> Dean and I are giving a somewhat related talk at Boston University 

Ramona

I understand you are giving talks on the topic of honey bee gut microflora. Is there any proof that probiotics are beneficial when fed to honey bee colonies, or is this still in the realm of science fiction? What I read is:

> Observations suggest that the alteration in the microbiome is linked to the occurrence of diseases. However, there is still a paucity of in vivo experimental data on the potential of probiotics as a prophylactic treatment contributing to the prevention of honeybee bacterial infections (Forsgren et al. 2010). Moreover, the mechanisms implicated in this process are far to be clarified. Many aspects such as the population dynamics and the ecological drivers that determine the balance or unbalance of the microbiome need to be deeply investigated in vitro, in vivo and in field experiments under healthy, diseased and stressed conditions.  J. Appl. Entomol. 135 (2011) 524–533

Maybe you have newer information?

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