>Do you any data to share that would support your observations? Something like varroa counts indicating that your way of keeping bees is working to build tolerance or resistance to varroa? 

No - varroa is just not a problem so I do not feel the need to do varroa counts.  The bigger problems are the weather and forage, especially since we now seem to have varieties of OSR that do not produce nectar.

A big concern at the moment is the lack of pollen due to the unseasonably hot and dry summer which seems to have closed down brood rearing early in many apiaries - just hoping that the ivy flowers soon.  If that fails we will have many old bees going into winter - never a good thing. 

Best wishes

Peter 
52°14'44.44"N, 1°50'35"W

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