At 11:25 AM 10/19/2006, you wrote:
>The only time it isn't the bees' fault is when the beekeeper makes an
>error. Cycles of nature are things the bees need to negotiate.

Of course the mere fact we are putting bees in a fixed location and with much higher densities (hives/yard or sq. mile) is artificial.  Bees would naturally be able to cope as a whole population and could respond to even long (even decade long) weather cycles.   The number of bees in an area would simply decrease and increase accordingly.

This year's poor honey flow seems to be a perfect example of this.  The percentage of hives I need to feed in each yard is directly proportional to the number of hives I have in the yard!.

-Tim  

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