>
> >it would help if we had a definition of how you are using the word
> natural.


 Dictionary.com  "Natural": based on the state of things in nature.

As such, Remebee is completely natural. QED

>
> >Jenner's work was based on observation and folk wisdom...but to me,
> technology implies a practical application of scientific knowledge


Again, from Dictionary.com
 "Technology": the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and
use of technical means and their interrelation with life,society, and
the environment.

There has always been technology, long before the scientific method or
science labs.  Dean, you keep making up your own definitions for the sheer
sake of meaningless argument.  I don't know why I'm wasting my time, but
suspect that others on the List may benefit.

>
> >Absent Remebee application, what is the naturally occurring concentration
> of IAPV specific dsRNA in a honey bee colony?


You can ask Beeologics, but we tried to inoculate the viruses at a
naturally-occuring concentration, which I checked in cage trials.  We
weren't trying to kill the colonies--that was completely unexpected.  IAPV
was already present in my operation, but apparently not that particular
strain.


> > If it was so naturally occurring and the concentration was not a factor,
> all of our bees would already have immunity to IAPV.
>

Upon what do you base that silly argument?  Bees have been infected with
most of the bee viruses since time immemorial, yet colonies perish from
those viruses every year!  Dean, you and your forebears have been exposed
to cold and flu viruses since the beginning of mankind, yet I would venture
a guess that you've caught a cold or flu at some point in your lifetime.
 Might I suggest that you take a few moments to actually think prior to
hitting the keyboard?

>
>  >Were you able to establish that these immune control hives acquired the
> immunity via exposure to IAPV?


Certainly appeared so.  Since bees were all of the same stock, we should
have seen innnate dsRNA in all hives if the resistance was inherited.  We
didn't--only in the few that ramped up resistance on their own.

> In your article, you cite one unmedicated colony "thriving"....what signs
> of resistance to IAPV do the other "few hives" show if they are not
> surviving and thriving?
>

Ramped up levels of dsRNA specific to IAPV.

>
> >So you chose susceptible stock, gave them a disease that you expected
> they had no resistance to, and now claim that it is a natural process that
> caused them to die.


OMG Dean!  Of course we did!  That was the experimental design.  When a
novel strain of virus enters a population of bees, many colonies die. This
has been observed all over the world throughout history.  I can't imagine
how you cannot see it as a natural process, that we tried to replicate in
the trial (although we didn't expect the bees to die).

As I've mentioned previously, I'm currently running another trial that
started with 48 apparently healthy hives.  This trial is not connected with
Remembee or Monsanto in any way, and is funded by Project Apism.  I
inoculated the colonies with a slurry of bees taken from that very apiary
(nothing new or synthetic introduced from outside that apiary).  The slurry
consisted of the equivalent of 50 ground up bees, drenched in syrup.

That "natural" inoculum crashed 47 out of 48 of those colonies!  Even
though conditions were perfect for buildup, with plenty of pollen and
nectar, supplemented with sucrose syrup to help them draw comb.

Dean, I don't understand why you can't grasp the concept that bees get sick
all the time.  They don't need pesticides, cell phones, synthetics, plastic
foundation, or even varroa to get sick!

I've wasted time in conversation before in my life, but this particular
exchange may take the cake : )

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

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