On Wed, Sep 23, 2009 at 12:18 AM, randy oliver <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> However, without Varroa and Tracheal mites, there would be no problem.
>
> This is a surprising comment, Bill, considering that historical bee
> collapses occurred prior to either varroa or tracheal mite.  They also
> occur in Australia, which has neither mite.

Not the kind of continual problem we have now.

DWV is the issue of this thread and if it is a clear indicator of
Varroa. For all intents, it is. Plus, it prompts a look for mites.

As I noted, virus were around before mites became a problem, but more
an academic issue. Tracheal may have been a culprit, along with virus,
but even there it is conjecture. When Tracheal was identified, then
virus also came into the discussion.

Plus, were the earlier die-offs viral? No one really knows, which is
why what caused them are not specifically identified, such as
disappearing disease.

In any case, I think most of us would rather keep bees without mites
and accept the occasional die-offs, which was my point.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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