Reading on Bee-L of government cut-backs in funds to assist beekeepers, I thought it maybe of interest to some subscribers to know the West Virginia Department of Agriculture has received funding from the State Legislature to help West Virginia beekeepers avoid honey bee losses from tracheal and varroa mite. The WVDA beekeepers assistance program will provide help to State beekeepers by providing medication and one Buckfast queen. With few if any feral colonies and a handful of beekeepers left, hopefully the distribution of this fine strain will give better resistance to the future stock. We've had a cool spring this year, but the first main honey flow of tulip poplar and blackberry should start in the coming week. My grand total of five hives have increased to thirteen by way of swarming. All the swarms landed, as they do every year, in the same bush and tree. This year seven out of eight settled on or at ground level. This could be due to the windy, cool weather. Our bee inspector could not find any varroa mites in my hives but this was only by drone brood examination. At least they are at low levels. Steve Davis [log in to unmask]