a Peter Borst snip... 
You have to compare those who took it with those who didn't, minimize confusing demographic variables, do long term studies, etc.

my comments...
You are confusing science with making money (or at least an approximation to the question are you using your financial resources and time wisely?).  You are also confusing the effect (+ or -) of some process on an individual unit with that of a population.  Really the only question that is important here is did the product or method work effectively (individually and collectively) and was the cost of the treatment reasonable relative to the other potential outcomes and the potential cost (in economic speak either real cost or opportunity cost).

Another problem of your mind set here Peter is by the time all of your elaborated process is complete (long term studies really?) your hives will be dead anyway. Basically (and one really large problem of lab type data) any worthwhile information cannot be effectively acted upon because some things just take too long and quite often are way too expensive.

The larger problem in your paradigm is that folks have fallen into blank treating everything (and yes information on population is very important here) and not just treating those units that are KNOWN to have a problem.... < do people really give all their children a dose of antibiotic when one gets a mild infection?  This can and does lead to other problems including (only speaking of bees and pathogens of bees here) fairly quick development of resistance and potential contamination of the nest which can and does lead to a host of confusing and convoluted outcome just down the road.

We will continue to test before and after treatment here at the TAMU bee lab although neither measurement is tied to too tight to any critical time line.  I am actively working on ways and methods of testing and treatment which are more effective both in terms of labor and cost. The larger benefit of this decision pathway is you at least know fairly quickly when a treatment fails outright. 

Gene in Central Texas
 

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