This year was particularly challenging for us to keep our hives healthy with very low nectar output by our local honey plants due to drought. My thoughts in regards to why some of our hives made a box or two and most almost nothing is because of some crews fed more through June into July. The honey wasn't coming in and from past experience queens will not lay as heavy and keep the hatches of young bees advancing ahead of the mite increases. The curve started early, ie. bees decreasing/mites increasing. 

In advance of any crop, it pays to feed the minute you see a decrease in buildup plant nectar secretions. The hives must be at the perfect spot to take advantage of the main flow. If the main flow fails, or even is late, feeding is advisable to keep the queens laying and put a little stores over the top of the nest. In doubles, this will also keep the queen from running into the supers. 

We are down to 6,000 from 7,000 and are already shipping our "dinks" to our Florida farm to start feeding patties and syrup to get the queens laying and get ahead of mites, and may even get a small split or two before they go to Cali. 

We plan on a 10 to 15% reduction. It's reality even after fighting mites all year long. 

Bob has a point that we need to split every chance we can to keep our numbers up. These days it means going to the south. That was evident is the late 80's after suffering 
debilitating losses. Either poop or get off the pot. 

Btw, I can see Bob's point on the pesticide pressure issue. It obviously will vary according to one's location in regards to the scale of farming in a particular region. In Bob's case, he may be the canary in the proverbial coal mine, as it is my understanding that there is huge acreage planted in his area in relation to available forage. Most of us are probably a bit more lucky to live in areas with less farming pressure. 

We always lose bees to pesticide every year and it sucks. Usually we can bring them back before the end of the season but we lose the crop. This is with insecticides that leave a pile of dead bees in the front and not insecticides that are more sub lethal. Sub-lethals would be harder to cope/indentify with in some ways, in my opinion. 

Maybe an analogy would be arsenic in drinking water and quick poisoning, as opposed to lead pipes that slowly poison you over a long period of time with loss of mental facilities included. Not the best analogy, but you get the gist. 

Did I get off subject???

Kirk

      

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html

Guidelines for posting to BEE-L can be found at:
http://honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm