From: "deelusbybeekeeper" <deelusbybeekeeper@excelonline.com>
Date: Sun, 7 Oct 2001 22:24:12 -0700
To: <BiologicalBeekeeping@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: Re: How do you tell diseases apart

To Peter and all on BioBee:

I wrote:
>> "and no one talks about co-mingled cases either of
>> AFB and EFB both, nor do they discuss para foul brood."

Peter responded:
> Now this falls into my thoughts again!

Reply:
Well Peter, you need to get your hands on a copy of this paper in Vol 30, No.
2, 1991 of the Journal of Apicultural Research of the IBRA, page 75-80,
titled: A Comparison of Laboratory Techniques for the Detection of
Significant Bacteria of the Honey Bee, Apis Mellifera, in Argentina, by
Adriana M. Alippi. It dealt with this very topic and also how to isolate B.
larvae from samples with MIXED bacterial spore populations.According to the
results in this paper, the spore surface structures of the Bacillus species
associated with honey bees as seen by SEM proved to be the most valuable
method for their identification. It was shown here it was possible to
differentiate Bacillus species in a mixture, which is particularly
advantageous in cases of brood samples with confused symptomatology i.e.
para foul and AFB together, EFB and para foul together, and well, Peter, you
will just have to read it, and the pictures are great for ID also.

> This has allowed in the past the development of techniques and treatments
that often do more harm than good when viewed from
> a wide point of view.

Reply:

How this is true Peter. And yet look how our industry bought into even
Terramycin usage, though use of it shortens the life of our honeybees by
half.

One of the reasons we stopped using TM paddies or even TM in our colonies,
when I finally realized what I was reading and it hit home, we were losing
half of our bees lives every time we used the stuff, besides making chaulk
brood worse and even inducing chaulk.Just a case of swaping one disease for
another. So what is really gained?

> In this case, it then comes down to the stronger lobby - and beekeepers
against the other sections of the agricultural
> industry count for little.

Reply:

So sorry but true I feel so many times Peter.

Best regards,

Dee A. Lusby