Q. I have seen winter loss figures in Europe that are much lower than we see in the US.  Why is this the case?  Do they not migrate so much like we do in the US and that slows transmission of viruses?


A. Fewer hives per apiary.  Little migration.


Q. Is our problem in significant part due to almond pollination? 


A. A garden catalogue arrived today. Skimming through it I noticed that one of the plants on offer is a self-pollinating almond!  If this catches on, it'll solve most of America's bee problems! 


Q. Have they just had mites longer than we have had them and their bees have adapted better? 


A. You've had them longer.  Ron Brown spotted the first one in the UK in 1992 and I saw the first in my bees in 1993.


Q. Are the Europeans controlling mites better than we are? 


A. Probably not but possibly our bees are as they aren't as crowded or moved around and there are more local varieties as they are native here.


Chris (from England).




             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html