Hello All,
Thanks for the update and your right on analysis. 

"Life is good"

A very old saying in beekeeping circles
is:

"The bees pick the beekeeper."

Another:

"After each beekeeper is made the mold is broken"

Those on the list which have been around beekeeping 
for years have surely heard the above?

I spoke by phone with a retiring commercial beekeeper
and friend. His father and myself had business dealings
when he was a boy.

Healthy bees was a factor in his decision.

The lure of making money is not why I
stay doing the things Jim left. 
(Although I only assign those jobs to others)

Beekeeping today is a revolving door. 

My friend and mentor Waldo McBurney passed at the age 
of 106 and (with help) still ran over a 100 hives.
I did an article on McBurney for Bee Culture In 2006 (I think).
McBurney graduated from college in the 1930's
but chose beekeeping as an occupation.
Over 80 years among the bees.

When we spoke he never had a senior moment.
I would swear so on a bible.

I will share a mentor moment of his:

"When hives crash and others quit ask youself where did *you* go wrong"

After all stupidity is doing the same thing over and over 
and expecting a different result.

Some on the list would have the list believe
the bees in the U.S. are  not having problems.

Having been involved with beekeeping since a teenager
I can say beekeeping today is hard today as compared to decades ago.

The "Peter Principal" certainly applies to beekeeping.

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