Peter
 
I'm not sure how you would classify my credentials.  I, for one, have  said 
many times that CCD may be an old problem, never resolved, simply  cycling.  As 
mentioned before, reports of disappearing disease go back to  the 1890s.  
Widespread and severe DD was documented in LA, TX and other  states in the early 
60s.  Bill Wilson's 1979 paper indicates that something  virtually identical 
to what we are now seeing happened in 1975, was reported in  27 states.  
 
Interesting side note - for each outbreak, whether small or large, the  
probable cause changed with the decade.  In the early 60s it was  thought to be 
nutrition.  Then it was pesticides (low level, chronic  exposures), then it 
became a genetic problem.  Now its mites/pathogens/new  
pesticides/nutrition/unknown - depending on the beekeeper or  researcher.
 
As per pesticide residues -- the questions you ask are always a problem  
working after the fact.  One has to work with what one has.  A  beekeeper who 
sustains a massive bee kill from a pesticide application has  only bodies and hive 
components to sample - often collected far too many  hours, days, weeks after 
the exposure event.  Its part of the reason why  litigating pesticide issues 
in court is so time consuming and expensive.   Neither side has perfect data 
-- not even close to what a scientist would like  to have.  Best one can do is 
chain of evidence and appropriate sampling  protocols.  I worked with both 
NIST (aka Nat Bureau of Standards) on  banking honey bee reference materials in 
the 1980s, and with NBS and EPA's  pesticide lab on sampling and analytical 
sample preparation issues in the 70s  (before the EPA lab closed its doors).  
Unfortunately, much of what we  learned seems to have been forgotten.
 
A word of caution about about web postings on CCD.  Members of  the CCD 
Working Group have published some joint statements - such as describing  the 
symptoms of CCD.  These have been reviewed and approved by all.  
 
However, we are all individuals and have our own perspectives on the  issues, 
research needs, interpretation of data.   Individual  projects, studies, 
reports generally express the views of the authors  and may, may not reflect the 
views of other investigators.
 
Jerry
 
 



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