Jim wrote:

"I'd guess that more comb is now infected than not in the US.
it certainly has come up in conversations multiple times."
"The point I thought was "obvious" here was that while the
irradiation of comb will kill all pathogens, Acetic acid
fumigation cannot be expected to kill all particles/spores
of a suspected but unknown virus."
"the relative lackluster short-term performance of packages placed on 
untreated combs just
screams "Nosema" loudly."

Is this the same Jim who demands scientific rigour in answers from others 
from others?  No, I can't let you get away with words like "guess", 
"obvious", or "screams"!

As for:
"I'm sure you will agree that where bees have either form of Nosema,
comb will be contaminated/infected"
that is what we were trying to establish!

I asked: "Given the amount of work done so far on CCD and comb 
contamination, presumably someone has been checking for N ceranae spores?" 
(Note the question mark).

So far, the answer seems to be that nobody knows for sure and if they have 
then it does not appear to have been documented.  I must admit I find this 
hard to believe.

Best wishes
Peter Edwards
beekeepers at stratford-upon-avon.freeserve.co.uk
www.stratford-upon-avon.freeserve.co.uk/

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