While you know by now I am sceptical that some of the reported losses are actually a new problem 
one cannot ignore that as you pointed out a loss is a loss and the trends are not good. 

IMO I don't beleive that the larger operators have worked out a good mite treatment approach in 
the post strip era and also here in Mn the increased scrutiny of the MN Dept Of Ag for illegal 
applications. Most stories I hear regarding the commercial use of OA include the use of OA in 
multiple applications at a time of the season that the bees would have brood.  As we all know a 
mite infested colony will dwindle in fall. Seriously does anyone beleive that a migratory beekeeper 
can survive with Apistan, Checkmite or use the costly and labor intensive Apiguard? 

Thanks for taking the time to explain the different data sets in detail. This effiort by you and your 
colleagues may be the first time any real attempt has been made to try and get a handle on the 
practices and losses experienced by American beekeepers. Given the independent nature of 
beekeepers that is no small feat.

With the myriad of problems in the industry I'm sure it will be useful in some way and is long 
overdue. Its hard to create an industry strategy or government policy when you have no data to 
work with to define the problems.

The increased awareness in agriculture and government is important too as we and our bees fly 
under the radar of the american public. I'm sure we'd all like more scrutiny of Ag chem use and 
gmo's so my hat goes off to you and others for jump starting that discussion on a national level

However don't you think that a major issue is the practices of migratory beekeeping as it has 
evolved in the last decade?  Who will stand up and say while the lab work is important to answer 
CCD, we need to look closely at the industry chem use and the reliance of the industry on stressful 
practices. I am wondering how much of the "issues" the industry will accept as their own. It seems 
like the focus is external, the pesticides, gmo's, something unknown etc. Don't we have enough to 
go on already that says the industry is on an unsustainable course?  We don't need a CCD report to 
move forward on that front IMO and more could be done now. 

I never got the impression from the hearing transcripts that anybody wanted to step into that 
manure pile.  Its like the kid who comes home from school and says Johnny beat me up and never 
tells his mom that he was the one that started it in the first place...........

IMO we could have a national USDA program of promoting soft treatments like formic and OA use 
in commercial and hobby operations. We appear to have a fed harsh mite chemical policy by 
default.  I'm thinking of some EU countries who have embraced philosphically the use of soft 
treatments and made them legal and supported with government and academic resources. 
Likewise they have made illegal hive chems that contaminate comb and honey and develop mite 
resistance with repeated use. This is not rocket science anymore......

Why not make federal money available to allow local universities and government agencies to work 
closely with commercial beekeepers to establish proper useage of  soft treatments like formic and 
OA and cull contaminated comb. 

Could incentives be creatred for large operations by offering money to cull old comb?  Its hard to 
solve this problem with all of the "junk" comb out there.

If we could get everyone on the same path of mite treatment would that not be a major step in the 
right direction?   Here we are in spring of 07 in a crisis mode and we have a new chemical 
approved Sec 18 and OA languishes in a black hole. 

Taking this a step further a fed program similar to the russian breeding stock could be created to 
move all USA breeding stock towards mite and disease resistance. We have numerous examples of 
fed grants etc that have been useful in getting certian Ag practices dissemiated into the users 
hands (ie russian queens) . Seems to me that we have the people and tools to move forward on 
issues we understand and have answers for NOW. 

My point is that the "core issues" should not be over shadowed by the attention on CCD, this will 
only prolong the pain IMO .

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