On Fri, 22 Feb 2008 10:59:47 -0500, Peter L. Borst <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >www.sciencemag.org >> Anderson and East suggest that CCD is an ambiguous disorder consistent with normal winter losses. We do not agree. CCD is characterized by a rapid loss of adult bees; excess brood, in all stages, here in the heartland of US beekeeping, both Mn and Nodak state apiarist's issued reports in fall of 2007 stating no CCD verified here. but nobody ever updated that CCD map, its still colored out the last time I looked for MN and Nodak. how's that for ambiguous? in these northern states most migratory beeks leave and go south or to CA. so anyone with CCD claims from these states in winter/spring would have to be stationary right? my guess is when the wrappings come off this spring of 2008 after 4 months of REAL winter with little snow up here but 21 evenings below zero so far and lots of wind, that the "apparent" CCD reports will start up all over again in the local media up here and all over the northern regions. now how could that be? ...did maybe numerous beekeepers wrap hives last fall that had no worker population or what? or maybe the worker bees all left the hive in subzero weather? so we're saying that the worker bees vacated a broodless hive in winter and in spring they had brood and a queen left with a few workers. ok to me this just blows the whole idea of CCD affecting stationary beeks in the NORTH during dec- march . either they had a loss in fall and then either left the state or wrapped what's left. all spring reports of CCD then in northern states are suspect and likely not diagnosed correctly. the realistic CCD reports I've seen in ABJ, BC, etc and described online have never suggested that this phenomenon occurs in subfreezing winter conditions. so in my mind any NORTHERN STATIONARY beeks claims of CCD between Dec 1st and say mid March would appear potentially bogus to me. my theory is that this "noise" from northern stationary beeks has made the whole CCD issue that much more confusing to the public, other beekeepers and perhaps researchers (my thoughts do not insinuate that CCD has not been a crisis to the beekeepers who have really experienced a loss from this malady or other unexplained losses, I'm merely reflecting on the difficulty its been to try and even figure out how widespread CCD actually is) **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * ****************************************************