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Date: | Sat, 16 Oct 2021 19:16:21 -0400 |
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> I think BIP does a disservice by implying 30% and 40% losses are acceptable and about as good as can be done.
I have known Dennis V.E. since 2000 and have followed the evolution of his work. He has said from the get-go that these levels of losses are appalling and unacceptable. I remember a talk 10 years ago where he stated that many beekeepers have low loss and many have high loss. The problem is to get the information from the one transferred to the other, vis a vis what the source of success is.
On the other hand, the whole notion of loss is a moving target. If Joe Bkpr raises 2 thousand nucs and sells them, is that a loss? He's lost a lot of bees! If I cull 25% in the fall, is that a loss? After culling I have 100% hives full of bees, but have cleared out the ones that would have died probably. The idea that the numbers won't rise and fall is an error of course. The point is profitability.
I have pointed out for decades that many beekeepers have made a respectable living off package bees. If they cull them in the fall, their winter loss is zero. This year I had zero winter loss, all my equipment was occupied and I couldn't make the normal amount of splits I usually do. Resulting in swarming, which has never been a problem for me, due to usually splitting the hives in spring. But I got a normal crop of honey.
PLB
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