REGARDING           A better fall than last year.
 
I just got back from removing all the Apistan strips I put in near the end of
August.  It was a beautiful week in Michigan, and the bees were having as much
fun as I was.  This year I got the Apistan in early and carefully followed the
label directions, putting in two strips per hive body, and leaving them in for
almost two months.  I was very pleased to find every single colony (78) at
full strength, packed with honey, brood and bees.  Last year at this time I
had already lost a third of my bees, with most of the rest obviously going
downhill.  My overall losses last  year were 75%.  Now I'm optomistic about
the future - we can lick the mite menace.  We have Apistan now, maybe it can
be supplemented with essential oils, giving the industry time to develop lines
with natural resistance.  And who knows, we should be ready to face even
Tropilaelops (sp?) when (if) it comes.
 
Ted Fischer