Report from SC and FL
 
Good News:  The recent Siberian Express (cold air mass) didn't do as much
damage to Florida citrus as feared.  As most of you know, freezes in recent
years have moved the citrus belt much farther south, right into the edge of
the Everglades, and it seems sometimes that the freezes are destined to
follow.  However, at least this time, damage was slight.  Bud development is
excellent, and a smattering of bloom is already appearing.  Beekeepers love
this early bloom, as it "primes the pump."  It stimulates buildup, creating
more bees to go out and get the main flow.  (I love the smell of an apiary,
when the citrus flow is on).
 
More good news:  The maple flow in other areas of the southeast is excellent.
 Here in SC, it started the last week of January, stopped during that Alberta
Clipper (we dropped to 8 degrees F one night), and resumed with a vengeance
afterward.  Yesterday was in the 70's, and bees were capping new honey in the
stronger hives. I think we are past the peak flow now. North Carolina and
Virginia, it's your turn.
 
   We are due for colder weather this weekend, but by fits and starts, spring
is here.
We always have to be cautious, because a good maple flow will stimulate the
bees, then it is always followed by 4-6 weeks, which, though they may be
warm, are quite barren of nectar flows.  So March is feed month here, and we
aim to do a lot of it, both for survival, and to stimulate those "pregnant
cows."  April is calving season.
 
   Our losses are heavier than we would have found acceptable in pre-mite
days, but some of that is from deliberate culling of weak stock, and some of
it is from natural culling of weak stock, so we don't feel so bad.  The
remaining stock is looking very good, and we expect to gain in the end.
 
   I am not a scientist, so I cannot back up my observations with lab work
and controlled double-blind experiments and such.  But my experience has been
pointing me to a strong suspicion that the culprit that we really need to
deal with, in the end, is a virus, or viruses.  It seems that the end result,
whether you are talking tracheal mite, varroa mite, pms, chalkbrood,
dysentery, or nosema, is a group of similar symptoms.  Bees become weak, and
respond poorly, if at all, to feeding; they look greasy, brood comb looks
greasy; they smell sour rather than sweet, the queen pattern becomes weak and
spotty, and the hive will not thrive; often it does not survive.
 
   Yet there are always some hives that do thrive and do well.  I believe we
MUST breed from these, as they are resistant to whatever.
 
   The mites may actually be carriers of some virus, but perhaps it is just a
total buildup of stress to susceptible bees, until this virus (or whatever),
that is always present, kicks in.  A pesticide hit can also do it, which
points to stress as the trigger. Some bees will recover, others start an
unstoppable decline, no matter how much you feed.
 
   We can take two different approaches to solution.  One is to control every
type of stress at every turn, using medications and pesticides to hit all
diseases and parasites; the other is to focus intensely on breeding a
stronger bee.
 
   I guess they are not mutually exclusive, but for my money, the second
method looks more promising for the long haul.
 
   Maybe the scientist-types could comment?
 
 
[log in to unmask]   Dave Green, PO Box 1200,  Hemingway, SC  29554