> I have been wondering if anyone has really done meaningful trials.

> Several trials have been done, but the results were, ummm... "mixed".

> The BIP survey results for 2012 – 2013 did show some differences. But, I bet these are not the differences you expected. First, those who fed carbohydrates to their bees lost more colonies, significantly more, than those who did not feed.

* * *

Those were not trials. Those were surveys. All they do is establish a correlation. If the people who fed had bees in much worse condition than the ones who did not, that would account for the difference, not the type of food that was fed. This is a perfect example of how to misread survey results.

In fact, Katie Lee wrote to me: 

> All surveys showed that beekeepers that moved colonies or pollinated almonds having lower or the same losses as beekeepers that don't do either with their colonies. Self-reported causes of death are also different for commercial and backyard. But having beekeepers move bees or pollinate almonds is not a BMP - it is tied to how commercial beekeepers manage.

In other words, in order to pollinate almonds you have to have consistently good bees, while those who don't pollinate don't need to maintain their hives in good condition at all. So many of them don't -- or can't.

PLB

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