For comparison, those are enviable takes--spot on for any good queen producer--good enough for bragging rights. And far better than that attained for the control group in nearly any scientific study that I've read.
Thanks, But 2 things to understand, first I have access to the absolute best breeders in the country and am not shy about what they have shown me!.....
Second as most do, I take out the oops... We don't count the graft where I miss a queen, or the week it rains for 8 days while mating should be done. Its also taken me 5 years or better of trials to get here. Learned by hard Knocks a 2 deep frame hive is a mating nuc.
So clearly you have success in obtaining mated queens in a neonic/soy area. How about premature failure--any noticable problems? After successful introduction, 20% failure of healthy queens would not be abnormal.
Not sure, I would say we right at that, but frankly we get way too busy to keep track While the queen source and age is noted on the box, I don’t keep track of the failures except by mental issues, such as a bad batch of 200 this year from a supplier.
I will say this, my home yard with my breeder queens are all overwintered, and making honey. The home yards average is right at 190 per hive so far with about 6 weeks left. Kick ass year. That’s a great number as the home yard hives I get into quite often to steal eggs and brood.
There is plenty of evidence that by practicing IPM and crop rotation that dependence upon pesticides can be reduced. As consumers shift their demands upon the growers, perhaps including paying a bit more for product, agriculture will continue to shift. This is certainly occurring in California, and with hope will spread to the Corn Belt. Charlie is correct that it is all about incentive and economics. Consumers vote with their dollars, and farmers respond.
We still disagree here, I deeply disagree with You and ET, and reinterate, no skin in the game!, But with a huge amount of respect to your position as I know you work harder than most at IPM.
The reason for that is simple. We as beekeepers have a corollary, every one of us is dealing with mites, and I say with little reservation most of us treat propolacticly. (I know Even Randy does at times) The way we treat our bees is somewhat similar. Not exactly though as for most of us a dose of treatment is subsidized by our incomes. We frankly don't give a shit if its 8.00 a hive. But as a farmer, that’s the end of the world. So while we sit here and practice Prophlactic treatments on our hives, and preach how farmers who make a living at it waste their funds on excessive treatments, I wonder how many of us can see the foolish irony as we step up to the soap box????
Charles
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