> We know that if the virus is not present then colonies can carry very
large loads of varroa without these symptoms being present.

What we know is that Norman Carrick & Brenda Ball (U.K.) are pushing the
above hypothesis. Brenda helped with a dwv problem on a large scale in the
U.S.  last year. I followed the correspondence closely.

The only solution Brenda  gave which applied to the problem and matched what
was being seen was that if we could get the varroa control in the 90% range
the dwv problem would disappear.

We already new the above would solve the problem. Was kind of her to help
and advise but the U.K. provided no solution to the problem.

The dwv virus (and two others) was found in all samples sent to the U.K.
(and in most hives in the U.S. I have been told). So we are back to varroa
munching on the pupa vectoring the disease.

Brenda said our virus problems would become a non issue if we could keep
varroa loads low.  THERE IS NO WAY TO RID A HIVE OF VIRUS SPORES! Other than
melt the comb and boil  the frames which is not going to happen .

We call our virus problems PMS in the U.S. (named by Dr. H. Shiminuki). PMS
is observed  in a hive infested with varroa.
A point in infestation occurs and then the virus problems start. They can be
mistaken for foulbrood problems with the untrained eye!

It is wonderful Bailey named a bunch of virus for us beekeepers but without
a solution it is simply in the eyes of the commercial beekeeper more
documentation without a solution.

In the U.S. beekeepers have not wanted to see our precious research dollars
poured into a virus project which has no solution. My opinion and also was
the opinion of Dr. Shiminuki in the early years.

In closing I might add that after four years of research on the Primorsky
Russian bee I can say that the bee can carry a large varroa load in a hive
with DWV spores and not get the virus! I have laid awake at night wondering
why! The Russian bee shoots big holes in the U.K. hypothesis!

Bob

"What we don't know is so vast it makes what we do know seem absurd"

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