The Spanish paper is a big first step - given the size and geographical
distribution of their sampling.
They looked at three viruses. Keep in mind, there may have been more - PCR
requires a primer specific for each virus surveyed. So, three viruses= three
primers. Since its pricey, most investigators can't afford to survey for
all viruses. P.I.s have to choose which ones they want to look at.
We're taking a bit of a different approach. We've continued working with
U.S. Army and BVS, Inc. - its slow since we're (Bee Alert and Univ MT) are not
funded to do this work - we didn't get any of the $4m, and the announcement
and deadline for the Specialty Crops came two weeks apart in the middle of the
summer, when we have to do the work that pays us (Army landmine). To short
a fuse to respond with a competitive proposal.
However, the good news is that we are in the final stages of sorting out
virus, bacteria, fungal, and microsporidian (N. ceranae) data from the last two
years. Its not simple, but we've got everything in the bee samples - data on
all known viruses, fungi, bacteria, plus by using IVDS, a few unknown
(un-named) viruses.
Our first step was announcing the discovery of the presence of VDV-1 in
North America in two colonies from the east coast. We've just found it in a
western colony.
We're working up papers and will be able to provide an overview at the bee
meetings, starting with the MT annual meeting in Helena next Thursday and
Friday. We'll present at the Research Luncheon of the CA Beekeepers. And at the
AHPA in January.
Don't mean to tease, but we get upwards of 15,000 lines of data per sample,
and its slow going with little bits of funding. Most of the work has been
done by Army on their own dime. The industry owes them a tremendous thanks.
We don't want to set off any panics or launch some sort of witch hunt - but
we've learned a lot in the last year. Biggest news, it looks like beekeepers
can manage bees in ways to reduce/eliminate some of problem viruses. And,
we can now tell you whether any diet, management strategy, etc. is having a
positive, negative, or no effect on the entire suite of microbes in a colony
(viruses, fungi, bacteria, both nosemas).
For example, we found dead queens in packages - normally, we'd assume that
the queen died in transient - rough handling, over heated or chilled, etc.
Not so, everyone of the dead queens that we got were LOADED with a diverse array
and very high titers of viruses.
We've also found bees WITHOUT any signs of virus, and we've found one bee
operation with extremely low mites, N. ceranae, and the lowest diversity and
titers of viruses that we've seen across the U.S. - and the difference appears
to be related to their management practices - and NO, they aren't organic, and
it is a very big bee operation. Overall, they work their bees like Bob and
others. But they have one very big difference in their management.
We're getting clues as to how to better deal with the suite of microbes in
bees. We'll keep you posted as we learn, understand more.
FYI, I strongly disagree with Bob on this one. It looks like you can manage
viruses in ways other than simply keeping mites in check. But, to do that,
you have to be able to see what's going on in the colonies with respect to
viral diversity, infection levels, and specific viruses.
Think about AFB. Resistant AFB popped up a few years ago. Smart beekeepers
don't try to medicate it out of existence, they cull it out of the colonies.
How? Because they can see it, take action.
We're entering an age where you can 'see' viruses and everything else.
Jerry
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