 
| Sender: |
|
| Date: |
Wed, 10 Dec 2008 10:27:07 -0800 |
| Reply-To: |
|
| Subject: |
|
| MIME-Version: |
1.0 |
| Content-Transfer-Encoding: |
quoted-printable |
| Content-Type: |
text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 |
| From: |
|
| Comments: |
RFC822 error: <W> Invalid RFC822 field - "treat=". Rest of header
flushed. |
| Parts/Attachments: |
|
|
There is a huge silent group of part time beekeepers who do minimal
treatment, and often minimal management, and have bees that survive pretty
well.
A opportunity for a comment by a part time hobby for profit beekeeper.
I maintain 25 to 30 colonies as a part of our farm operations. Prior to the early 90's and varroa my annual losses averaged a few colonies a year. Typically due to poor beekeeping by me.
After a couple of tough years 91' and 92' and my loss experiences in the mid to late 90's, I rewrote my beekeeping business plan to accommodate the 30% to 40% losses I was experiencing. Because of my small size I do not have the opportunities to purchase discounts on volume, so my inputs are minimal. My management is not aggressive as alot of my time is spent in other ag activities.
Generally, my surviving colonies are strong enough to make splits to replace my losses. Only occasionally will I need to purchase a nuc or package.
So far I have been purchasing queens for my splits. This past year will probably have been my last to do this. I am going to try letting my splits raise their own queens. This is not something I really want to do, but the queens I have been purchasing do not provide me with surviving colonies. I have purchased queens from several sources. So I do not think it is a sole source problem.
I live in zone 4 and the winter survivability of these purchased queens are almost nill. I have had other regional large beek's tell me that the problem is mites. Seems the common answer to all beekeeping problem today is mites. I do have mite problems, everyone does. My yards are a combination of surviving colonies and my new splits. The mite loads, treatments and management levels are similar to all the colonies in a common yard.
I am not a academic beek. As Sarah would say I'm only a average Joe beek.
keith
*******************************************************
* Search the BEE-L archives at: *
* http://listserv.albany.edu:8080/cgi-bin/wa?S1=bee-l *
*******************************************************
|
|
|
