Subject: | |
From: | |
Reply To: | |
Date: | Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:21:47 +0100 |
Content-Type: | text/plain |
Parts/Attachments: |
|
|
C Hooper wrote:
> One in Three UK Beehives Wiped Out
>
> Honeybee Population Collapses in UK as One in Three Hives Wiped Out in a
> Year
> By Arthur Martin, The Daily Mail (UK), 8/13/2008
> http://apitherapy.blogspot.com/2008/08/one-in-three-uk-beehives-wiped-out.html
Whilst this is true to some extent, there has been considerable hype about
the cause, with some claiming that CCD has arrived in the UK.
In fact, the situation is worse than the 30% quoted, because many colonies
collapsed before winter arrived; I would put the annual figure at around
50%.
As to the reason for these massive losses, varroa certainly played a major
role - but UK beekeepers did not suddenly forget how to treat for varroa!
No, the weather was the real culprit.
May, June and July last year were abysmal with a combination of cold winds
and rain throughout, culminating in the severe floods in July. Queens were
unable to fly to mate - and if they had flown then they would have found
that all the drones were safely tucked up indoors! So colonies that swarmed
were unable to mate new queens. Our queen rearing programme was a complete
disaster - great queen cells, great virgins, but very few mated queens.
So many colonies went into winter in poor condition - small and with
suspect queens. Those that survived came out of winter worse - many with
just two or three frames of brood. A good spring would have helped, but
instead we had a cold NE winds throughout May when the oilseed rape was in
flower; this major source yielded virtually nothing and the colonies failed
to recover.
Since May we have had a few breaks, so queens have mated better than last
year and the colonies have gathered some honey - but the crop is well down
because of the winter losses and the poor condition of survivors. In
addition, we have had to split colonies to fill all those empty boxes - and
this has reduced the meagre crop even further.
Some of us are hoping for something from the heather, but so far the August
weather has been appalling; it seems that the UK now has a summer monsoon
season.
Best wishes
Peter Edwards
beekeepers at stratford-upon-avon.freeserve.co.uk
www.stratford-upon-avon.freeserve.co.uk/
****************************************************
* General Information About BEE-L is available at: *
* http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm *
****************************************************
|
|
|