>
> Bob said> the large commercial beekeeper can not simply... pay the labor)
> the individual testing and treating involved with control on a small scale.


Right you are, Bob.  I am a very small commercial beekeeper.  I tried the
above this year--testing every single colony, and treating individually as I
thought was appropriate.  While my eventual losses weren't extraordinary,
they were higher than my checkbook would have preferred.  I'm having to give
up one pollination contract, and that hurts.  Next year, I will continue
with breeding and minimal treatments, but will treat all.

Experimentation by someone who makes their living by having live colonies is
very risky, and can be expensive.  Right now I'm in a quandry as to whether
I should move a nosema test group of 64 colonies to almonds.  Most are weak,
but the strong ones would be worth over a thousand dollars.  However, if I
move any, I must move all to avoid adding a variable to the experiment.  I
don't have funding for the lost income--may just take it in the shorts.

Sound knowledge can be expensive to come by, and I appreciate all those that
share what they've learned with others.

Randy Oliver

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