Bill,

>Just like not letting your child have antibiotics and see if they
survive on their own. You can go to jail for that.

Though well-taken, I find this analogy half-accurate—-given the dynamics
and variables unique both to bees and humans.

We are talking about regularly administering antibiotics for every disease
in the book: pimples, colds, diarrhea, indigestion, etc.  Why not?  “They
are available and they work wonders.”  This process have already resulted
in genetically modified bee strands fit for the Garden of Eden, caught
inside the bubble of human medication.  They need to be taken out and
exposed to bee-microbes.  This exposure is what I am talking about.  The
longer we keep them inside the bubble, the more difficult it will become
for us to take them out and off the doping trail.  Inside the bubble,
greenhouse plants are healthy and green even in winter; similarly,
medicated bees can be healthy and robust in the ocean of diseases.  You
just wait till something pokes the protective plastic shield.

To build up sting-resistance, I get stung as often as I can without
deliberately doing so.  Why do we expose ourselves to stings?  (I remember
George I. stressing that one should get stung even in WINTER to sustain
the resistance, in fact.)  This kind of exposure to poison or pathogens
will strengthen our bees, my whole point.  Perhaps a better analogy that
explains how we have created EHB strands that are isolated in such a way
that they cannot survive at all without human intervention—-is trying to
find a complete sting-protection:  bee-suits, gloves, veils, helmets,
boots, flame-throwing smokers, etc.  However, no matter how expensive or
fancy your bee gear might be, there will be a day when one girl gets
inside your suit, and you then will find out if you are allergic.


Hum