Steve Noble asked whether I had checked for tracheal mites.
A very good question!
Let me ramble on a bit.

Few experiments go as planned--especially in the field.  I have great
examples that I give my students of how Murphy's Law kicks in, or the
Law of Unintended Consequences plays out.  In the Discussion section
of a paper, suggestions as to how the experiment should be run next
time, or additional data that should be collected are discussed.

I have no intention of taking research away from the academics with
labs, graduate students, and need for grants and academic advancement.
 They are in the position to perform the meticulous dissections, PCR
analysis, etc needed to determine the details of why something
happens.  I've been there years ago.

What I see in bee research is that simple experiments to test
practical beekeeping methods are not sexy enough for academics to
perform--they just wouldn't polish their resumes.  Beekeepers often
need to see results of "quick and dirty" trials that test for what is
important to them:
Will X kill mites or nosema?
Will X let your colonies produce more honey?
Will X make you more money in almonds?

The beauty of these questions is that they can be answered by
measuring simple data--mite counts, spore counts, colony weight,
frames covered by bees, etc.  These data can be collected with the
simplest of tools--mainly your eyes and a pen.

These experiments are simple, yet they test important management
issues.  They can test the actual efficay of things such as small cell
for mite control.  The results can be immediately applicable in bee
management.

However, they are unlikely to determine the mechanisms that cause the
results.  To understand the mechanisms, we need meticulous researchers
who task out to their students tedious jobs like tracheal mite counts,
protein levels, microscopic dissections, chemical analysis, etc.  This
is where the academics excel, and I strongly support them, communicate
with them, and avidly read their results.

I encourage beekeepers to perform their own controlled trials, and
share the results.  I plan to write an article soon describing just
how to set up controlled trials, and some pitfalls to avoid.

So Steve, yes I wish that I had taken tracheal counts, plus post
capping durations, etc.
However, the results that I obtained suggest that there is some factor
about HSC that suppresses mite buildup, and I am glad to contribute
some good data.

Randy Oliver

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