>This assumes no pre-existing problems with bee health. > In my experience many losses are due to problems with > bee health going into winter. I've just finished analyzing a data set of 600 hives belonging to 12 different almond pollinators, graded for cluster size in fall, midwinter, and late January. Very interesting to analyze--I presented at Calif state meeting this winter, and will publish next fall. Bottom line, I agree with you--winter losses for the group appear to be largely correlated with preexisting problems in late summer/fall. In my part of the data set (200 hives), the "acute" viruses appeared to be the number one problem. -- Randy Oliver Grass Valley, CA www.ScientificBeekeeping.com *********************************************** The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html Guidelines for posting to BEE-L can be found at: http://honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm