100% agreed Peter....but do not dismiss negative as inconclusive. A common
problem. Always going to be some who claim you didn't do the test correctly
so the its invalid. Most of the time it's a baseless claim made by someone
wanting to push an agenda. Of course if they have point, or a better
testing method arises, take another look.
In this case, if larvae are not ingesting chems, that we now we can test
for in wax, you have a real answer.....
If you can show levels of X are the same in thriving hives and poor hives.
H you have a huge clue that your either looking at the wrong target, or you
have a interaction. Testing for an interaction is easy.
It sure looks to me like the Scientific community is digging for gold in the
sand pit. And there going to keep digging.
As a PR issue, a few well done serious test on Larvae and bees foraging in
different areas on different crops would be a strong baseline. Might add
"right after corn planting" and "so far from chemicals" to the mix to show
what exposures we really do get.
What you can't do is mix in amond hives and stationary hives. Migratory
hives we know are getting heavy fungicide have to be treated a bit
differently, and noted as such.
Charlie
-----Original Message-----
From: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Peter L Borst
Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2014 10:16 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [BEE-L] Am I missing something?
> If the results are negative, sit down and shut up.
Often, "negative" or inconclusive results are the result of a poorly
designed study. For example, we studied screened bottom boards for years and
never could "show" any effect. This _could have_ been due entirely to
drifting between treatment and control hives. In other words, the control
has to be a valid control so that any difference will be related to a valid
cause and effect relationship. On the other hand, I don't think screened
bottoms do anything, so the results made sense to me. Another example is
drone trapping. It has been shown to be very effective in curtailing the
development of varroa mites. Yet, when I did it, I saw a huge increase in
mites in August despite the conscientious removal of drone brood. I
concluded it was due to reinfestation due to bees picking up mites from the
environment, a variable which is very difficult to control.
PB
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