Peter Borst wrote:
>
>  Another
> idea (mine) is: the colonies are widely spaced and high in trees may be very
> important. We keep our hives in apiaries, close to each other near the
> ground. Try keeping them 25 feet up and a quarter mile apart. That should work 
>
>
>   
Interesting that I thought the same thing in regard to Waldig's comments.

I could easily show that a swarm from one of my hives could, through 
further swarms, move ten miles from my home in a year or so. All that 
would be necessary then would be for the intermediate colonies to die 
off from whatever reason and the more distant colonies would, if there 
were no other beekeepers in the area, thrive because of the isolation. 
That group of bees would expand, naturally, until they came into contact 
with mites again. You could then have collapse all around the 
contaminated area, but that might just isolate the bees again so they 
continue to thrive. Separation is everything, as Peter surmises. It is 
not that the bees are genetically superior but that nature does not 
congregate even a few colonies of  bees in a small area. It knows better 
and keeps the losses and problems far enough apart to maintain the 
health of the whole system.

When you look at a forested area, the separation would be even greater, 
mostly because of the lack of forage.

If feral bees are the answer, it is easy to prove. Just move them to 
your bee yard on their own comb and never treat.

Bill Truesdell (who believes in feral bees but not Allen Dick, who 
actually is that man behind the curtain)
Bath, Maine

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