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Date: | Wed, 2 Apr 2008 08:57:09 -0500 |
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>
> The Adee's weren't doing anything all that different this year than last.
> So the question is, why did things go differently?
Being close to the Adee family through a member and the Brown's I have to
say the Adee's have had problems ever since they increased hive numbers from
the 40,000 range which they ran for decades and included California in their
game plan.
The Adee's have had problems for sure the last three years. My sources
report bigger problems the first year of CCD than admitted. Although Richard
did not give numbers when he testified at the senate hearing like the others
did.
Two problems the Adee's had during the time period (as told to me by family
members and employees) were trying to go to a Russian hybrid (which to my
knowledge they have dropped) and trying to use formic acid (which did not
provide the long term control their method of beekeeping required) .
Formic acid (as per my own testing) provides around 4 months of varroa
control when used in a commercial setting. Exactly what the maker David V.
has said at meetings. In my testing you can go to 5 months but many hives
are close to threshold. I must make clear that we are not talking hobby
hives but hives which are on almonds, then another strong flow such as
apples, then say cranberries and then moved into a strong clover flow. Bees
which are being fed when not on a flow. Raising brood constantly. In other
words varroa is out breeding the formic acid varroa control. In areas like
Texas formic might need used 3 times a year. David V. told me (personal
conversation ABF Austin, Texas) that some beekeepers do use his pads three
times a year. Which is why I went home and tested.
The Adee operation is never very open about its methods but I do know that
some changes have been made each year for the last several years.
Weak and dwindling hives were the norm rather than dead hives it seems. I
can not say if the early problems were from a CCD related cause. I can say
that back when I did my article on California almond pollination that I
spoke with a broker which was having a hard time getting two semi's of Brent
Adee bees to grade . Of course means very little as the hives I was involved
with were only around a thousand which is a very small percent of the
operation.
bob
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