Snake oil or the real thing

[JackM]

Interesting article
http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013/09/29/swedish-researchers-develop-medicine-to-protect-bees-from-deadly-diseases/?intcmp=latestnews

[JWChesnut]

The Swedish researchers have been writing on this subject since 2005.
A recent publicly downloadable pdf is
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0033188

This ties into the push/pull over hive biota and treatments.  I think there are valid observations on both sides of the debate, but way too much posturing.

[Michael Bush]

It's what lives in the gut of the bees if you don't use antibiotics...

[buzzbee]

Reminds me of when I worked on a farm years ago.Sometimes when you had a bovime that may have been over treated with antibiotics,we would get some rumin from a healthy animal and give it to the ill one . It gave a boost to the digestive tract.

[MsCarol]

Reminds me of when I worked on a farm years ago.Sometimes when you had a bovime that may have been over treated with antibiotics,we would get some rumin from a healthy animal and give it to the ill one . It gave a boost to the digestive tract.

I have done that with goats.....and even still have all my fingers. :-D

They now market probiotics in a "calking gun" that does much the same. Bitten fingers is a good motivation for invention.

Not sure the probiotics in the tube would be close enough to what the bees use to be helpful or not.....but it is a thought.

[JWChesnut]

Not just farm animals:
http://blogs.plos.org/publichealth/2013/05/29/why-diy-fecal-transplants-are-a-thing-and-the-fda-is-only-part-of-the-reason/

[BeeMaster2]

Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, "Eat sh-- and Bark at the Moon".
:imsorry:
Jim

[MsCarol]

Young foals often ingest momma's poop to gain those needed probiotics.

Make one wonder if momma's pre-chewing food for babes also added the needed bacteria,

As I feel we/I may be going way OT, is there any reason that offering a sweetened version on probiotics would be a problem with the bees?

On the other hand, in livestock country they already frequent cow poop piles and salt licks.