> For example... why fumagillin? In mammals it can adversely affect the immune system. Some of the bee samples that Dave Wick, next door, has seen, showed an increase of viruses after using this fungicide to treat Nosema - so the treatment may open the door to other problems. I must emphasize, this is very preliminary data...

In spite of the literature, for some gut reason (sorry), I never been a huge fan of fumigillin, and although I did use it a few times, any time I looked, I could never see justification for using it in my own outfit.  I suppose I should do a slide or two this year, since everyone else I know (everyone) is using it and showing much lower nosema counts.

> We were going to start with the commercial protein supplements and a 'beekeeper' recipe, but yes, they all warrant consideration - who knows what some of the home brew may do - and some of the initial virus screening data suggests at least one may beat the commercial preparations in terms of reducing viral loads.

Are you saying a home-brew protein supplement, or some bathtub herbal brew?

>> Do you think it is possible that we could design and perform a test via a web page or list like this, where some one (like Jerry) 
designed a test and the others went out and did what they were told and reported back?
 
> In our rejected USDA CAPS proposal, this was the main concept that we pushed... It does take more effort in designing and coordinating, and there are costs  - but it can and has been done.

I agree whole-heartedly and tend to believe the results could be much more robust and meaningful in the real world than some small local experiment run by researchers alone. For one thing, the timely distribution of products could be part of the test, if the widely placed participants all ordered supplies in the normal fashion instead of being delivered cherry-picked and mollycoddled samples to test. 

After all, the everyday glitches and backwaters in distribution and warehousing -- and perishability of the products in transit and storage -- are a crucial part of what  beekeepers can expect to experience with each product in real life.

Comparing products fresh off the line and possibly fiddled for perfection in full knowledge that the sample will carry the banner for the firm is less meaningful that comparing product that has been randomly and anonymously obtained in the normal channels, and possibly aged the average time a beekeeper would take to get it all into the hives.

If I am not asking you to tip your hand in the competitive and imitative market for research money, What do you figure such a test would cost?  How big?  How long?

             ***********************************************
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

Access BEE-L directly at:
http://community.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-LSOFTDONATIONS.exe?A0=BEE-L