Hello Jerry & All,

>Maybe beekeepers should stop considering 50% losses normal.  I'm an  old
cow man, 50% losses would have been unacceptable.

Many commerccial beekeepers are young queen beekeepers ( not old queen
beekeepers).

You depopulate at least 50% at
season's end ( the worst hives ) as you need the equipment to split into in
spring. If they die on their own not a big deal as long as wax moths do not
trash the equipment.

The Richard Adee reducing down to 10,000 hives . then splitting back into
40,000 is documented in a three part series starting in Dec. 92 in Bee
Culture.

If you are at a size you want to stay at ( trucks, help , supers etc.) then
you have got no choice but to depopulate hives. Surely I am not telling you
something you did not know ( or am I)?

If the above is not done then Richard Adee  using the method outlined in the
Bee Culture article ( as an example of large scale beekeeping) would take
40,000 hives to Mississippi and need another 120,000 hives to make his
splits and end up with 160,000 hives.

Each smart beekeeper knows the max number of hives he can manage. I do not
know exactly the way the Adee's operate now with California in the equation
but using the plan outlined in the BC article 50% to 75% losses in late fall
would
not be an issue if the Adee's had 25% *strong* to take south to make splits
from.

Bob




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