Dean writes:

> shows that things commonly put in the hive by beekeepers (OA, FA, HFCS) all affect the growth rates of colony associated fungi.

But there is more to it than that. They actually state (*emphasis mine*)

> A healthy bee colony *CAN* regulate and control adverse conditions in the hive environment by cleaning and raising hive temperatures to kill pathogens (Starks et al, 2000).  If virus infection or parasitic mites compromise a colony, it *MAY* lose the ability to keep brood nest temperatures high enough to keep pathogens from gaining a foothold in the colony.  Evidence demonstrating that suppression of the growth rate of select fungi in the bee colony environment implies that altering or disrupting the composition of the colony mycoflora by treatments with formic acid and oxalic acid and HFCS *COULD* occur.  Futurework will examine the incidence of honey bee fungi and pathogens in colonies treated with formic acid and oxalic acid and fed HFCS. -- Journal of Apiculturol Research Received 23 October 2007

Here is some of the "future work": 

> Fungicides often account for most of the pesticide content of pollen. Unprecedented levels (99 ppm) of the widely-used fungicide chlorothalonil were found in honey beecollected pollen. Chorothalonil, a contact and slightly volatile fungicide, was found to be a marker for entombing behavior in honey bee colonies associated with poor health  -- Pesticides and honey bee toxicity – USA. Reed M. Johnson. Apidologie 41 (2010)

Based upon this and other work, I should like to point out that fungicide applied to crops while bees are gathering pollen *IS* a far more significant problem than beekeeper use of organic acids or corn syrup. 

PLB

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