----- Original Message ----- From: "randy oliver" > I'm wondering if it could have to do with your corn pollen, or something > else regional. In Australia we don't have mites. And we enjoy a mild climate. With that out of the way I am always amazed at how little attention pollen gets on this list. Whenever, at least competent Oz beekeepers talk about bees, pollen is part and parcel of that conversation. After all pollen is the source of almost all the bees nutrition. The boss of a leading outfit I worked for years ago, preparatory to writing up his daily diary, would invariably ring up that night if he had not been out with us. Always was asked the question, "what was the pollen like"? To paraphrase an American politician-its the pollen stupid. To adhere to the thread. We regard pollen or lack of it, as a major part of the nosema story. Geoff Manning ******************************************************* * Search the BEE-L archives at: * * http://listserv.albany.edu:8080/cgi-bin/wa?S1=bee-l * *******************************************************