> Way back in the 80's, and perhaps still, organic gardeners would mix up something they called bug juice - ground up bugs, aphids say or whatever you were having problems with- and use this as an organic insecticide on the insect problem. 
 
Interesting.  Is this the insect equivalent of catapulting dead bodies over the walls of the city you're besieging?  
 
If so, it could explain a lot about why colonies do well with brand new beekeepers (who obsess over every dead bee - maybe it's not beginners luck after all), die a lot when the honeymoon is over (but the relatively new beekeeper is still clumsy - maybe it's not just that varroa hit then), then generally do better again until you're big enough to have to start hiring help (who are again enthusiastic but clumsy).  That is a fascinating hypothesis.  
 
I wonder who we could convince to run an experiment to show whether (and how much) rough handling contributes to colony deaths.
 
Mike Rossander

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