We've had to listen to Jolly Ollie brag all year about all the swarms he's caught so let's see how well he does at keeping them alive all winter.
We'll go by number of hives lost beginning October 1, 2012 thru March 1, 2013. Check in with the number of hives you have as of October 1st. if you want to participate so get done with all your combines and such before then.
Ollie may be old, bald and cheap but he's as honest as they come so we'll go by the honor system like we did the swarm challenge. Last I heard, Ollie had 60 hives. Is that right Ollie?
Thanks OD,
With the exception of the two guys loosing several nucs I was the high number this year.
Mine where 28% like you're outyards, worst year in 3 years for me. Only treatment powdered sugar.
Charley screwed up, You can't go by the number lost a guy with 100 hives losing 10 would only be 10%.
I think % is the only fair way to compare apples with oranges.
Hi Seymore, the strongest treatment I've ever used was honey bee healthy. Have always been chemical free by my definition.
As there was no competition in previous years I do not have accurate data. I would guess about the same. Yards near 101 suffered the most, both in San Mateo and East Palo Alto.
the one nice benefit to losing all my hives is that I don't have to worry about any of OD's traps near my place. And yet while OD was up in SF, I noticed some of his 'highland girls' conducting home tours of my deadouts!
well I go feed patties last week-end and it's my worst year for long time, lost all my 8 nucs, 20 doubles on 78 and 5 singles on 18. That's give me a 32% loss. I can't believe I will win the challenge in the opposite way .
varroa has been terrible last year and we have a little drough at the end of the summer. I should have remove the honey boxes by mid August and feed and treat immediatly, but I loose time hoping in a late bloom. Varroa take advantage of the weakness of the hives and give me a good lesson this year.
Chance for me, many of the remaining double have ten frames of bees, I will recover for my lost in the spring.
Turns out I lost my weak hive while they were in the almonds. Looks like I am raising wax moths in that hive.........do they make honey?LOL Freezing all the comb as I type.
So I am down to 5 hives, but the good thing is they are doing VERY well!! Looks like I'll need to collect some swarms this year to get up to the hive count I want!
Went to make up a queenless nuc today to raise some queens but the wind was howling, so no go for me.
"That's the place where all the Stanford kids get their weed and other pharmaceuticals! "
One reason I hang out there too. Plus the good honey flow.
"Where is East Palo Alto?"
Charlie, as you move in on my sites as fast as you find out where they are, I will let you figure this one out all by yourself. I would love to watch you fight off the locals on your first visit, though. You "boys" from SF might have a hard time in EPA.
Of my 11 hives and 7 nucs, I lost one hive to mites and 3 hives due to beekeeper's error of not strapping or weighing down the outer covers enough during a blizzard. The wind blew our windbreak into the hives shifting three of the tops enough to allow the elements into the hive. Too bad as they were all strong hives at the time. They were the last of the polystyrene hives I had. Never again...All 7 nucs made it. Apiaries are no treat with the exception of feeding 2:1 syrup in the fall to the colonies that need it.
John
Down to one hive. Of the original 4 I started out with this year, 1 absconded in november. Another dwindled and died in the december freeze. The wild one remains but is awfully quiet. i split it twice in the summer and both of the splits died out (one in december, one just a week ago).
the wild swarm was a massive performer last year. I hope it can make it through these next couple of weeks.
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