Hello Allen & All,
Allen wrote:
At the Alberta Beekeepers Association meeting earlier this week, Lyle
Johnston (AHPA president) indicated that he suspects that there will be a
loss of about 40% of US hives between now and February.

40% figures out to a bunch of hives any way you figure.

I have already heard of beekeepers with 50% losses and winter is not here
yet.

Allen said:
 Bad news just keeps coming in.  Many US beekeepers have relied on Apistan,
then coumaphos.  Now neither are working.

Very true. Reports to me have said another method has been used also but now
is failing.

The true solution is varroa tolerant bees, soft varroa control ,with
contaminated comb replacement and monitoring mite loads

or

Perhaps replace all your comb with small cell foundation and downsize your
bees. Possibly with hives crashing and comb from years of strips needing
replaced a viable option to some now. Dadant sells the wax foundation and
the plastic. Rollers are available for "roll your own".

I have sit on this information on BEE-L long enough but did not want to
steal all the thunder from the bee labs winter presentations so have kept
quiet.

The bee labs are going to show slides at national meetings showing
contamination levels from chemical strips (each & together). new mass spec
machines have made the information possible.

Recommendation is going to be made to start rotating comb from the brood
nest which has been exposed to chemical strips. These slides and information
was shown at the fall Georgia Beekeepers meeting by the Beltsville Bee lab .

Allen said:
Eric Mussen, at the same meeting, says that in California, coumaphos is good
for about two years, then resistance develops.

A super mite has been running around California which seems unefected by
every method of control tossed at it. many beekeepers which did pollination
in California last year took the varroa (super mite) home. Many beekeepers
( but not all) are cussing almond pollination as they got little if any
honey crop and now half their hives are dead. Those beekeepers  are worried
sick they will not have enough bees to pollinate in California next spring
?????

On the lighter side:

we had a guy in high school  got a dose of VD (not to be confused with
varroa desturctor) twice from the same girl! He said he could not resist the
temptation to return. Such is the lure of California almond pollination!

A shot of antibiotic cures most VD but we are still looking for a cure for
the California super varroa mite!

Bob

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