> Very simplistic. The main factor was going with a lesser treatment
> which gives only a 1% difference in kill and how it makes a fairly
> large difference if you assume survivors are resistant.

I doubt a treatment is around today which provides a 98 or 99% percent kill.

Also if you rotate treatments (like I do ) then the above can not be
figured. Only if you start with say Apistan and only use Apistan till total
resistance is had.

Smart presenters when giving talks on varroa control at bee meetings only
use generalities as varroa control never fits set schedules. However the 
math
involved with varroa reproduction during periods of when a queen is laying
at maximum egg laying seems to always hold true.

When researchers use a generality such as the terms treat spring & fall it
*might* work for hobby but not so for a migratory outfit. The best tip I can
give if one does not want to check all hives in a yard is to go to the
strongest hive and check for varroa load. If the varroa load is high then
treat the whole yard. The method was told to us back in the 80's and holds
true today for commercial beekeepers.

Pumpkin pollination:
Commercial beekeepers are in short supply and pressure is being put on us to
pollinate crops just because we have the hives. Pumpkins are one example.
The TV news today showed a large pumpkin farmer in my area crying about
losing tens of thousands of dollars because of loss pumpkin production.

What the news story did not say was he refused to pay beekeepers to  do
pollination on  his pumpkins. Pumpkin honey is nasty stuff and when you
place a huge number of hives in a field then the bees need fed. Pumpkin
pollination comes at the same time of our main honey flow. Honey prices are
soaring!

He reused to not use the neonicotionds!

My advice to growers reading:
Be honest with your beekeepers about what chemicals you use. Get a signed
contract. Then you will get bees. If pumpkins expect to pay higher
pollination fees. All crops which need pollination at the same time as main
honey flows will see huge increases in pollination prices and perhaps
beekeepers like me which are not interested in doing those labor intensive
pollinations at our busy time of the year.

I am sorry the pumpkin grower lost tens of thousands of dollars because he
thought I was only trying to make money by charging to move the three yards
of bees in honey production on his huge farm (over three miles from his
field) down on to his pumpkin fields (unless paid for the move).

The said part about this particular dumb move by the farmer is these
pumpkins were heirloom varieties and seed he had saved which he might not be
able to replace.

When there were many commercial beekeepers you could pick up the phone and
call another beekeeper. Not so today.

End of rant!

bob

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