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Date: | Thu, 17 Nov 2005 20:05:09 -0500 |
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Lloyd wrote: We had the 2nd wettest July on record.
That wasn't how I remembered things, so I went to local weather charts to check. Actually, June was very wet, carrying into July 1 when it rained 3 inches. Excepting July 1, July was drier than average and definitely hotter than average. Up to July 1 the bees were doing quite well, but things came to a screeching halt after that as things stayed very hot and very dry into goldenrod, when the rain returned with a vengeance. October totaled almost 9 inches of rain!
So it was a very unusual season in these parts. The bees (or at least my bees) took back stores during the summer they had capped in June. This was a season that even the loosestrife failed, and legend has it that loosestrife NEVER fails. It did this year. I suspect things got so bad during the mid to late summer that queens shut down and never recovered once the rains returned. My recollection is that there were 3 solid weeks of rain from September into October. Most whom I've talked to are very worried they will suffer heavy winter losses. Count me as one of them. Yes Bob, I am admitting dismal winter losses and it's not even Thanksgiving. I'd be combining the weak with the strong, but almost everything is weak.
I did use formic pads when I pulled supers in September, and things looked promising then. But I am not pleased with how my bees look at this point in time. Small clusters and hives were light. I fed copious amounts of HFCS in October, but I fear too little, too late.
I am hearing similar stories from many in this area (way upstate NY and Western Massachusetts).
Aaron Morris - thinking silent spring.
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