Bob writes:
> In my humble opinion the bee viruses in Spain causes no concern. Nothing new!

Well, it IS causing concern in Spain. The Spanish investigators wrote:

The honeybee Apis mellifera is subject of many viral infections
that have been increasingly investigated during the last
decade. In general, honeybee viruses are widespread and most
of them cause unapparent and persistent infections,
and environmental factors or parasite infestations may activate
virus infections and sometimes, lead to the appearance of clinical
symptoms. These viruses affect honeybees
and their production causing important economic losses

In the last few years, the diagnostic methods for honeybee
viruses changed from serological to PCR-based methods

Since the pathological
importance of the multiple infections is still unknown, this
kind of quantitative molecular techniques will contribute to
increase our knowledge of the relationships between the estimated
viral load and the clinical symptoms and to a better
understanding of the relation between the virus, the honeybee
and their environment.

Bob writes:
> 1. make a map of the areas hardest hit in Canada.
> 2. check with your agriculture people to see what chemicals etc. are being
used. If you are like the U.S. beeks which have looked at your
problems you will see a pattern. I think your Ag people might be right
when they say CCD is not the problem.

Have you made such a map? If you have, why don't you share it with us?
(and if not ...) By the way, CCD is not the cause of anything, it is
the result -- of something. It's like the blind men and the elephant;
each thinks he knows what an elephant is. And the experts are saying
the bee problem is -- all of these things.

People like Michael Schacker ("A Spring Without Bees, How Colony
Collapse Disorder Has Endangered Our Food Supply") are trying to make
a case that imidacloprid is the culprit and if we all went "Organic"
our problems would vanish.

My personal viewpoint is that one cannot understand what is happening
to the honey bee industry without understanding viruses. PS. The
Spanish report has maps.


-- 
Peter L Borst
Danby, NY  USA
42.35, -76.50
http://picasaweb.google.com/peterlborst

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