>
> >So my question is can you get a reliable spore count if you just use a
> bunch of dead bees without knowing when those bees died?
I've recovered plenty of spores from dead bees, but haven't tested how long
they'd last. But in my climate, dead bees quickly dry out, so I'd suspect
that there'd be little decomposition of the spores.
The degree of transmission via combs is questionable. White's massive 1922
treatise on Nosema apis states that he did not find nosema to be easily
transmissible via contaminated combs. *N ceranae, *on the other hand, is
apparently easily transmitted via flowers.
--
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com
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