Hervé Logé wrote:

> "All beekeeping is local" is used as to justify
> overwintering with upper ventilation success and
> bottom only ventilation success I the same times.

> 2. If one set up is better than the other one because
> of local conditions, climate, weather, flowers, is it
> possible to identify more precisely the factor(s) that
> favour one set up more than the other ? Scandinavian
> and East Europe countries may have long snowy winter
> as well. And I have been told Vancouver could be as
> wet as Edimbourgh.

There are underlying truths to beekeeping. If you do not follow those
you might fail, but not always. It all depends on where you are, which
is why "All beekeeping is local". It is not that there are different
ways to keep bees, but that local conditions allow the bees to survive
in spite of the beekeeper's practices. Were the conditions different,
then "standard local practices" could be disastrous.

It is nearly impossible to compare regions. Climate is not uniform by
latitude, longitude or much anything. Even in Maine, we can have
different conditions in a 10 mile radius. A friend has a terrible time
keeping bees only because of his location compared to mine, and we are
less than 5 miles from each other.

Latitudes are especially deceptive. There are places in Sweden, close
the the Arctic Circle, that have a milder climate than Maine, but Maine
is about the same latitude as Spain!

Bob H can overwinter with no upper ventilation. We in Maine, generally,
cannot. The difference in climates is pronounced. Our winters are
longer, wetter, with few opportunities for the bees to fly until
February and sometimes March. His climate is about 10F warmer in the
winter. It is inland while we are on the ocean. The large commercial
beekeepers in Maine overwinter their bees in Florida, while Bob appear
to overwinter in state.

We have covered this subject often and it really gets down to what the
bees can handle. If you change the subject (winter feed, open bottoms,
various mite treatments) it all gets back to the bees and specific local
conditions. Until you know all the variables involved, Caveat Emptor.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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