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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
Steve Noble <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sun, 3 Aug 2008 13:44:45 -0400
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It has been noted that the reason for studying viruses in honey bees 
is to possibly eliminate them as the root cause of CCD or any other such 
devastating malady that might come along.  This seems obvious to me.  To 
suggest that studying viruses is somehow a waste of time would reveal a 
mind that is already made up or is otherwise non objective.  Even if 
viruses were not suspected of playing any role in CCD it would be important 
to study them in depth because they are there.  They are a part of the 
whole biological system that we call a honey bee.  To say that studying 
viruses in honeybees is a waste of time is like saying that studying 
individual bees is a waste of time because it is the colony we should be 
focusing on.  
     That said the reality is that there apparently isn’t much we can do 
about viruses in honeybees.  In humans our main line of defense is 
vaccination, but that is not going to work for insects.   Isolation is 
another means of controlling at least the spread of viruses in humans, and 
it works to a limited degree.  It’s interesting that the same problem we 
have with humans in this regard we also have with honeybees.  We want and 
need to be mobile and we want and need our bees to be mobile.  There may be 
some people who think we can conquer viruses through breeding, but that 
would be delusional.  Viruses are changing and adapting at a much faster 
rate than we could ever keep up with through breeding.   Nope, the only 
defense honeybees have against viruses is also one of the best defenses we 
humans have and that is by staying healthy and strong.  No matter how much 
we study and learn about viruses we will always come back to that reality.  
     But that’s not necessarily bad news.  Theoretically, as beekeepers we 
should have some control over the general state of health of our bees.  It 
is the one thing that keeps coming through for me in all this never ending 
discussion of CCD and other similar problems.  Sound practices, things like 
keeping varroa counts low, insuring a good source of high quality (non 
lethal) pollen, simulating swarming by making regular splits of your 
stronger hives, avoiding exposure to extremes of temperature, using the 
least toxic approaches to treatments that are effective, etc, etc.  Some 
would add not trucking your hives clear across the country on semis to that 
list, but if that is what you do for a living that advice doesn’t do you 
much good. You just know you have to do what ever you can to compensate for 
any stress that might put on them.  You never know what’s going to hit you 
next as a beekeeper, but if it’s a virus, and your bees are healthy, you 
may have a chance. In fact it may be your only hope. 

Steve Noble

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