> From comments you have written in the past, I assume that you mean that because most hobbyists are inexperienced, more of their hives die compared to those of commercials?  I know hobby beekeepers who have kept bees for more than 30 years.  

Clearly, the issue is not experience. It is management technique. This is explained in the most recent report

> Commercial beekeepers are more likely to be migratory, use their colonies to pollinate almonds, have more intensive management practices ... Backyard beekeepers tend to be stationary, have fewer colonies, and manage less rigorously.

Lee, K. V., et al. A national survey of managed honey bee 2013–2014 annual colony losses in the USA. Apidologie, 1-14.

* * *

Commercial beekeepers have a lot more at stake than sideliners. They have families and crews to support, loans to repay, etc. Many sideliners keep bees for fun and aren't overly concerned about how much they make off of them. I wish someone from Bee Informed were involved in this discussion, I think we could learn a lot from the interchange of information.

PLB

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html