Fortunately, most never germinate, but a small proportion do. The more spores present, therefore, the more that germinate to cause problems. Unfortunately, fumagillin is not effective against nosema spores. Thus, almost continuous feeding is required to keep active infestations to a minimum. Nosema is also a stress disease.
Most beekeeping management is hard on bees.
Feeding fumagillin to both queens and workers by producers in the holding facility and after arrival by recipient beekeepers is recommended by many bee inspectors. Although nosema is usually considered more virulent in the Midwest with its harsh winters, Florida research by Professor Frank Robinson, long-retired from the University, showed nosema was widespread in the Panhandle and other parts of Florida. The same colonies posted a 31 to 48 percent gain over untreated colonies the following year without repeating the treatment. Research in the 1980s by Dr. Alan Bolten, who is now associated with the zoology faculty at this university, showed similar increases in production. Unfortunately, neither of these particular studies made into the formal apicultural literature, but they corroborate other published findings.