>I respect your opinion but find the attitude in your article to not be
concerned about the current bee loss as simply the new normal as hard to
understand.

Perhaps you should read the article again!  Those who are experiencing high
loss rates should indeed be concerned--it's hard to stay in business with
those kinds of losses.  Which is exactly why I detailed the factors
involved.

And the "new normal" started in 2005 when the sudden shortage of bees
resulted in the jump in almond pollination prices from $45 to $155.  I
would never have thought that I'd see $155 for renting a hive for a month
for a crop on which the bees build up well!  So yes, a "new normal."

But here is nothing "normal" about record-setting warm winters,
record-setting drought, or the sudden unavailability of the predominant
miticide (that is if you believe me).  Last winter's high loss rates were
not due to "normal" in any way.

And if the "new normal" includes the excessively high autumn mite rates
documented across the U.S. by the the USDA, and the high rate of starvation
documented by the BeeInformed survey, then those beekeepers had better get
used to the "new normal."

I really feel for those beekeepers who have seen their summer pasture
disappear under the plow--this is indeed the new normal.  I can attest to
the fact that it is expensive to try to make the loss of pasture up with
supplemental feeding (I recently changed my management in that I no longer
take my hives to my traditional summer pasture on irrigated alfalfa).

I appreciate your sharing your opinions Bob, but my request still stands
for you to correct me on any erroneous facts.  Otherwise...

-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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