OK, I read some things that I didnÂ’t like and then went typing away without thinking. For that, IÂ’d like to apologize. IÂ’ll answer your questions as best I can.
>Why would the people who say that SHB is handled by a "strong" hive also be >asking for permission to test chemicals?
Because the beekeepers in South Georgia ask them too.
>Is there more to the story?
Most hobbyists donÂ’t have a problem with SHB in South Georgia, or at least not as bad of a problem as the queen and package producers.
But, the large queen producers, and package producers are having a horrible time with the SHB. Producing queens require hives to go queenless from time to time. These hives are very small, most are about 1/4 the size of a standard Nuc. The package producers spend day after day taking as many bees from a hive as possible. Many of the queen producers are talking about getting out the business altogether.
The large commercial beekeepers that run hundreds or thousands of hives, canÂ’t check to see if all their hives are strong, or queenless, or if they swarmed, or one of a million other problems that will alow SHBs to move in for the kill. They use to keep full honey supers sitting in the honey house for weeks before extracting. Now they have to extract what they pull that day. Before the SHB none of this was a big deal. More times than not they would let the hive requeen themselves or it would normally build back up after a swarm. Now with the SHB they are having a hard time trying to keep ahead of the game. The SHBs are having a wonderful time in S. GA. The SHBs are effecting the livelihood of these beekeepers. So do you think they are screaming at the top of their lungs for help? You bet!
>Is having "strong" hives by every beekeeper as defined by the standard used in the UGA tests not practical for application to everyday apairies?
Yes, it is very practical, but when a beekeeper ask “What should or can I do about SHB?” The reply will be much the same as “What do I do about wax moths, or yellow jackets” Prevent the problem by keeping the hive strong.
>Would the stories of great loss by SHB in the past indicate that in reality not all hives are maintained in this "strong" catagory?
Yes, as I said above the way the producers have been doing business for years and years is changing because what they do often creates weak colonies.
>If you were to assign a percentage to each level, say from 1(weak) to 10(strong), than on a real, or practical standpoint, what would the hives overall be in the category (10 or strong) protected by this study mentioned?
Well they wanted them to do the study but Bayer wouldnÂ’t let them, but The hives being use by the producers IÂ’d give 1 or less for the queen producers, 5 to 6 for the package producers, and 5 to 10 for the commercial beekeepers.
>Certainly hives being kept by beekeepers in the so-called "SHB central" have been kept in this less than "strong" category that has been mentioned. How else do you explain the stories of loss and destruction?
Yep, thatÂ’s what I said.
>Could it be that beekeepers in Georgia and Florida need a refresher course?
They are having to learn lot. Yes, when the SHB showed up it changed the book on them.
>Are they less than average?
Yes, again
>If saying all you have to do is keep strong hives, than those southern beekeepers must really stink.
ItÂ’s the way they do it, but you never hear beekeepers complain about getting their queens or packages early in the spring.
>Having proved that a hive under ideal situations and care, can defend against SHB is nothing new.
I myself considered the hives used in the study as less than perfect, and I thought they were going to crash.
>So while this "keep a strong" hive comment is true, and can also be applied to wax moths and other pests, does it really say anything revealing?
No, but what were you expecting him to say?
The studies with the SHB are not for the rest of the country. It’s for areas in South Georgia and Fla. (I know there are other places within the south that are not being mentioned here) They are the ones with the problem, not the rest of us. So when people (from places other than S. GA. and FLA.) ask what they can do to prevent having problems with SHB, the answer will usually be “keep your hives strong”.
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