To those who asked and those who wondered, a recent BEE-L post I wrote
was circulated to another list, but no attribution. Some were concerned.

I was asked and did give permission in advance, and as it worked out, I
was glad there was no attribution.  I would have been embarrassed by one
small addition that reversed my meaning and runs IMO dangerously counter
to what I was actually recommending.

Apparently the idea of _eliminating_ dinks is sufficiently novel to many
that it was misunderstood.  I apologize for not being clearer and will
try to be very clear here.

I said,

 > * Keep the colonies healthy and treat or eliminate any which are not.

Added to that was the statement that in beekeeping, that means requeening.

Maybe sometimes it does, but I said what I meant and no more.  I
deliberately said "eliminate", and that is how professionals operate.
Bob says to eliminate the 'dinks' over and over, to a largely
uncomprehending audience, it seems.  Eliminate means eliminate.

Beekeepers often try to save everything and sometimes lose all as a result.

Besides the fact that the worst 20% of the hives cause 80% of the work,
a fact which by itself should justify drastic action, we should _not_
try to requeen _hopeless_ colonies.   We should shake them out -- or if
they appear to have some disease we don't understand and which appears
to be contagious -- we should destroy them.  STAT.

If I had followed that sound commercial practice instead of observing
and nursing that one bad colony all summer, then watching the malady
spread in fall, I would likely not have suffered the devastating
fall/winter loss a few years back.  I knew better. For the sake of one,
all was lost.

The above is not to say that we should not treat, combine or requeen
apparently healthy colonies, but it these measures do not work, the dud
colonies must be eliminated without delay, or quarantined, for the sake
of the rest.

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