> How did that get resolved by the way? I mean no offense and admire your knowledge and experience and try hard not to sound arrogant, maybe not successfully here.  My point is that some beekeepers consistently have much better success than the alarming national loss statistics and that by studying their methods perhaps the losses would go down.

Not to worry, I don't really get offended even when people trash what I say (which you weren't doing). As far as how did we recover from losses? Same as always, buy queens, do splits, buy packages. I am a skeptic when people say bees from elsewhere (Georgia, California) are no good. I think they are generic honey bees and they will do well if conditions are favorable. 

I believe that the major die-off in 2016 was due to a form of virus we haven't had. Why they didn't succumb in 2017 is a mystery but likely due to that particular strain killing off the bees and itself at the same time. Parasites can kill off their hosts. I re-used the equipment, by the way. And it had a lot of honey in it, since most of the colonies died before winter (mostly in November-December). To me, it says nothing quite as loudly as virus. 

On the other hand, there are definitely successful beekeepers, and we all try to learn from them. But I think location and luck have a great deal to do with it. The idea of making a living from bees will always be a dream for some, a reality for others, a nightmare for many. Not my dream, that's for sure. But I do think that one has to hedge one's bets, expect losses from time to time, crop failures, bad years, etc. It's agriculture, after all. Most people don't have the temperament for it.

PLB

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