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Date: | Sun, 26 Jul 2009 23:20:52 -0400 |
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>Pardon me for not searching the archives, but someone recently
asked about worldwide colony losses.
I forgive you.
Somehow archive searches don't seem to turn up what I expect the
way they used to. Maybe it is my imagination or Old Timers' setting in...
Anyhow.
>Read it yourself, but it appears to me that CCD symptoms are not a
universal problem, although similar symptoms are seen in some cases.
Poor nutrition, varroa, varroacides, Nosema ceranae, viruses and
pesticides are commonly blamed or suspected, roughly in that order (by
my quick read of the summaries). I found the summary from Denmark
to be especially interesting.
The thing is that during each and every one of these periods when
some are reporting huge losses, others are reporting things are normal.
Seems to me the factor that is taken for granted is nutrition. Assuming
that the beekeepers with problems are not poisoning their bees with
some cockamamie concoction, bad managers, or just unlucky -- being
in the wrong place at the wrong time -- I have to point to nutrition as
the easiest suspect to deal with. (stuck record?)
These days, we simply cannot count on the bees getting what they
need from natural sources, especially late in the season, especially in
intensive farming areas and especially when there are hundreds of
hives within a mile or two, and especially when they are subject to a
number of diseases and parasites.
Beekeepers who feed their bees with plenty of quality feed before the
needs become obvious are much less likely to be counted among the
casualties.
That said, good feed alone is not enough.
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