Hello All,
Peter posted from the Washington Post:
>"Everybody is seeing [bee] losses this winter," said Dave Hackenberg, of
>Lewisburg, Pa. "This was probably the worst year ever."

>Zac Browning, a major beekeeper who lives in Blackfoot, Idaho, prides
>himself on the care his employees give his 18,000 hives, which includes
>sheltering them indoors in winter. But when he shipped colonies to the
>almond fields of California this winter, one-third of the hives were found
>to be exterminated, most of them empty of foragers.

A third is around 6000 hives. My sources say the loss numbers are much
higher but when bees die you have to twist arms to get the real figures. Zac
is the past president of the ABF and his family goes way back in beekeeping.
it hurts not to be able to cover almond pollination contracts but splitting
the 6000 out of 12000 returning from almonds is an easy fix. Unless the
hives are displaying CCD symptoms I am surprised a 33% winter loss would
make the Washington Post.

However( important to the issue):
Once losses climb beyond the 50% level then buying package bees might
figure in which does effect the bottom line.
 at the 70% loss level ( what I am hearing) Zac might need to buy 10,000
package bees to maintain numbers at around $500,000 plus labor & feed costs.
also loss of post almond pollination fees ( and of course the expected
almond fees) on the deadouts.
You can rebuild 70% without packages but when honey production in the
Dakotas is your main objective then buying package bees usually happens.
Split too thin and will hurt your honey crop. Snowy years are usually big
clover years!

I guess when Peter reads what I said a couple months ago on BEE-L ( and he
protested strongly) in the Washington Post it becomes gospel.  At both bee
meetings ( Missouri & Oklahoma) none of the presenters spoke about a big die
off going on I was told. Word travels fast in commercial circles but slow
otherwise.

bob

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