> Are we asking the right questions? Maybe we should be asking why more colonies don't die, instead of why colonies do die. 

That's right. I remember early on, Dennis said that half of the country's beekeepers' bees were doing poorly and the other half were doing pretty well. The problem was getting the info from the one group to the other. That seemed like the guiding light of Bee Informed at the time. Now it seems to have become an alarmist group like all the others. I hope I am wrong about that. I hope they come forth with some information people can use. I gathered the following from their reports over the past 7 or 8 years:

2008   

Surveys were conducted to quantify and identify management factors (e.g. operation size, hive migration) that contribute to high colony losses in general and CCD symptoms in particular.   Of the perceived causes of losses starvation and poor queens were the most commonly identified. This is surprising, as both are manageable threats, suggesting a misdiagnosis of problems, a need to change management practices, and/or improved extension delivery methods.  

2010  

Understanding the root causes leading to poor management decisions would thus be an appropriate focus of future research and extension efforts.  

2012   

In addition to quantifying winter losses, the BIP effort will report the comparative success of different beekeeping management practices. Recognizing that there are geographic differences in management practices, results will be regionalized.  Simultaneously observing winter loss rates, disease loads, treatments, and colony productivity enables us to control for multiple factors that affect the efficacy of management practices. 

Second, having data on disease prevalence in a certain region constitutes improved bee management information for that region. Awareness of potential disease outbreaks enables us to better alert growers of potential pollination shortages. In short, by matching these data from multiple sources, BIP allows beekeepers to benefit from these economies of scope. 

The BIP program will focus on utilizing this rich and dynamic dataset to enable beekeepers to objectively evaluate their management practices. This initiative will help beekeepers improve their colony management practices by providing access to reliable and immediate information that reflects the collective experience, expertise, and practices of their fellow beekeepers.

The Bee Informed Partnership plans to use its Web site, to communicate new information quickly to beekeepers. For the last five years, beekeepers have been surveyed annually about death losses. The investigators will then use these data to form a comprehensive, accurate, and timely honeybee health database to promote best management practices based on scientific evidence.  

2015  

As in previous surveys, responding beekeepers were categorized by operation type (backyard, sideline, or commercial) based on the number of colonies they managed, as backyard, sideline, and commercial beekeepers tend to have different management practices. Commercial beekeepers ... have more intensive management practices.  

Results suggest that moving colonies or pollinating almonds does not increase the chance of mortality as some have suggested. In fact, there may be a benefit associated with pollinating almonds or the management practices employed by beekeepers that pollinate almonds better protect colonies.

The survey is conducted by BIP, in collaboration with the Apiary Inspectors of America and the United States Department of Agriculture, to determine winter and summer honey bee colony losses and management practices of beekeepers. Results of the survey are used in developing best management practices for improving honey bee health and annual survival.

* * *

Q: What are the "best management practices" that seem to correlate with successful beekeeping operations?

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