A little background- for the first time in 17 years of keeping bees I lost all my colonies. (It was also the 
first year I did not treat for Varroa since my small cell would fix that.)

I asked about bee lines and found that I had lots of information but no bees in the area.

I tried every bait in the book including a large slab of honeycomb and not one bee was attracted. I have checked 
bloom in the area and no bees. I did learn that there was another beekeeper in the area but they were beginners 
and lost all their bees. So if they do not start again, I might be able to have an isolated apiary in the middle 
of excellent forage with an excellent opportunity to control problems.

Which led me to an observation. I wonder how many beekeepers who enjoy success are actually isolated beekeepers?

That is one variable that seems to be missing from discussion of success. It seems that most who have problems 
have other beekeepers in the area.

Tom Sealey talked to us at the Maine State beekeeper's meeting and talked about vertical avirulence

http://vivo.cornell.edu/entity?home=1&id=31234

which is what he thought was the cause of survival of bees in the forest. As long as you have separation and the 
colony has no outside input of Varroa, a certain tolerance can take place. However, when outside Varroa is 
injected, the bees succumb just like managed colonies.

I just wonder if, when I re-start in a week or so, if there might be some advantage and possible vertical 
avirulence because of my isolation. Will be interesting.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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