Hello Peter & All,

Around six years ago I was involved with heavy losses in an operation in the 
south  running around fifty thousand hives.( comments in the BEE-I archives) 
Samples were taken and sent to the UP.I. for testing. I spent many days 
looking over the return data from Brenda Ball & Norman Carrick.

From what I learned from the experience I feel qualified to comment.

Virus are in all hives. None of the below are new or not common. DEW & BACK 
are very common and common in samples when bees are crashing. Were in those 
samples back then.

Spain has been fighting a long battle against nosegay coronae. What the 
below research leaves out is my sources say around 100% of the below test 
hives had levels of nosegay coronae. Exactly like the COD dead outs. In COD 
100 % of the COD hives tested positive for nosegay coronae.

Norseman coronae weakens the bees immune system which most researchers 
agree.  since we know samples taken in 1985 in Maine and checked last month 
found nosegay coronae spores in 30% of the samples one has to wonder the 
influence with the problem hives.. Yes fellow beekeepers nosema ceranae has 
been in the U.S. a long long time. At least 24 years and exactly how much 
longer is being looked at as I write.

 What does surprise me from the below is that KBV was only found in 1.7% of 
the samples. KBV killed thousands of hives in the Peace River district of 
Canada around five years ago or what was the suspected killer reported by 
Canadian researchers( Speedy Bee /ABJ & B.C.).

Looking back the missing data which may provide a key to those dead hives is 
*if* was nosema ceranae was present in those samples back then. We need to 
go back and recheck those samples to confirm *if* nosema ceranae was 
present. Back then both Canadian researchers and the USDA_ARS said nosema 
ceranae was not in the U.S. & Canada. Opps!

Danny Weaver ( president of the American Beekeeping federation at the time) 
said at the time in the ABF newsletter Sept./Oct. 2007 vol. 65 no.5 pg.4 
"From the president"  ( and quoted in my Dec. 2007 ABJ article  pg. 1030) 
that the main findings by CCD researchers looking into CCD was the fact the 
Nosema ceranae and KBV was found in 100% of the CCD samples while ABPV was 
not.

It is my opinion. *OPINION* that if researchers in Canada revisit those 
sample from the Peace River die off that nosema cerane spore levels will be 
found which *could* link those dead hives to CCD . Canada researcher still 
persist that the huge die off of bees in Canada is not linked to CCD ( which 
may or may not be true in my opinion)

I guess if maybe we knew exactly what CCD is then Canada researchers could 
decide.

> The occurrence and spatial distribution of deformed wing virus (DWV),
black queen cell virus (BQCV), and Kashmir bee virus (KBV) were assessed in
294 honeybee colonies in Spain by employing a SYBR-Green based real time
RT-PCR. 60% of them were positive for both DWV and BQCV, and those two
viruses were detected in 84% and 68% of the samples, respectively.
Conversely, KBV was detected in only 1.7% of the samples. -- from the 
abstract.

The USDA-ARS said for years we had no KBV in the U.S. then Denis Anderson 
( Australia world famous virologist) discovered KBV in U.S. samples. Opps! 
Then when older samples were rechecked KBV was found to be widespread in the 
U.S.

100% of CCD samples!

It would be interesting to me to learn as close as possible to the number of 
years KBV has been in the U.S.

five years?

10 years?

decades like nosema ceranae?

Moving on as viruses have always been with us ( Bailey) and no way to fight 
except:

After days of looking at research from the U.K. and looking at the 
conclusion presented by Ball & Carrick ( U.K. virus researchers) the only 
path for beekeepers was to control mites and other problems ( nosema 
ceranae)  and provide the best nutrition possible for our bees.

Actually  since then Brenda Ball & norman Carrick have been let go and the 
research on virus and bees has been stopped. Has the situation changed U.K 
beeks on BEE-L?

As beekeepers we face many problems . Our CCD working team has listed four 
possible causes for CCD  (which is simply a name for specific symptoms and 
in my opinion only muddies the water but at least has drawn attention to 
hives crashing and made possible much needed bee research we would not have 
been able to afford as an industry without public attention to our problems 
which is why I support the CCD team. Wall Street gets a  700 billion 
bailout ( now referred to as  a rescue plan) and beeks get 4 million. Alaska 
fisherman received 160 million for their problems. However I do appreciate 
whatever beekeeping receives.

Despite what some may say both national organizations ( and many beeks) have 
spent many days in Washington testifying and pushing for our cause. 
Countless beeks have pushed their reps for action.

So far the best advice for our current virus problems came to me  from  the 
U.K. years ago and still works for me today plus the discovery of nosema 
ceranae ( 24 years after found in 30% of the Maine samples). Although my 
friend Randy Oliver and I do not agree on the the dangers nosema ceranae 
presents to beekeepers ( researchers in Spain are not in complete agreement 
also) I can say I have been fighting losses in my hives from nosema ceranae 
going on two years. I saw the problem but did not know what I was seeing 
until testing confirmed nosegay coronae. This fall I am only seeing bees not 
taking feed in two yards and hope to see the problem turned around this week 
after two drenches. if not I will drench again . Since I have adopted Randy 
Oliver's recommendations ( also Dr. Eric Mussed) I have not observed the 
dead bees in feeder symptom so I believe I am getting on top of my nosegay 
coronae issues.

In my humble opinion the bee viruses in Spain causes no concern. Nothing 
new!

bob 

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