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It looks like they took the white part on top.

The liquid below is clear. I tested the pH with a hydrion strip and it is in the pH 3 range!

I can see why they didn't consume it.

However, we...

You're forgetting that you can also get fungicide, etc., into the seed coat.
The seed coats come in different pesticide formulations.

So, who knows what differences there could have been.

You're forgetting that it could be a variety of pesticide formulations acting together synergistically to produce the bee kill.

Who knows what Steve is able to test for, and what will be missed?
...

I took out the gallon feeders containing the fermented 1:1 sugar syrup/whole milk/probiotics.
They took a quart from each feeder since 4pm last Thursday. That's a little better than the pint they...

That's over 1500 hives that he put in harms way.

Are you saying that it's a 'political' bee kill?

How do you make bee feed organic?

Hmmm.

Maybe start with the bacteria in honey/pollen?

Let me run this up the flagpole, and see if anyone salutes...

All the majors involved create a fund and replace any honeybees, and equipment, lost here in the US during a season.

That's a mere...

If I were a betting man...

I doubt that Steve had the forethought to trap or collect conataminated dust. It could be as simple as petri dishes. or as complex as pollen measuring devices.

It's...

Jim:

In my opinion...

If you're running a business, you have to follow best/standard practices.

No argument there.

However, Mike is making a very important statement.

The microbes are dormant.

I've used organic honey, unpasteurized/unfiltered, to inoculate media made from 1/2 gallon 1:1 sucrose + 1/2 gallon whole milk.

So, I now have 1 gallon inoculated with...

I don't know if that's going to be helpful after the bee kill.

Steve's choices seem to be to move the hives when that farmer is planting, or fight against environmental contamination by modern...

Barry:

His counsel will have already told him about the U.S. case law. No beekeeper has ever won a pesticide kill case of that type.

Without the dust traps, he has no case.

It's just the way...

Nope. Dust traps are the key.

You need to show that the farmer used the product improperly. He was negligent when he caused the coat to abrade from the seed.

You can't win in the aerial...

Yes. But, I usually let counsel handle the details.

The farmer is the one who is going to take the fall because his co defendants will demonstrate his negligence.

He is the one who will be...

He won't be alone.

Tut, tut, tut. Let's not forget who the plaintiff is.

Steve isn't just any beekeeper.

You forgot that Steve can sue everyone involved, including the seed drill manufacturer.

Use dust traps on your property. Forget about trying to prove that it's poisoning your bees.

Prove that poisoned dust is contaminating your property due to a product defect.

That's actionable.

Coumaphos and fluvalinate? The entire US beeswax supply is contaminated with it.
We both know that there haven't been any successful Honeybee pesticide poisoning suits here because you can't...

While you can't prove cause and effect in Honeybee field trials, you can most certainly prove translocation. Steve and Randi need to look to some of the Italian dust trap experimental designs.
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Red cabbage juice gets degraded.

I'm not so sure about food coloring.

Does anyone normally see anything blue in a cell?

I was thinking red cabbage juice. It turns red at an acid pH.

On second thought, some food coloring would be an easier way to track it. Blue food coloring maybe?

After reading some of the comments made (both on and off the board) regarding the types of strains involved in the fermentation of pollen and honey, I'm making up a batch of Beegurt using a few types...

DWV, and IAPV can replicate in mites, Honeybees, AND Bumble Bees. So, some pathogens have spilled over.

JSL:

It's simply whole milk, 1:1 sugar syrup, and probiotic LAB.

I consider the live bacteria to be the main nutrient source. The lactic acid may have multiple beneficial properties as well.
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