Don't shoot the messenger just because you don't like the message.   That 
quote is a paraphrase of comments from Trevor Williams, a world expert in  
IIVs.  These are a VERY nasty virus.
 
Look up African Swine Fever.  Initially thought to be possibly related  to 
HIV, it was subsequently classed as a mammalian iridescent virus.  Same  
type of capsid sphere, even discolored organs.  Eventually, when it was  
sequenced, it was considered to be different enough from the invertebrate virus  
to warrant its own group.
 
Trevor cautions that the pathology of ASF may be coincidental, but  
everything I read about ASF mirrors what we see in CCD and bees.  Survivors  may be 
carriers, losses may be sudden, but some linger and die, or slowly  
recover.  Devastating quick at times.
 
Now, the part that was left out -  if IIV turns out to be the culprit,  we 
don't see a quick fix.  Prevention may be better than a cure.   However, as 
with Mad Cow Disease, extermination is an extreme fix, something  we'd want 
to avoid, if possible.  If not, someone would have to compensate  the 
beekeeper - and that gets into the gov/big brother argument.
 
I've been buried by e-mail and phones.  Let this settle a bit, and  then 
I'd like a good discussion.  One point I will make - both pathogens  thrive in 
cool, wet conditions.  Neither tolerates or reproduces well in  hot, dry.
 
This suggests some options:
 
Look for sunny beeyards.  Stay out of fog bank areas.    Don't split small 
populations of bees in to two deep boxes.  Keep those  internal temps up.
 
Jerry

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