From: allen <[log in to unmask]>
>I guess we all know that there are microorganisms associated with pretty 
well everything, but the ecology is so complex that we have a hard time 
knowing which are beneficial and which are harmful and which are not or even 
if these value judgements can be made since the effects are so interrelated 
and may only appear under specific conditions.

...i think even this is too "black and white"...some microbes are beneficial in one location, and harmful if moved even a millimeter (Michael Bush's example is staph on your skin that prevents fungal skin infection, but causes blood poisoning if it gets into the nearby bloodstream).

in any case, ramona has put together a bibliography of many of the studies we have been reading on the subject of microbes, and a surprising number are available for free download.
http://thecompleteidiotsguidetobeekeeping.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=101:microbe-references&catid=73:beekeeping&Itemid=92
there are some non-bee references here, but there is a lot to digest (or ferment).

deknow

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