On Sun, 20 Apr 1997, Walter Patton wrote:
 
> What effect might the viruses be playing in the die out rates? It seems
> like no one is interested in the viruses.
 
  Hi Walter,
 
 We have plenty of people interested in the virus problem.In the USDA Dr.
Hung, at UC Davis Dr. Peng inthe UK Dr. Ball who will publish her work
soon.Up in Ontario Canada Dr. Tellie Welesh.
  To work with viruses it takes a lot of time and money.If your interested
in more info on the subject read, Honey Bee Pathology by L. Baily & B.V.
Ball 1991 Academic Press Ltd.  ISBN 0-12-073481-8  . We do know that
Varroa is a vector of at least 3 viruses and maybe 2 more.Because your
working with protien covered material getting in DNA and RNA to multiply
it becomes complex.Mites are simple , but because of there relationship
with viruses , it is hard to know if the bee already had the virus but
inactive or the mite gave the virus to the bee.
 I'm very interseted in the virus problem. I know that some of my loss in
95 was do to the virus and the mite. The bees died too fast to be just
V.mites.
 We need to get as much help as we can for the researchers. This research
is very spendy and there is not much money out there for virus research.
This is a world problem , not just a US problem. I don't know of a place
that is free of all 22 bee viruses.
 
 Best Regards
 Roy