At 05:20 PM 2/16/99 -0800, you wrote:
 
>United States Department of Agriculture
>Agricultural Research Service
>Updated: 1998-12-18
>
>SEROLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR EVIDENCE FOR KASHMIR BEE VIRUS TRANSMISSION BY THE
>PARASITIC
 
>MITE, 'VARROA' JACOBSONI
>MOLECULAR STUDIES IN THREE STAINS OF KASHMIR BEE VIRUS
>THE ROLE OF VIRUSES IN BEE PARASITIC MITE SYNDROME
 
>Author(s):
>HUNG AKEY C
>SHIMANUKI HACHIRO
>KNOX DAVID A
 
The error in these papers is to suggest that these virus and more have/do
not by themselves caused great unexplained loss in honeybees for years in
the US and other areas without a connection to any parasites. Dogs have
fleas! If a dog is run down by a Mack truck and lives a few days the fleas
may appeared to have killed the dog as they will multiply to outrageous
numbers but the flattened gut is the killer. NO one has demonstrated adding
know numbers of vampire mites to a clean hive in the field will in X days
cause that hive to collapse and die. It may be possible to predict the out
come of hives that do show hair less bees in the field, not saying anyone
is doing that but would suggest that you mark these hives and see for
yourself if you have the black bee or hair less symptoms.
 
Bee PMS is bull pucky, and could just as well be expressed as Isle of Write
disease or disappearing disease or SAD bees. Its just a new name for
symptoms that have been around for 80 or more years.
 
Unless Shimanuki has changed his tune he will argue there is no such thing
as stress and I suggest that almost all things can cause stress in hive
bees and under the right conditions will cause the hive to collapse
dramatically with or with out mites, the same as hives will do even when
mites are controlled as directed by the product label.
 
I would like to say more but I am fighting with the 4 horseman and am not
good for long even at he keyboard.
 
Andy-
 
(c)Permission is given to copy this document
in any form, or to print for any use.
 
(w)OPINIONS are not necessarily facts. USE  AT OWN RISK!