Mime-Version: |
1.0 |
Sender: |
|
Subject: |
|
From: |
|
Date: |
Sat, 26 Jan 2008 23:44:15 -0500 |
Content-Transfer-Encoding: |
8bit |
Content-Type: |
text/plain; charset="windows-1252" |
Reply-To: |
|
Parts/Attachments: |
|
|
I wrote
> ...you might want to consider the possibility that the
> bacterial or viral or fungal pathogen is transmitted by
> a parasite such as Varroa or tracheal mites, which would
> make controlling mites the key to controlling CCD.
Jim Fischer responded:
If any of those possibilities were the case, then, colonies
from packages on irradiated combs would have fared no better
than colonies from packages put on non-irradiated combs.
Does the fact that the final pathogen that produces CCD persists on dead
out equipment really preclude the existence of an intermediary such as
Varroa? If so how? I guess I just don't see how it is necessarily an
either/or proposition. And if there is an intermediate carrier, then
wouldn't controlling that carrier be crucial to at least reducing the risk
of CCD?
Also, I am not sure I see that stress is something that ought not be
considered here. And I'm not on the anti commercial band wagon. The fact
that in the study you mention stress was the same for all colonies just
means that stress was not a part of the test. Stress may not be easily
measured, but it certainly can be induced. That stress tends to weaken an
organism's immune system is a pretty universally accepted notion if not a
scientifically proven fact. On the other hand it is possible that the
honey bee immune system has no chance against whatever causes CCD in which
case no amount of stress reduction would do any good against it. It does
seem like this possibility has not been as fully considered as the ones
that tend to point the finger at commercial beekeepers, those ultimate
stress inducers of all time. It just occurred to me that if stress is such
a big factor in CCD then stationary beekeepers ought not worry about
getting it since their bees are all on the Apis equivalent of a yoga
retreat. I'm just kidding.
Steve Noble
******************************************************
* Full guidelines for BEE-L posting are at: *
* http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm *
******************************************************
|
|
|