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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
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Fri, 4 Nov 2011 10:40:21 -0400
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>A Widely Used Bee Antibiotic May Harm Rather Than Help

Thanks for posting that, Dee.

This could turn out to be an important topic.

Readers may recall that I asked some time back if my applying Tylosin and OTC last year was 
related to my suddenly discovering  higher fall varroa levels than in previous years, and 
suffering a subsequent loss whereas previously I consistently had over 80% wintering success..

We know that all these drugs and chemicals are powerful, otherwise, why would we use them?

We know that they are selective poisons and have side-effects, so application is a matter 
of weighing benefits vs. potential damage.  Hopefully, they are only used where the analysis and
projections show the probable benefits prevail.  

We also know this is often not the case, whether due to ignorance, negligence, accident, or an 
inappropriate application of the precautionary principle.

Although I have not read the study, I do take issue with the title, "A Widely Used Bee Antibiotic
May Harm Rather Than Help" for being either simplistic or biased.

The writer might benefit from Googling "Critical Reading" and finding articles like the following:
http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/?p=987

As PLB pointed out, too, this is just one study.  Anyone who has done science knows how very 
difficult it is to prove anything conclusively, and how often a seeming success turns out to be a 
fluke or a lab error.

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