On 19-Oct-11, at 11:51 PM, allen wrote:
>
>
> Was it the weather, the bees, the treatments, the beekeeper?...
>

Hi Allen and all

This summer was the closest to what we used to call a normal summer  
than any of the previous three except that we had no rain at all for  
several weeks in July.  The bees were overwintered strong hives that  
were split in June and again in early July.  My normal treatments for  
varroa are mite-wipe pads in autumn followed up by oxalic dribble  
later, nothing in spring.  Beekeeper is the same old clown except one  
year older who decided no formic treatments this autumn, going to  
depend on oxalic later.  Several beeks in my local area, including  
the U of Guelph,  have found lower than normal mite levels this  
year.  One theory was: because we had heavy losses last winter, the  
mites resident in those hives also died lowering the local population  
of varroa.  Who knows?

Bob Darrell
Caledon Ontario
Canada
44N80W


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