Steve wrote:

>The question that lingers in my mind is what symptoms would these heavily
parasitized bees show if the virus that is associated with deformed wings
was not present?  

Sacbrood virus is the most widely distributed of all honey bee viruses.
Since its first identification in the United States in 1913 (White, 1913),
infection of SBV has been found on every continent where A. mellifera honey
bees are present.

SBV attacks both brood and adult stages of bees, but larvae about 2-day old
are most susceptible to SBV infections. SBV affects adult bees without
causing obvious signs of disease, but the infected adult bees may have a
decreased life span.

From: "Honey Bee Viruses" Yan Ping Chen and Reinhold Siede

See also: "Virus infection causes specific learning deficits in honeybee
foragers" Javaid Iqbal and Uli Mueller

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