Thanks for the kind words Ian!

The focus of our industry in the past several years has been upon problems.
 And my articles in ABJ have largely been in response to addressing those.
 But in my speaking presentations, and new series of articles, I'm shifting
back to basic beekeeping and solutions for the future.

In a group like yours, which is composed of mainly professional beekeepers
(as opposed to most groups in the U.S.), my message includes the evolution
of beekeeping as a business, and future problems and opportunities (and I
see profitable beekeeping business opportunities in Manitoba).  As I
mentioned at your conference, I suspect that the U.S. commercial industry
will soon face some serious changes, which will catch many operators off
guard, as they don't have a Plan B for mite management.  You Canadians (who
have the benefit or learning from our mistakes) are in a better position
overall.

The high winter losses in Manitoba last year appear to be largely due to
professional beekeepers not responding in a timely manner to an
environmental aberration--lack of the "normal" fall pollen and nectar flow.
 You experienced what we Calif beekeepers experience every year, but many
Manitoba beekeepers apparently did not recognize that there would be
seriously consequences, and if you took action, it was not proactive
enough.  I hope it was a lesson learned!

> but did you say that when the bees feed on protein patties, they do not
feed it to the emerging bees?

The nurse bees (and at some times of the year, older bees) consume the
patties.  The nurses digest the material and convert it to jelly.  The
jelly is the currency of protein in the hive--fed by nurses to the queen,
the larvae, and to other bees by the nurses.  No patty is fed directly to
the larvae.

-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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