> To beekeepers reading you need to choose wisely which course of action for 
> your bees.

> while the Higes ( and Bob Harrison) position is too WORRY and try to keep 
> levels low through monitoring and TREATMENT with fumigillin.

I think that is our position in Alberta, too.   Although we are not positive 
what caused the escalating losses in recent years, it was clear that 
reducing mite and nosema incidence and levels might be the place to start, 
along with, of course, encouraging good beekeeping practices.  The guess 
seems to have been right, because losses plummeted when the beekeepers 
attended to these matters.

If a beekeeper wants to take chances with nosema and pests, there is no 
guarantee that such risky behaviour will result in disaster, but the odds 
increasingly favour such a result.

The question to ask then is, "Do you feel lucky?"

For those who would risk a livelihood, prudence is the watchword. 

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