You get what you select for.  If you routinely stuff your bees with  sugar
> you are doing nothing to select for bees that are able to overwinter
> efficiently in your area ('all beekeeping is local' ) in your area on their
> own
> stores.
>

Beekeeping is not natural. If you want to select for local bees who can
survive, give up beekeeping and leave them alone.

In my area, if I did not manipulate winter feed I would go back to major
losses every winter as the fall nectar sources are conducive to dysentery
unless we have a mild winter, which is unusual in Maine. (I do not feed
sugar but manipulate what the bees have for winter stores: totally
unnatural. Feeding sugar would be much easier)

We seem to assume that bees will adapt to any conditions if just left alone.
That is only true if conditions support it and even then, you can have major
losses but still have bees. Nature really does not care if 75% of the
population is lost every winter. A beekeeper does.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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