Dick Allen wrote:
> Dr. Seeley spoke at the U. of Albany for the Southern
> Adirondack Beekeeper's Association spring seminar ... about
> finding a limited number of feral nests in the Arnot Forest.

I was there.  My recollection was that his initial finding of 3 feral swarms
in the first year of he study, grew to 6 the following year.  And his study
continues.  Indeed, Dr. Seeley cautioned about any conclusions to be drawn
from his study, since it was a small initial sample size and the duration of
the study was definitely short term.  He may have had data from a decade or
so ago, my recollection is fuzzy, and as an organizer of the event I could
not devote full attention to the presentation.

From a statistical point of view one could proclaim that feral swarms have
increased 100% over the course of the study.  What a comeback!  Dr. Seeley
did not make such a claim.  Rather, he stated that he is guardedly
optimistic that feral honey bee populations are rebounding from the
onslaught of Varroa and continued monitoring is requisite to draw any firm
conclusions.  His study was to continue this summer.

Incidently, SABA has again scheduled a spring seminar for March 23, 2005 at
the University at Albany.  Confirmed speakers are Dr. Dewey Caron, Dr.
Thomas Seeley and Mr. Dennis VanEngelsdorp.  Perhaps Dr. Seeley will update
us on feral swarms in the Arnot Forest.

Aaron Morris - Thinking, Mark your Calendars!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and  other info ---
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::