> >From: "IAPV, a bee-affecting virus associated with Colony Collapse
> Disorder can be silenced by dsRNA ingestion." Insect Molecular Biology
> (2009) 18(1), 55–60
> Of course, if IAPV doesn't cause CCD, or CCD doesn't exist as a distinct
> entity, they don't have a market. We have heard very little from them of
> late. We wonder what happened.
>

That's an easy one to answer, Pete!

First, as far as the market, in the first three field trials that I ran
with Beeologic's RNAi product, there was clear and obvious benefit to the
colonies (as opposed to most trials which I run, in which there is no
measurable benefit).

What happened to Beeologics is that they were a start up.  When it came
time to bring a product to market, they needed serious backing and
capital.  They sought out a buyer, and found that Monsanto was interested
in some of their proprietary technology for producting dsRNA.

Monsanto went back to square one, not only to test the product in a
carefully designed and closely monitored large-scale field trial in three
different states last winter, but also to first attempt to determine what
actually takes a colony down during winter and spring, by tracking the
progression of pathogen presence and reproduction in those colonies.  They
spent a huge amount of money in doing so, and the analysis is nearly
complete.

Whether Monsanto ever brings a bee product to market or not, both the
beekeeping and scientific community are likely to benefit greatly from
their findings.


-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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