We have a cherry orchard and have kept bees for the past 6 years. We typically lose 50% of our hives over a winter to varoa mites and/or wasps/moth predation. We are down to two this year and hoping that they'll make it. I've started setting up hotels for native bees (which, by the way, honeybees are not here in the USA). Things do not look good, however, and where there was once a thriving wild honeybee culture in the USA there is now virtually none. Basically, if it's not watched over by a beekeeper then there are no hives beyond the first few months of a swarm. No bears around here, at least. So that's good. Craig Jungers Royal City, WA On 3/29/07, Allan McLane <amcl_at_sover.net> wrote: > > On Thu, 29 Mar 2007 17:25:06 -0700 (PDT), Derek wrote: > > >Apparently the bees are vanishing. Has anyone out > >there noticed any difference in their paddlings? > > I could write volumes on my experiences as a backyard beekeeper here > in southern Vermont , the same backyard in which I have a small pond > in which I practice my kayak rolling skills (just to keep this > germaine). > > It's been about 5 years since I have had a hive winter over > successfully and it's due mainly to the increase in the varroa mite > http://snipurl.com/1edzo , a nasty parasite that has become > pesticide-resistant. > > However, last summer I had a yearling black bear infesting my hives > which, while entertaining, was nevertheless just as devastating as > the mites. He (or she) totally ignored the three layer electric > frence system on several occasions and waving my greenland paddle > didn't have much effect either. > > This year I'm taking a break from apiculture and hoping that some of > the efforts to breed mite-resistant queens will work. I'm less > sanguine about the possibilities for a bear that doesn't like bees. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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