The CCD Working Group and Representatives from the U.S. Beekeeping industry  
and associations met last week in Stuart Florida. We spent a full day talking  
about this, then continued informal discussions and meetings throughout much 
of  the week.
 
All of us have ben getting an avalanche of e-mails, phone calls, and  letters 
from just about everyone and everywhere.  
 
The good news is the overall concern expressed.  The bad news is that  we are 
inundated by all of the incoming suggestions and by the press.   Please don't 
expect us to answer every e-mail, etc. -- we need to get some work  done.
 
Between our own discussions and all of the input, just about every possible  
cause has been proposed and considered.  One of our objectives last week  was 
to set some priorities for what needs to be done and the order in which we  
will proceed, and where we can find funding to continue to look at this.
 
FYI, between Penn State, USDA ARS, the PA, FL, and CA state  representatives, 
and ourselves (Bee Alert), we have samples of bees, comb,  pollen, nectar, 
honey from many states and beekeeping operations.  Some  have been preserved in 
alcohol, others frozen.  The groups working on  bee diseases have both 
preserved and frozen (- 80) samples.   We have been focusing on getting very large 
samples of bees, whole  combs, which are frozen immediately for chemical 
analysis.  We are  also pulling vapor samples from within affected hives.
 
So, even if we don't look at something on the first pass, we've got  archived 
samples that we can look at later.  And yes, we see mites and  things that we 
aren't supposed to be seeing.  For example, there's  something falling into 
our sample bags that look like hive beetles -- in  California :).
 
Virtually anything known or suspected to affect bees is being  examined.  
Other considerations, especially those sent to us by e-mail,  range from possible 
to outlandish.  For example, I doubt that this is a  conspiracy by the 
chemical companies.  Nor do I think that it is it a  plot by the Russians, although 
the blog site is amusing.  And, CCD  is not likely to be asian flu jumping to 
bees - although the person  submitting the idea was truly concerned.
 
I have to give credit for creativity to the gentleman who doesn't keep  bees, 
but who says he knows what the problem is and how to solve  it.  He wants me 
to negotiate his fee before he shares his solution  with us.  Great business 
plan - pay me before I give you the answer.
 
Who knows, one of those unusual causes might actually have merit, so keep  
sending them.  But, we'll start with the more plausible causes - I still  think 
we may find that we are just seeing an old problem being expressed in an  
unusually widespread and severe manner.
 
At this time, ideas are great, but hard data is better.  We continue  to need 
input to our surveys - we've gotten some hints, but the return rate is  so 
small as to be almost unusable.  Rather than send guesses about causes,  please 
spend some time and fill out the survey -- we need to hear from both  those 
who have the problem and those who have not.  Surveys are available  for 
download or on-line submission at _www.beesurvey.com_ (http://www.beesurvey.com) .  
Thanks.
 
Jerry
 
J.J. Bromenshenk
Bee Alert Technology, Inc.
Missoula, MT  59802
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