Hello Brian & All,

Brian I am not going to argue but I will post what I have learned from many 
sources and my own experiments. Take it for what it is!

> it can be REALY interesting to ask queen producers about their comb 
> contamination levels and see
> if they have seen the literature concerning the effects on queen and drone 
> fertility etc.

I agree there are documented problems in both areas! However we simply know 
about all there is too know about comb contamination from fluvalinate, 
amatraz and coumaphos.  These three mitacides have been in use all over the 
world  for decades.

All roads to try and pin the 2006/2007 dieoffs to the above *three* 
chemicals have came to a dead end. I know as I have seen the research both 
USDA-ARS and more importantly private large commercial testing. The numbers 
for the above which BC posted and seemed to shock all are in the range which 
are found in most comb on which those mitacides have been legally  used. I 
have attended many a USDA-ARS presentation and have watched the slide show 
many times.  The two areas Brian talks about have been the areas testing has 
been shown (at least in hypothesis) linked to those mitacides.

I was told by a USDA-ARS person he suspected comb contamination was causing 
a small amount of larva kill. I replied that to find out about about a hives 
problems you look through the hive trash.  He looked dumbfounded. I asked if 
he had ever went to the hive right before daylight and looked at the landing 
board with a flashlight. You will find the dead plus varroa. All sitting 
waiting to be flown and dropped about 20 feet out. Half hour after the bees 
start flying is too late!

The USDA-ARS researcher said he was glad he spoke with me and had learned a 
valuable piece of research information.

The above piece of information has helped me in my research. In the circles 
I travel in we do real bee research by sticking our heads in hives and use 
microscopes when needed but the hive is the place the problem is not the 
lab. I have a close friend which lives in the deep south which is older than 
me and claims he has looked in a bee hive almost every day of his life.

Armchair beekeeping produces poor results. I don't believe I have ever went 
to a bee yard and not found at least a small problem needing attention.

I can safely say right now that there were more than enough hives to 
pollinate almonds this year. Many had to place hives held back for less tham 
$130 to get placed. The growers won out over the beekeepers sitting back 
hoping to make big bucks if a shortage. I have only spoke with three brokers 
but it seems most hives are grading fine.

Sooo!

If the hypothesis of Brian about those three chemicals were the case then we 
would be looking at a comb issue. Also I might point out to the CCD fan club 
there were plenty of bees in almonds last year.

Many commercial beekeepers are not planning to stop what they are doing 
until there own research shows a problem.


The effects on queens ( coumaphos) is documented but has been controlled by 
not treating hives when rearing queens.
I know of not a single large beekeeper or queen producer which has used 
coumaphos in years. However most still have comb from the days they did.

> is a much more plausible explanation of what's "killing the bees"  then 
> the idea
> that some huge percentage of beekeepers or hives are being exposed 
> routinely to pesticides that
> are the root cause behind the downward trend in bee losses.

" killing the bees". I keep hearing of problems from beekeepers but when I 
try to find the beekeeper the road in most cases leads to a rumor. I am not 
saying some outfits are not losing hives as I have found around 5=10 
commercial outfits with problems but they represent a very small percentage 
of industry hives.

We have had another hard winter in our area and many hobby beekeepers have 
found their hives dead with the bees heads in cells. All which have called 
and suspect CCD. They really are not excited when I explain their bees 
starved to death or went into winter with too small a cluster.

I might add that from my perspective only beekeepers which do pollination 
have been concerned about pesticide problems through the years. We are the 
beekeepers which deal with the pesticide issues . However perhaps some of 
the CCD issues might be related to pesticides or the new neonicotinoids but 
in my opinion most was related to other issues of which none in my opinion 
are new.

Also in the Feb. Bee Culture is an excellent article "The Year the bees 
Died" (pg.28).

 I have had serious bee problems every time we go through a drought cycle. 
Usually the first year we get a bumper honey crop if the drought comes after 
a rainy April and we have enough sub soil moisture. Then the second year the 
effects can be devastating for beekeepers. The bees will simply not brood up 
for winter despite pollen patties and feed. You can't fool the bees.

Every bee book from the days of hard winters say you need at least four 
brood cycles of winter bees. I have taken bees through many Midwest 
droughts. 78-79 , 85-86 , 2005-2006. to name several.  I have records still 
for these three and in ALL case in the second year of drought the bees only 
raised two cycles of winter bees and went into winter with small clusters.

My advice for migratory beekeepers ( from experience) is to load the bees up 
in the second year of drought and winter south!

The above comes from almost fifty years of keeping bees. There have been 
years when hardly a day goes by in *season* I have not looked in a bee hive.

Sincerely,
Bob Harrison


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