Hello Randy & All,
I am getting busier by the day. The last few days I have had to almost ask
for help getting up the stairs to the house at the end of a long day but
getting many things done. Sorry for those people which have emailed. I will
answer when I get the time!

Randy we agreed we would compare notes on beekeeper losses. I started to
email direct but thought the list might find interesting. here are a couple
comments but still need to contact other beekeepers for the big picture.


> Others let mites get a bit too high midsummer, and paid the price
> months later with viral collapses.

The above is behind many of the recent issues. Actually not only getting the
treatment on late but in some cases treatments which they are using simply
are not working.  Without checking for mite levels before and after and also
not knowing if the treatment months before worked I am having a hard time
figuring out what is going on!

Mite & nosema control is an absolute necessity to keeping hives alive today.

When asked about varroa control they simply say. I have done like I have
done for the last few years and treated summer with ----- and fall
with -----.  Then they say " what i have been doing for several years and
has always worked before!."

Seriously Randy some of these guys need to take the time and sit down and
read your articles!


> I do not feel that their problems are a reflection on their beekeeping
> methods, since they successfully ran great bees even a few years ago.

> They haven't changed anything.

Change is what separated the successful beekeepers from the above!

Maybe I am too blunt ( have been told so before) but it seems in many cases
the only time the above beekeepers ask for help  is when hives are crashing!

Because of almonds many outfits are trying to run a higher number of hives
than they can manage with the help and equipment they have got.  The largest
outfit in the U.S. is a prime example which those on the list close to the
outfit will agree I am sure!

Also trying to keep "dinks" alive in fall which should be shook out on the
ground is not sound beekeeping! Never before have I seen commercial
beekeepers keep genetics around which are on 3-4 frames of bees in fall when
all the other hives are on 10-12 frames.

A "dink" is a "dink" and the queen needs a hive tool!  The hive never
produced all season but many want to haul to California and add some brood
to get into almonds. After almonds you still have the same "dink" with a
poor grade queen.

Almond pollination in my opinion is causing some of the problems and
beekeepers chasing the "Gold in California" are not thinking things through.

Randy what I am about to say might shock a few on the list and create an
uproar of" hey wait just a minute" but I am only reporting from data I have
gathered.

Randy start *asking* those in trouble if they are still feeding HFCS. I
started asking from the start of my checking and a pattern soon emerged.
Those which are feeding sucrose had good bees and in many cases the best
bees ever.
Those which have been doing like *they have for decades* and feeding HFCS
are having problems with dwindling colonies. Dramatic difference in
wintering.

I reported in the April ABJ pg. 323 that the bees fed HFCS lived half as
long as those fed sucrose. The same exact experiment was done at the Tucson
Bee lab ( Roy Barker)years before and reported in  ABJ with the same
findings.
 Why are the bees living half as long? Not yet determined as the bee lab
pulled Pamela Gregory off her research and *told Her* to study SHB. I really
don't need to wait until somebody discovers why the bees lived half as long.
I thanked Pamela Gregory and switched to sucrose as did many others) and
the bees look better than ever!

Again:
You have to control varroa & nosema before those trying to figure out what
is going wrong in your outfit can help find the other issues.

Most of the industry switched to sucrose after Pamela Gregory's several
presentations ( AHPA & ABF) on her research and my April 2007 ABJ article.

Then pressure was put from above in the USDA to stop the HFCS research.

Her confrontations at bee meetings came from those selling HFCS to
beekeepers. Pamela was surprised and replied she was only reporting the
results of her experiments!

Check and see if those you have spoke with Randy are feeding HFCS. Would
really help my research to see if your survey findings concerning HFCS vs.
sucrose is similar to what I am hearing. Most of the outfits having problems
are still feeding HFCS.

Please email (or post on BEE-L) when you find out.

Sincerely,
Bob Harrison

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