Hi all
This posting addresses two recent posts, one concerning stress and the other regarding agrochemicals. These topics are at the forefront of current research, of course. I am going to try to condense my thinking on this and then paste in some relevant information. 

First, stress is not new; neither are agrochemicals. One could say that the current levels of stress on honey bees are unprecedented and/or the current chemicals are significantly different, but those are conjectures which may be unsupported by actual data. 

Second, many beekeepers are experiencing serious losses, unexplained losses, unpredicted losses, etc., in areas where agriculture is not intensively practices, -- and among stationary hives which are presumably less stressed than migratory hives. 

According to conventional thinking, this category of hives (non-ag, non-migratory) should be in better shape. However, this does not appear to be the case. The reasons for this may be manifold, but they are not mysterious.

Management 

As a managed species, honey bee colony survivorship relies on the competence of the beekeeper. When facing high pest pressure, beekeepers can reduce hazard through physical or chemical intervention. While good management can alleviate stress, poor management can accentuate it. 

Good management practices develop with proper education and experience. Commercial (in the US) and professional (in Europe) beekeepers, who typically manage more colonies, are better educated and have more experience, have lower losses compared to other beekeepers, presumably because they are more likely to properly implement best management practices. 

High density of colonies are generally associated with increased disease infection rates. In practice, however, migratory colonies in the US display lower Varroa loads and less colony mortality than stationary beekeepers, suggesting management practices can and do moderate colony stress. 

SOURCE:

Steinhauer, Nathalie, et al. "Drivers of Colony Losses." 
Current Opinion in Insect Science (2018).	
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cois.2018.02.004
2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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