Time is money and money is time.  A 25% loss is much more than a loss of bees..

Creative accounting,   While its common to try to count  potential income,  its not legal or right.   That’s what BIP would like you to do.   Count your Potential!
 

Pete made the comment he supports  BIP and its just too much data,  I agreed for a while,  but the last two years of sensationalism has me on the other side now.  Jose commented  all data is good,  In this case I am starting to disagree with that thought.  All the convoluted stories of test/no test, commercial/hobby  and many other "comparisons"  has completely befuddled the issues.    I see mass confusion, and sensationalism as the only output so far.   The info we need has been gathered,  but hasn’t been shared.  But just my position.  We now have the teams from BIP and for a fee,  they will try to tell you what you need to do,  or what you failed to do.    Interesting concept....  I will leave it at that.


Back to creative accounting....


We like to banter about losses,  but lets seriously look at the concept we are trying to push.  Take chickens for example,  with few exceptions  there are 100% losses every year ( darn few private flocks may go longer)  but are chickens in danger?  Not even close.   Can an egg producer count losses  on eggs that don’t hatch as a potential loss on chickens??  Try that with the IRS.   Cattle are capable of 2 calves a time,  can we count it as a loss when we only get one??  Nope, not how it works.

In the wild the vast majority of swarms die every year and don’t make it (see Dr. Seeleys work)  so why do we get to claim every one as a increase?  And count it as a loss when it dies?  We could seriously argue the PPB was the reason,  which would make counting it as a loss a fraud.  Yet here we are using BIP numbers which do exactly that as the holy grail and the answer.  

I disagree,  USDA numbers show steady to a rise in the number of hives, thank almonds for that.  While we certainly do have bee problems to work on,  we are in no serious danger at the moment,  beekeepers are whats been vanishing.

If we count chickens like BIP and others want to count beehives,  the numbers are staggering. Just think how much food we lose if we lose eggs!    I bit of tongue in cheek there,  but the logic is exactly the same.  Only difference was the hive dies before we thought it should,  just like the 60 or so chickens I lose to hawks every year.   Until I figure that one out,  McMurry will plod on....  I guess I should comment about the commercials ruining the genetics and not raising predator proof birds,  but I will leave that for another day!

Back to the mite and beetle breeding ranch!

Charles

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