> I question the wisdom of claiming that using antibiotics would increase production in bees. Can anyone explain the specifics of how that might happen?

I wonder if you are being deliberately combative or simply not attending closely to the discussion. Initially we spoke of the justification for using fumagillin. Most studies gauge the effectiveness of fumagillin by the resultant increase in brood production, bee production or honey production. 

It is well known that livestock producers routinely use antibiotics to stimulate growth, increase weight gain, etc. in the absence of any diagnosed disorders. When pressed, they admit they don't know why it works, but feel the gains justify the expense. 

I am personally acquainted with a beekeeper who runs around 500 hives who told me that he believed that feeding terramycin to apparently healthy colonies produced a noticeable improvement in their overall condition. I am pretty sure others have noticed this as well. 

We don't really know how or why this happens, but it is very likely that the presence of antibiotics stimulates livestock and probably bee colonies as well. It may cause an increased immune response, or may have some other effect that has not been identified. 

However, this all becomes beside the point when the medical and veterinary community has loudly condemned the use of antibiotics in this manner, especially ones that have usefulness in human medicine. Drug resistant pathogens are for real. My own physician told me straight to my face that he believes that drug resistant pathogens may end the human race at some point. 

I replied, I am a scientist. I believe we will outsmart them. But not if people continue to ignore the warnings. People around here take antibiotics every time they get a tick bite. i have been bitten a hundred times and never took antibiotics once for that. These drugs are used far too often, when not needed, and then when they are needed they may no longer work.

Pete

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html