> The science of evaluating the optimum immune system of bees is
> largely unexplored.
So you must agree that any further claims about bee immune systems
would be nothing by additional pure speculation, and therefore,
unproductive.
Sorry, Jim, but I can't. :) It's not pure speculation. It's a research direction that may quite possibly prove very productive.
The USDA formulated their CCD action plan last July (www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2007/070713.htm). As for ccd and possible immune system weakening, the USDA thinks the insights from fruit flys can help the honey bee research (December '07).
Check out the following USDA news release from December 07 at http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:FEpA0kBvg44J:www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2007/071207.htm+honey+bee+immune+system&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us (Either google for it or copy the entire link address). Here is an excerpt:
'The fruit fly, Drosophila, is often used as a model organism in genetic studies. The researchers analysed immune genes in the 12 fly species and report that the study offers insights into the immune system of honey bees, a valuable pollinator beset by a variety of problems, including the highly publicized colony collapse disorder (CCD).
The analysis of the immunity-related genes in Drosophila was done by entomologist Jay Evans at the ARS Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., and researchers at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.; Emory University in Atlanta, Ga.; and Umea University in Umea, Sweden. The study was published recently in Nature Genetics.'
>>> Parallels to the human immune system can be drawn though.
Even though the entire subject is largely unexplored?
What level of romantic anthropomorphism is required to draw
complex connections of this sort between insects and mammals?
See above. I will not argue with you like this, Jim. Let me just say that if the ARS scientists at the USDA consider it worthwhile then I find it reasonable, too.
> And the immune system of humans is influenced by stress...
> Why would it be different for bees?
We have no idea what "stress" is for bees, so go back to
square one, and define what you want to call "stress".
When you have something we can measure, we will discuss it.
Google 'stress+honey bees' and you'll come acroos at least a few scientific studies.
I call stress any factor or a combination of factors that overwhelmingly tip the natural range of balance in a bee's system. Examples: cold/heat, toxic chemicals, malnutrition, agents of disease, etc.
If you are keen on measuremnets, how about doing an experiment where you'd compare the JH titers levels in healthy colonies and colonies that apparently succumbed to ccd?
>>Of course everyone is entitled to their own opinion,
but everyone is NOT entitled to their own facts.
Where did I say I was stating my own facts?
>>And my basic point was that the irradiation would NOT have
"decontaminated" the combs in terms of pesticides.
Pathogens certainly were eliminated.
That's a shortcoming in the design of this experiment since comb contamination has been shown to cause problems in the function of queens and drones (and why would you think it has no affect on workers?).
The DOE does not seem to identify comb contamination as a possible root cause and it should have included comb contamination as a control variable to evaluate. (Unless the folks were short on funds/time, and selected only variables that seemed most probable to them.)
>>What Bob is mentioned about Dave Hackenberg's hives seems to
conflict with the "70% survival" cited by the Penn State/
USDA group, so now I'm wondering if calibration of the gamma
beam was even done.
The equipment used in any experiments should be calibrated to the proper standards with an accuracy of at least 4:1. I guess we can agree that this experiment did not (has not) established any *facts*?
Waldemar
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