"The bees that arrive in the package may be of different ages and health."
Without question this is true. But, given my choice I would take a package of 100% old bees in good health versus a package of 100% young bees in poor health. I have seen first hand how long it takes for a colony of virus loaded bees to clean up even after they are mite free. One generation of mite free bees is only a start.
Why do people knock bees coming off almonds? Most of those bees are young bees as the colony population explodes during and right after the almond bloom. Is the implication they are all compromised by pesticides? If so, I do not believe that is the general case.
Dick
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