Ccd

[Oldtimer]

Hi Guys, I've noticed, that from my side of the world anyway, articles about unexplained colony collapse has dropped almost completely out of the media.

Just want to know, has CCD lessened or something? Or is it just the media are loosing interest?

[sqkcrk]

CCD related mortality has not been highlighted lately. Why? Maybe the large colony count apiaries have done better or went belly up.

According to what I was told a couple of years ago, when the Apiary Inspectors of America reported colony mortality for 2009 (I think), they reported a 30% winterloss of known managed colonies. Five percent was CCD Related.

Since then, I believe, protien pattys have gotten better, more nutritious. Some containing fumidil for the nosema. Treating for varroa has become somewhat easier, more materials like MAQS and Hopgaurd. Whcih allow multiple treatments per year w/ more than one material.

So, maybe we are getting smarter. Or, just lucky. It would be interesting to know how many operations applied for ELAP relief this past year. One has to have more than a 17% dieback to start realizing any income(?). Something like that. It seems silly to me to call all of these CCD as they do. When actually few hives are looked at and almost none are tested or diagnosed in any way. From what little information I have.

[jim lyon]

Oh yeah CCD it's starting to come back to me........that is soooooo 2008. I guess I haven't heard much in the way of die offs lately either. As someone who has never experienced "it" I can't really explain why. I can only personally say that when my mite levels were low our bees were almost always good. My theory is that the biggest problem has always been varroa either directly or indirectly via mite spread viruses. Neonics may well be a minor contributing factor but in looking at the macro it should be noted that the uptick in bee health nationwide the past two years has coincided with record planting of corn acreages. I'm certain everyone will agree with my take.

[Keith Jarrett]

I believe, protien pattys have gotten better, more nutritious. Some containing fumidil for the nosema.

I dont know about that, I got a major bee catalog yesterday, on page 42 they had there "gold standard of pollen patties"
they had a chart with Recommended deGroot amino acid profile & there's. WOW, they only listed 9 0f the 10 essential amino acid needed by bees, first they don't really "quote degroot" correctly because DeGroot knows there are 10 essential amino acids, & they call this there gold stardard of pollen patties ????

They say " WE KNOW BEES " really... sounds like they don't know gold from fools gold.

[sqkcrk]

I defer to you Keith. You know a lot more about what goes in to protien pattys than I do, so you are probably more correct about that than I.

Question. Is what I said generally acurate about pattys? Are they not better than they were, even if not as good as they could be?

Any thoughts on CCD reports? Maybe it's too early to have much of an idea whether there is any less or not?

[Intheswamp]

There is a good article from south Florida regarding neonicotinoid insecticides and some large colony losses that have been incurred. I'm not sure if the bees die away from the colony or whether inside the hives, so the "definition" of CCD may be argued here which I'm not interested in doing. Possibly the media focus is shifting to insecticide poisoning rather than CCD? When a reporter can report of several thousand colonies dieing or write an article about "colonies disappeared" which would be the most sensational to the average person? Poison...people understand and react to reports of it, but CCD...people don't understand and kind of go "oh, yeah, I think I heard about that". The article is from about 50 miles south of Ocala, Florida in Leesburg. The article is about CCD, neonics, and possible legislation in Florida in favor of allowing hobby beekeepers to have colonies in areas formerly restricted by local governments. It seems like a good article to me, might be worth your read.

CCD may simply be becoming old news to report on and the media is looking for something more sensational that helps sell advertising. At least the bees are remaining in the news and getting publicity...a good thing.

"...uptick in bee health nationwide the past two years has coincided with record planting of corn acreages..." Jim, I'm not so sure about this. What about the study from Purdue? I just had to prove you right!

Ed

[wildbranch2007]

I heard more about it last year when everyone had a hard winter, this year being pretty easy winter, you are hearing less about it. I copied a post from bee-l from

Jerry Bromenshank who authored the ccd paper about nosema c and virus causing ccd, the discussion is not related to ccd but his comment could help.

>>
As an interesting aside, every study such as this has methodology and
time/location limitations. I find it interesting that our work found exactly
the opposite with respect to DWV.

One issue that has not been mentioned, it is possible that different
strains appear at different times and different locations. Much like human
influenza. Some years, it is not so bad, others it is much more virulent. We
suspect this to be true of Nosema ceranae as well as viruses.

Jerry

>> I can't copy the link but its on bee-l this month along with the discussion.

[Keith Jarrett]

Question. Is what I said generally acurate about pattys? Are they not better than they were, even if not as good as they could be?

Mark, they are getting better slowly, but most still fall short, if they advertized a plain Jane patties is one thing , but some take out full page ads to promote junk. It would be nice if keepers were a little more up to speed so they would know what has value and what is just fluff.
Keith

[sqkcrk]

Would you say which readily available patty is as close as we can get from suppliers at this time? Which do you rate the highest? Besides home made?

[throrope]

An old codger from a three generation family of keepers near dismissed the issue as something that comes along every twenty or thirty years. Since only in the last decade has the internet become mainstream and along with it a highway full of information, past routine generational cycles may be now viewed as historic events.

From what I've heard 90% of the bees are kept by 2% of the keepers. I also understand economics have driven out many breeders making for a smaller and more fragile genetic base. That combined with vast populations chasing the same pollination work help distribute one colonies issue to many. The international transport of bees IMHO doesn't help either. Seems to me every year bring another stress and the profits are not keeping up with the challenges.

As I understand, the 60's had three times the keepers as we did before CCD made headlines. Since then a flow of new people joined. I look forward to internet communities like this, recent growing participation and contributions of small scale keepers like myself improving the genetic diversity and giving the species that originates from the same place and provides for humanity more than any other a better future.

[really_so_sorry]

From US winter losses survey:

"Preliminary survey results indicate that 30% of managed honey bee colonies in the United States were lost during the 2010/2011 winter. The percentage of losses have remained relatively steady (near or above 30%) over the last 5 years. Specifically, previous survey results indicated that 34% of the total colony loss in the winters of 2009/2010; 29% in 2008/2009; 36% in 2007/2008; and 32% in 2006/2007."

This is total losses, not CCD. Surveys do include CCD, but consider it is a difficult diagnosis. Of those beekeepers reporting losses, 31% reported dead colonies with absent bees.

The media still report it, but not as much--it's just a buzz word for catchier titles and articles.

[Keith Jarrett]

Which do you rate the highest? Besides home made?

Well Mark, take a look at Nick Noyes (beesource member) you-tube video under "almond pollination 2012" he uses NUTRA BEE pollen sub.


http://youtu.be/lxcpGJ_2Df8

[Honey-4-All]

? Keith.

Are those bees that hot from the sub or the rough handling? No doubt the sub put bees in the boxes but something is making them one bunch of Hot Ladies. Looks more like a commercial for an ultra sealed bee suit than it does for bees in the almonds or a sub supplier.

[Barry]

Hot? Those don't look hot to me. Just a lot of them. I don't see any attacking of the camera lens or filmmaker. Those are some full boxes of bees!!

[sqkcrk]

They aren't HOT, they are busy.

[Intheswamp]

For this newbee that is one cool video!!!!

Ed

[lupester]

Why is her reversing the boxes. It looks like the bees are in both boxes so he wouldn't need to reverse would he?

[sqkcrk]

It could be that feeders are in the deeps and putting them on top makes them more accessible. Which is just what you will see them doing at the beginning of the video.

[Oldtimer]

Nice video. Just, I'd been told commercial bees are weak, chemical dependant, easy die bees.

But those hives looked pretty good. Oh well, must have been fed incorrect information, LOL!

[sqkcrk]

Some of the strongest hives I have seen in the last few years have been ones which came back to SC after Almond Pollination. When you have a dbl dp hive that you can take two nucs out of and still have a good colony left, them's strong bees. imo