> What is true and what is false?
 
So, there's the rub. I was a great student of Newtonian physics. Straight As. Could draw a free-body diagram of anything.  But get me to theoretical physics and quantum mechanics, not so much.

Thankfully, I don't need theoretical physics to survive my day-to-day. Black holes and dark matter are fun to discuss, but in the end, they call it "dark matter" and "dark energy" because they have no clue. The next "truth" will likely not include them. They are convenient ideas that fit the equations that show why matter clumps and why the universe keeps flying away from itself.

As Tracey said, back to beekeeping. What I need are methods to keep my bees alive, particularly when you get to a winter like we're currently having. There are definite truths, and those are live, thriving colonies come April. In now 7 years of trying (again, in my spare time; it's a sideline) I'm getting closer. I keep journals, systematically try different approaches, and crawl toward the goal. I adapt my varroa strategies; try different treatments when they make sense. I have to say, it will be hard to displace a fall amitraz application--works an absolute trick. I went with thymol in several hives this year as an alternative. We'll see how that does.

And I like rims and dry sugar in the winter, with windbreaks and no hive wraps. Dry pollen sub strewn over the top so that they have it come spring for an early buildup. Screened bottom boards. The combination virtually eliminates condensation in my hives. We had temperatures in the low 50s yesterday, and I had cleansing flights in my sentinel hives in the back yard. A good sign, but it's still February.

I have noted an increase in SHB in my hives over the past couple of years, but they are not a problem yet. Probably associated with my preference for screened bottom boards. My next directed investigation will likely be a review of the literature to see what others have found, and then begin to apply a systematic approach to address it.

Science. It's a process.

S

Skillman, NJ

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