This thread started with the poster/beekeeper in FL speculating that the poor mating was due to neonics. I can think of two miticides that causes reproductive issues with drones and queens. 

It would be interesting to know what the historical use of fluvalinate or coumaphas or miticides in general has been in that operation. Furthermore the trees bloom once so is the speculation that trace neonics that supposedly were brought in during the bloom created ongoing long term problems? Or did mating coincide with the bloom or soon there after? 

The summer of 2010 mating was real poor here in MN in my and other operations. The take rate dropped to 50% at times, then in 2011 returned to much higher levels. We don't have orange groves here and corn is not flowering in May either.  But wait i read in a local newspaper article recently that neonics were accumulating in plants like Dandelions. No data was given but beekeepers were interviewed so that must have been the reason don't you think?  

That's the problem with these claims about neonics, its mostly speculation and pertinent information is typically not included. A few years back CCD was the assumed culprit of most bee issues at that time. While hive numbers in the USA are currently stable the number of news stories on neonics has increased substantially. 

If the Harvard study never happened or the other pseudo science claims generated weekly by environmental groups stopped I guess we be left with the same beekeeper and mite related issues again........

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