>
> >It doesn't take too much of a jump to consider that the presence of
> various bacteria in the hive provide a "helpful stress"....activating the
> immune system, and protecting the bee (brood, colony, etc.).
> And it also is no jump at all to state that they can also inactivate,
> overload or otherwise distract the "immune system". if such a thing exists
>  Bacteria, fungi, viruses, fragments, chemicals... all these things
> interact.


Absolutely right Allen.  One of my recent articles in ABJ detailed just how
complex the interactions are.  Of note is that it is often a very fine line
between being a beneficial, a commensal, or a pathogen.

Randy Oliver

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