>In these gene modification treatments, what genes are being modified? Allen, we keep jumping from topic to topic, and this is getting confusing. RNA interference (RNAi) is not genetic engineering. The immediate practical applications of interest to beekeepers would be the feeding of double-stranded RNA sequences (dsRNA) to bees (to suppress viruses, nosema, or varroa), or the spraying of dsRNA products upon plants to cause negative effects upon specific pests. These technologies will soon come to market, and I have seen them be successful. I am currently involved in field testing. This is analogous to natural processes that happen within every organism's body, and to you every time you eat a meal--there are tons of dsRNA and micoRNA products in plant and animal cells--many of which pass into your bloodstream with every meal, and may have positive or negative effects. I understand Peter's concerns, but have not observed any negative effects upon colony health. On the other hand, Peter also introduced an entirely different subject--that of gene insertion (or permanent gene knockout). I have not heard of this technology having any relationship to date with beekeeping. -- Randy Oliver Grass Valley, CA www.ScientificBeekeeping.com *********************************************** The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html Guidelines for posting to BEE-L can be found at: http://honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm