> It's been a few days now and things have had a little time to settle.
Well, I haven't had the time. Thinking self employed is a luxury I covet but
can ill afford.
> I'm still at a loss to conclude what I learned at Apimondia.
Ditto.
> The field trip was worth the bus ride just to see Babe's pallet
> arrangement for beehives outside the Plant health facility on
> Vancouver Island.
Yes, it was a great learning experience. And meeting Babe was one of the
highpoints that goes beyond description, you just had to be there. Imagine if
your grandmother kept bees. Then imagine if your grandmother was no relation,
but an absolute stranger, yet she spoke to you as if she was your grandmother -
as if she knew you from birth. ? No inhibitions, no holds barred, Babe was
thrilled to meet you and treated you as family in spite of the fact that she
knew you from Adam. A beekeepers' moment. I'll cherish it to my grave.
> ... Basically they run 8? hives on a pallet in a horizontal four queen hive
> arrangement.
No, it was ten. Five per side. It was an arrangement to thwart bears. 5 on
one side, 5 on the other, all connected so a bear would not be able to tear
it as it would a wimpy single hive configuration. Honey supers were a
single side, half pallet arrangement (25 frames, 2 and a half brood chambers!)
and required a boom loader to take it off to allow a bee blower to extricate
the bees and harvest the honey. An ingenious set up!
> ... I guess I expected to get more hard info ... scientists to show up and give
> us the latest magic bullet without expressing their deepest thoughts and
> misgivings.
I came away with an impression that "We (the scientists) really don't know".
They're looing for the silver bullet, but the more they look the less they
find and are only able to ask better questions.
The main "take home message" that I found was that there is tenfold (perhaps
more) value in attending Apimondia, or an ABF or EAS or AHPA (American
Honey Producers Association) or NHB or ... or even your local beekeepers'
association meetings to get first hand the information that is presented to
you. What I can relay to you, or what Allen can relay, or what Jim Bach
can relay to you, or what ANYONE can relay is second hand
information. It may be close to what was presented, it may be left
field, it's not what YOU would hear if you heard it first hand. It doesn't get
any better than being there youirself.
> With the sort of mix we had at Apimondia, I think I came home with more
> questions than answers.
Yes, but the questions prompt congitating the answers. (I know 'cogitating'
is not a word). But congitate away! And, that's what BEE-L is all about!
Present what we knoe, congitate solutions! University caliber discussions
start with congitation(?)!
> Here is a random sampling to get things rolling...
>
> * Varroa and the problems it poses was definitely the flavour of the year.
Even more so at Gormanston. Would that the Varroa sessions didn't conflict
with the AFB sessions. I know Shim put on an informative session, I regret I
missed it. That was a problem with Apimondia. Usually at conferences there
are a few conflicts. At Apimondis, for every session I attended there were two
or three other sessions to which I would have sent my clone.
> * ... www.varroa.com mite strips ... I didn't see 'fluvalinate-tau'. Hmmm.
My strips made it past customs. I wonder how they'll measure up? Hmmm.
Stay tuned!
> * I visited the Apistan booth and Max gave me a sample of the latest Vita
> treatment. It is 25% Thymol and works by the bees tracking through it.
It was great to meet Dr. Watkins! It's nicer to know Max than Dr. W.! Thymol
evaluation is forthcoming, although given climate conditions I'll probably wait
until spring.
> * Marva Spivak (seemed at a loss) when queried about what to
> do if the hives stated to 'go south'...
A very funny moment, you had to be there. I wonder how the translators
handled it? The short of it is that you may want to leave a few hives (better
yet an entire yard) untreated for mites in hopes that a resistent colony
presents itself.
> * There was a lot of talk about the mechanisms of resistance, but each speaker
> seemed to have a slightly different idea of how it works.
Or, "Everything we know is wrong!" Treatment strategies (both miths and AFB)
bear revisinng, although the treatment du jour was somewhat cloudy.
> ... Most solutions seemed to be aimed at controlling the levels of mite...
Aiming for the "economic threshold". Did "economic threshold" ever get
defined?
> * The mite we think of as varroa jacob(soni)whatever is not the one that gives us
> grief over here in America. There are 5 distinct species of mites that are
> viaably different and have different ranges. If I got that right.
Yes, the presentor claimed 5. What was most surprising was the assertion that
the varroa mite to which most problems have been attriburted (Varroa
jacobsoni), the mite which we have all learned jumped from Apis cerena to Apis
mellifera is actually unable to reproduce on Apis melifferaa!!!! The mite
devestating our honey bees is not Varroa jacobsoni, it's a different critter!
Or so was said. Stay tuned for Varroa destructus!
> * Sherriff style veils have taken over the bee fashion scene...
I bought a Sheriff suit 3 years ago, way ahead of the fashions! I try to stay
ahead of the times ;-)
> ... competition from a style that has a cloth coolie hat and tubular section that
> is attached by a zipper.
Got one of them ten years ago from Betterbee. WAY ahead of the times!
> * Pierco frames have a credible looking competitor from Nepal.
And they (Nepal) have a really cool rubber frame condom that makes a great
feeder! Only $2 (or a bizillion Nepaleze monatary units - I made that up).
> * My mead is better than any I tasted all week. Aaron likes Guiness.
Obviously Allen didn't taste the raspberry mead from Poland, but still,
Guiness rules! Again, fond memories of Gormanston!!!
> * The new Swinger looks great.
Out of my league.
> * The Billet hive loader is the answer for small to medium beekeepers who hate
> hiring help.
Then again, elbow grease is free.
> * The Israeli hive platform thingy I dissed a year or so ago has some
> interesting possibilities...
Missed that one, and I was there. Truely a phenominal conference! I'm still a
fan of elbow grease, although I have many a back ache :-(
> * Larry sold a lot of books.
Well, I did my part but I hope he sold a lot more. Larry's a great guy. Worth
attending a conference just to make his aquaintence. And if you can get him
singing, it's a treat!
> ... maybe this will trigger some ideas from others.
Congitate away!
Actually, the cou de gras of attending Apimondia (or lesser conventions) is the
opportunity to network. Whether it's meeting the vendors or the authors or our
electronic friends and beekeeping buddies, the comoradery can't be beat! But
let's not get mushy here, I hope others will weigh in!
Aaron Morris - Thinking, it doesn't get better than networking!
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