Ian Watson wrote:
>
> Hello all...
>
> I was just at our local Niagara Region Beekeepers Association meeting, and
> besides the usual arguing <hehehe> over to treat of not to treat for
> varroa <"those awefull chemicals.....;)> , the subject of Winter losses
> came up and the general concensus was that things were going fairly well
> so far.  So I was wondering how my fellow beekeepers, at least in the
> northern hemisphere, are doing.
 
Yes. This is interesting.  I have just recently checked my 78 colonies,
and found 3 dead and the rest strong, but some in need of feed.  Two of
the dead were my own fault, since I had let them get their cluster into
a front corner, exposed to cold wood on two sides and unable to move
when we got a prolonged cold snap.  No signs yet of varroa damage,
perhaps some (behavioral) sign of tracheal mites in a very few colonies
 
Ted Fischer
Dexter, Michigan, USA.