Comments on: Colony Collapse Disorder: A clue http://www.washingtonwinemaker.com/blog/2007/09/13/colony-collapse-disorder-a-clue/ Growing grapes and making wine in Bellevue Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:09:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Erroll http://www.washingtonwinemaker.com/blog/2007/09/13/colony-collapse-disorder-a-clue/comment-page-1/#comment-1571 Erroll Mon, 29 Oct 2007 16:03:57 +0000 http://www.washingtonwinemaker.com/blog/2007/09/13/colony-collapse-disorder-a-clue/#comment-1571 The Columbia University study identified Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus as a "significant marker," but did not claim it caused Colony Collapse Disorder on it's own. It might work <i>in combination</i> with other stressors to cause CCD, though, and that's what they're investigating now. It's a little vague, Michael, to say "the French proved" that Imidacloprid caused CCD. How was this proven? Who, exactly, proved it? Is this 108 page report that you mention available online? Wikipedia's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imidacloprid_effects_on_bee_population" rel="nofollow">article</a> on Imidacloprid suggests that the link to French honeybee losses of the late '90s and early 2000's is far from proven. I'm not even sure that those losses are CCD. So I think the jury is still out on what's causing CCD, but the IAPV clue is important and should be followed up. In the meantime, remember that bee die offs, with virtually identical symptoms to CCD, have occurred many times before. We never discovered the cause of those episodes, which went by names like "fall dwindle" or "disappearing disease," but the cases go back as far as 100 years. That, of course, is long before Imidacloprid and most other modern pesticides were invented. The Columbia University study identified Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus as a “significant marker,” but did not claim it caused Colony Collapse Disorder on it’s own. It might work in combination with other stressors to cause CCD, though, and that’s what they’re investigating now.

It’s a little vague, Michael, to say “the French proved” that Imidacloprid caused CCD. How was this proven? Who, exactly, proved it? Is this 108 page report that you mention available online? Wikipedia’s article on Imidacloprid suggests that the link to French honeybee losses of the late ’90s and early 2000’s is far from proven. I’m not even sure that those losses are CCD.

So I think the jury is still out on what’s causing CCD, but the IAPV clue is important and should be followed up. In the meantime, remember that bee die offs, with virtually identical symptoms to CCD, have occurred many times before. We never discovered the cause of those episodes, which went by names like “fall dwindle” or “disappearing disease,” but the cases go back as far as 100 years. That, of course, is long before Imidacloprid and most other modern pesticides were invented.

]]> By: Michael http://www.washingtonwinemaker.com/blog/2007/09/13/colony-collapse-disorder-a-clue/comment-page-1/#comment-1561 Michael Mon, 29 Oct 2007 02:35:55 +0000 http://www.washingtonwinemaker.com/blog/2007/09/13/colony-collapse-disorder-a-clue/#comment-1561 IAPV is not the cause of CCD. IT has totally different symptoms and takes months or longer to develop. CCD can wipe out a colony in 24 hours. In addition the study was of a measly 32 hives. 1 healthy hive got CCD from the control and 8 from the unhealthy. Thats where the 96% came from and so it's not enough to say why 800,000 colonies died, many of which did not have IAPV. Plus IAPV is in hives that don't suffer from CCD. It's actually an insecticide called imidacloprid or IMD that is killing the bees, the French proved this in a 108 page report. 1.5 ppb of IMD causes CCD. IAPV is not the cause of CCD. IT has totally different symptoms and takes months or longer to develop. CCD can wipe out a colony in 24 hours. In addition the study was of a measly 32 hives. 1 healthy hive got CCD from the control and 8 from the unhealthy. Thats where the 96% came from and so it’s not enough to say why 800,000 colonies died, many of which did not have IAPV. Plus IAPV is in hives that don’t suffer from CCD.

It’s actually an insecticide called imidacloprid or IMD that is killing the bees, the French proved this in a 108 page report. 1.5 ppb of IMD causes CCD.

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