Bob Harrison wrote:

>Having authored the only series of articles on the Australian import and
>most likely the most informed U.S. beekeeper on the subject (other than
>Danny Weaver)  I should comment.
>I believe (from memory) the article says IAPV came in with the import
over ten times.


Hmm. Better read the article:

Bees were analyzed in a metagenomic survey of four,
widely separated operations across the USA affected by
CCD. All operations were migratory, with wintering yards in
either Florida or California in February 2007 [(7), fig. S1].
Two non-CCD samples were collected from Hawaii and
Pennsylvania. An additional sample of apparently healthy
bees imported from Australia, and four samples of imported
royal jelly from China, were also tested as potential sources
of pathogens.

IAPV was found in all four affected operations sampled, in two of four
royal jelly samples and in the Australian sample

IAPV was first described in 2004 in Israel
where infected bees presented with shivering
wings, progressed to paralysis, and then died just
outside the hive. All of the CCD operations that
were sampled used imported bees from Australia
or were intermingled with operations that had done
so. Importation to the United States of bees from
Australia began in 2004, coinciding with early
reports of unusual colony declines.

We have not proven a causal
relationship between any infectious agent and
CCD; nonetheless, the prevalence of IAPV sequences
in CCD operations, as well as the temporal
and geographic overlap of CCD and the
importation of IAPV-infected bees, indicate that
IAPV is a significant marker for CCD.

And the follow up:

Our results show that IAPV in the U.S. predates both the latest
incarnation of CCD and
the importation of Australian package bees. Nevertheless, we caution
that much work is
still needed to absolve or implicate this virus, or specific imports,
in CCD. Most
importantly, experimental studies are ongoing to determine the
relative virulence of
imported or domestic IAPV strains, and such studies will provide the
best evidence for
making importation and management choices.

Most recently they add:

Finally, given work from Anderson describing "Disappearing Disorder,"
it is not clear that Australia is free of unexplained losses of honey
bees.  [D. Anderson, Rural Industries Research and Development Council
Publication #04/152 (2004)]

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