from Mary Ann

Bee Disease Study: Nothing New is Compelling and Anything Compelling Isn't New

The Beekeeper / Kim Flottum

This is a guest submission to The Beekeeper by James Fischer.

Fourth down, no yardage gained.

All summer, we patiently waited. Perhaps you've been waiting too. We've heard all the rumors, and we watched everyone from the Wall Street Journal to the Lancaster Farming Journal print quotes from researchers coyly hinting about having found "the cause of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)" and the paper they were about to publish in the prestigious journal, Science.

We've been restrained — we did not want to jeopardize the paper's chances of being published, nor did we want to embarrass the authors. We are beekeepers, so we want quality work, and are willing to wait for it. Many of us engage in beekeeping for our livelihoods, so we are a deadly serious about CCD. So, beekeepers kept mum, and Bee Culture magazine printed only what had appeared elsewhere, not wanting to be the source of "leaks."

A fat lot of good that did us. The paper may turn out to be a much bigger embarrassment than anything that might have resulted from our actions. While the paper contains much that is new and compelling, what is compelling is not new, and what is new is not compelling.

The subject of all the hush-hush and anticipation turns out not to be an announcement of the "cause of CCD," but a tentative statement merely confirming the preliminary results announced back in April by representatives of the Army, BVS Inc, the University of Montana, and UC-San Francisco. The paper makes very similar observations that there is an apparent correlation between a specific set of bee pathogens and CCD. It also suggests that these pathogens can be linked to imported bees from Australia.

But the authors consistently failed to supply convincing evidence to support the claims they made.

Despite the serious defects in methodology, the assumptions made without sufficient basis, and the presentation of speculation as if it were fact, there is significant value among the defects. It is the first complete report on what pathogens have been found in all those samples contributed by so many beekeepers.

In short, the disease data is useful, even though it may not be as accurate or as relevant as we might have wanted.

But fall is here again. Fall was when CCD hit beekeepers hard last year. The paper offers no help at all to beekeepers. The researchers still don't have a clue about what to do to avoid CCD or how react to CCD. I'll say it yet again: "All we can do is watch hives die". How many times can beekeepers attempt to rebuild operations devastated by CCD before they go broke? How many beekeepers can suffer this kind of devastation before growers can't get pollination for their crops at any price? We might see the answers to both questions this fall. We'd rather not find out, thank you very much.

So, in terms of tangible results, the ball has not been moved a single yard from where it was in April. In summary, what we have is:

APRIL ……………………………………. SEPTEMBER
Nosema ceranae found all over ………… Nosema ceranae found all over
Of course Nosema apis is still around ........ Nosema apis found all over
New virus in CCD colonies ………………….. Virus is "Dicistroviridae", not "Iflavirus"
Deformed Wing Virus Found ……………...... Deformed Wing Virus Found
Sacbrood Virus Found ………………………... Sacbrood Virus Found
Kashmir Bee Virus Found …………………..... Kashmir Bee Virus Found
Found lots of other pathogens, too ……...... So did we.
Findings shared openly ……………………….. Findings not shared until published

So, maybe it is more accurate to say that it is fourth down, and we have lost yardage. We certainly have used up all our time outs. While the mainstream press is cheering the play, we beekeepers are much less enthusiastic.

This whole report is broken down into sections:

Practical Implications for Beekeepers
World Trade, Realpolitik, and Beekeeping
A Beekeeper Reads the Paper
What Happens AFTER What Comes Next
What You Don't Know About Beekeeping (A Rant)

Check back here periodically, I'm typing as fast as I can, and each section will appear just as soon as it can be formatted. But some will be here at thedailygreen.com, or on the CCD page of BeeCulture.com, or come to you as a CATCH THE BUZZ message (which you can sign up for at the BeeCulture web site).

James Fischer is a beekeeper who writes. Or maybe we should call him a writer who keeps bees. Regardless, he's one of the few people who knows beekeeping, is not snowed by the scientific jargon, and is willing to call 'em as he sees 'em.

Kim Flottum is the editor of BeeCulture magazine.

thedailygreen.com