>
> The unmanaged, "organic" feral population was decimated.  Those bees
> existed
> in as natural a state as can be.  But virtually all died.  So much for the
> power of organic beekeeping to fight parasites (in the short term).


I can add an anecdotal data point. When I lost my bees last year I put out
several different baits to see if there were any bees in the area. Zero.

But I keep as organic an operation as you can get, in fact I lost my bees
because I did not treat that year as a test of small cell. So any feral bees
would have been about as free from any treatments as possible. (The only
treatment I have used is oxalic acid and it has worked every year I have
used it, and I only treat once in the late fall.)


When I got my new bees, all the baits were inundated with bees (as a test to
see if there was a problem with the baits). So there has been plenty of
opportunity for feral colonies to survive in my area, but they did not.


  Here in California, I sell my chemical-free nucs to starry-eyed
>   New Age beekeepers every spring.  Unfortunately, most of those nucs die
> from
>    the owner trying to impose his/her belief system upon the bees, as the
> poor
>    bees face the ruthless hand of nature.
>

Another standard observation. I know of no organic beekeeper in my area who
still keeps bees. All the bees died out. I do have a few new beekeepers in
the area this year, and hope they do well.

Also, very nice to see both Murray and Allen posting again.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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