> Hope Allen Dick can come up with ideas in his testing in the next few weeks.
Just in case there is a misunderstanding, I am not personally doing any testing but mentioned that Jerry Bromenshenk is in California right now looking for smoking guns. he has been working on this for some time now and is convinced he has the answer, but is awaiting peer review. (see quote below)
Any sampling I am involved in is in Canada, doing field work under the supervision of Dr. Medhat Nasr. Officially, there is no CCD in Canada, although high losses have been experienced in the West over the past several winters.
Sampling has determined that the prime suspects are nosema ceranae and varroa levels well over 1-3% going into winter. A co-ordinated effort by commercial beekeepers under direction of Dr. Nasr this fall has resulted in very low levels for the first time in years going in, and we are waiting expectantly for better results next spring...
Here is Jerry's appeal for co-operators. Call him if you have anything that can help.
---
All
I'm in a hotel in Oakdale tonight. Flew out to check reports of
widespread bee losses in CA, escalating rental fees, possible shortages. I'm also
taking samples - looking for two types of bee operations to inspect/sample:
Those with unusually high losses - assuming anything is left to see/sample,
AND just as importantly
Those with Great bees, no history of CCD.
Our analyses have provided leads to a very specific pathogen complex that
we are trying to verify.
I'll be here about a week, traveling up and down the state. I can be
reached at my
_beeresearch@aol.com_ (
mailto:beeresearch@aol.com) e-mail, or my
cell 406-544-9007.
Thanks
Jerry
P.S. I need contact information - cell phone preferably - since everyone
is involved in a major push to get bees in to the almonds, hard to reach by
any means other than cell - which they might answer. Of course, if you
know where they go to breakfast about mid-morning, give me the address of the
diner.