Bill said: Medhat's  data with colonies all around those
fields show that if nosema and Varroa are kept in check.

This is true after 3 years of surveying colonies in the field and testing possible causes of high colony kill. Colony health was restored by applying effective varroa and nosema controls on time. Lagers who did not do their job on time lost over 40%. Beekeepers who were on the top of their business had < 15%.
 
 It is interesting to take one step back and ask a question "how long have Nionecs been used in the field?" It has been around for very long, eh! Why now we noticed their effects on bees? It does not mean that they are safe. My question is what trigger their kill now? 

All reports from the US on CCD points to multiple possible causes for colony kill. They  have not found a single factor or been able to clearly induce CCD to colonies in the field. Randy tried this and showed some success.
Recent work by Jerry and others needs to be followed up as suggested in his paper. They need to demonstrate cause and effect.  We have seen recent criticism, but it is science at its best. We need results to be challenged to get to the bottom of it. I saw Robb, one of Jerry's lead researchers and we talked about his recent paper. He was not concerned about the new criticism. We had a laugh. We said that the way science works. 

 By the way, the only three reports directly linked bee kill to nionecs were from Germany, Italy and Quebec. This was from exposure to treated seed during preparation or seeding. Pettis' work was also repeated in France and published by Le Conte group in 2009. You can get the article free from the internet.
Researchers are doing their darn best to understand these issues. It also takes cooperation from beekeepers and others. It is funny when I ask a question, how do you control varroa and what are you using. The answers become vague. All of these can be contributing factors to what we see.  
   
Folks we need to keep healthy bees to be able to withstand stresses caused by the environment, pollination, and interaction of pathogens. We need healthy fields to supply good pollen and nectar for bees ad making honey. My work shows the bottom line is that bees are not healthy. You need to look after their health on time. The early detection of the problem and taking care of it on time, the bees are better off. Having said that bees, crops, farmers and beekeepers got to share responsibilities. We need to get beyond pointing fingers. 
I enjoy reading all of your discussions and participating in Bee-L.

Medhat

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