is therefore no justification to use it. 

It's pretty clear that various stressors such as crowding hives, mass transportation of bees, harsh winters and bad weather, all these contribute to colony poor health. However, some opportunistic infections seem to gain a foothold when conditions are good for the bees, such as varroa. 

I am working on an article that summarizes Best Management Practices for Honey Bees. Predictably, these BMPs are all over the map. One of the chief difficulties with life is that it requires experience. And, experience is contextual: what you know about your situation may not work somewhere else, or under very different circumstances. Much of it depends on luck.

Good Luck!

PLB

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