CCD - First hand experiences

[ezrahug]

Respond to this if you have FIRST HAND experience with colony collapse. How many hives do you have, what geographic location, what type, and when did the bees disappear?

Just curious really but i'm going to share the responses with the NYC Beekeepers Association.

Thanks in advance!

[Roland]

Look for my PM.

Roland

[sqkcrk]

2006 or 7 I had 732 hives in NY in May. By fall I had 432. By March 2007 or 8 I had 100 colonies. Whatever year it was it was the year before ccd was brought to the attention of researchers. Figured it was just a matter of ineffective mite control material and not using it at the correct time.

A lot of loses are due to not knowing. Not knowing what is going on in ones hives. Not knowing what to do about it, if one does know.

Is that what you were looking for?

[Mike Gillmore]

On a much smaller scale ...

Fall of 2006 I had 8 hives in one of my yards in Northeast Ohio . Early November an inspection found them all with very good populations of bees (Italians). I checked them again three weeks later and discovered 6 were almost completely empty of bees (none alive), 1 had a live queen with a cupful of workers left, and 1 was notably weaker but made it through the winter.

I don't know if it was CCD, mites, pesticides, poor nutrition, viruses, or UFO's. All I know for sure is what I found.