A few folks have spoken about EFB, and various approaches to dealing with it. But do any of you experts have a sure-fire method to culture EFB? I've tried and tried. It's difficult, even following the excellent suggestions in "Honey Bee Pests, Diseases, and Predators" from AI Root, and the various USDA publications. My second question should be obvious, in light of my first. Why should I worry so much about something I can't even culture reliably under even "ideal" conditions? I can culture everything else with "by the book" approaches, but M. pluton is a consistent tough one to "grow". Or perhaps I should worry more, and assume that lots of low-level EFB is escaping attention simply because it is so hard to culture and verify? jim :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::