*Ask why are the beekeepers having problems.*
*But we all know why*
*MANAGEMENT!*

Consider this:

"Our data demonstrate that overwinter losses ranged between 2% and 32%, and that high summer losses were likely to follow high winter losses. Multivariate Poisson regression models revealed that hobbyist beekeepers with small apiaries and little experience in beekeeping had double the winter mortality rate when compared to professional beekeepers."

The researchers concluded: "Our results show that the main factors protecting honey bee colonies are beekeeper background and practices. More efforts are needed in beekeeper training to promote good beekeeping practices and achieve early identification of clinical signs of disease."

Citation: Jacques A, Laurent M, EPILOBEE Consortium, Ribière-Chabert M, Saussac M, Bougeard S, et al. (2017) A pan-European epidemiological study reveals honey bee colony survival depends on beekeeper education and disease control. PLoS ONE 12(3): e0172591. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0172591

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html