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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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From:
randy oliver <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sun, 2 Feb 2014 07:59:09 -0800
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>When you say "seen the product work", do you mean it eliminated Ian's

> Annoying Pet Virus (IAPV) in a set of bees, or do you mean that it had some
> tangible impact that resulted in actual better bee health, vigor, or
> performance in terms of tangible metrics?
>

I mean that in the three separate trials that I ran using the product, in
all three I and others could easily tell which was the group that received
the active ingredient, prior to us being unblinded, based upon colony size,
survival, and/or flight at the entrance, depending upon the trial.  Jim, I
know that you never believe a word I say, so go ahead and as Dr Eric
Mussen, who monitored the trials.

>
> >I was not aware that IAPV made any specific difference in bee health
>

Further research on your part might help to expand your awareness. In the
first place, don't limit your discussion to IAPV.  The product being
developed targets conserved regions of the paralytic virus family.

The family of paralytic viruses (ABPV, KBV, and IAPV) has been strongly
associated with colony collapse ever since the arrival of varroa. You could
begin your edification with Ball (1988) The prevalence of pathogens in
honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies
infested with the parasitic mite Varroa jacobsoni.  Then work forward
through the papers by Drs Stephen Martin, Diana Cox-Foster, and lately
Siede (2008) A real-time PCR based survey on acute bee paralysis virus in
German bee colonies.  And last year, Francis (2013) Varroa-Virus
Interaction in Collapsing Honey Bee Colonies.

The data from the most recent Monsanto field trial, in which I also
participated, and in which negative strand primers were also used (in order
to quantify actual replication of the virus taking place) also support the
involvement of IAPV in collapses in some operations.

Most informative to me, is that when I cultured a strain of IAPV taken from
a collapsing commercial operation in California, and then fed the purified
virus to 72 healthy colonies, we were able to exactly duplicate the
symptoms of CCD (more specifically, the downhill spiral detailed in my
article Sick Bees 2, leading to sudden depopulation or rapid dwindling to a
handful of young bees and the queen).  Feel free to refresh yourself on
Koch's postulates.  And again, feel free to have my unreliable observations
confirmed by Dr. Mussen.

>Since when has anyone ever made a profit selling anything more complex
than woodenware to beekeepers?  :)

Look in any bee supply catalog for the number of mite control and bee
health products being offered.  My guess is that they wouldn't continue to
be offered if someone weren't turning a profit.

-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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