>>This phenomena is being coined as a potential "AIDS for the bee 
industry" 

I hope this does not become common speak!  AIDS is a funny thing...  
The AIDS test does not check for specific viruses, it checks for 
antibodies.  Some 70+ conditions, not related to HIV, will give you a 
positive AIDS test - you take the flu shot and you will test positive 
for AIDS!  People have committed suicide or have been abondoned 
because of the AIDS test results. In Africa, people with malaria or 
tb test positive for AIDS and are not given clean water or treated 
for those conditions but get treated with deadly AIDS drugs instead. 

We don't want this kind of mendacity in beekeeping.  The beekeeping 
community needs to keep CCD as real as possible.  Isolate the real 
root causes, if any, and address them in safe, effective ways.

The public's knowledge about honey bees and their importance benefits 
from the media coverage of CCD.  I keep hearing about it all the time 
from people at work.  On the other hand, investigative reporters 
should do their homework and not emulate the story over and over.

Waldemar
 

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