I have heard from a beekeeper here in NY that he has been hearing of and seeing dieback in his outfit and others across the Nation, many different parts and in parts of Canada. How about y'all? Seen or heard something similar? What's going on? What are your observations or conversations about this like?
Is it mites? One guy I corresponded w/ thinks it has to do w/ the mild Winter (11/12) which was not only easy on the bees but the mites too, allowing an earlier buildup in the colonies.
hey camero
a few more years like this and you might be eating your words.
Many beekeepers like my self will not have bee's for sale this spring like some years.
If there arent nucs and packages and brood for sale where will the small timers get bee's ?
So would the complete abscense of insects (including bees) in the field be interpreted as a lack of any live bees in the area or could it be seen as proof that bees simply don't spend any time in corn fields and therefore dont have any exposure to the potential harmful effects.
I see my bees pulling pollen from the corn near my hives. Doesn't seem to bother them, even though corn pollen is not that nutritious. And I see lots of insects in the corn and this is silage corn that is treated seed.
You do have to remember the amount of corn around your hives doesn't come close to what is seen in agricultural area's. I've got lots of corn around my hives and see no problem, but there is more areas of non corn than corn.
I'm going back to the dieback of this thread. I have experienced the same symptoms stated earlier on this thread. My hives still seem to be going down. I have dribbled acid 3 weeks ago, not a huge drop, in most had to look to find mites. I treated the hives with thymol mid sept. (could not get on time). I have treated later in the past without seeing this. I need opinions on weather they will quit crashing and can be move south or is it a lost cause.
Last year we had a mild winter with lots of hives overwintering. In Wis and IL we are hearing of very high dieback this fall. Most of it looks like old queens. A lot of beekeepers did not requeen after the spring buildup and now those 2011 queens are pittering out.
camero does not understand the amount of corn and beans that are being cultivated here in Southern MN, Iowa, Nd, Sd, and all these other states.
there is by far more corn and beans then anything else. banging out thousands of bee hives that were strong 2 weeks prior is not because of a drought. And actually we had ample moisture in our area compared to some others.
Grew up in Southern Colorado. I know what it's like because I had the wheat fields - miles and miles of them around me. But I still don't think all the bee problems are from neonics.
Absolutely agree. The problem many beekeepers faced with the talc powder situation this spring is ample proof of that. It is an insecticide and bees are insects. That being said, I don't think the sucking from wet soil is really likely. Generally the neonics are much safer for bees and humans than the organophosphates of the past.
I haven't heard anything recently that's alarming but this business can be a bit like a poker game, the cards don't get layed on the table until early next year. I kind of believe that one of the biggest factors in whether bee losses get noticed isn't as much what's happening as who it's happening to. Getting a little restless and nervous though, i think i will head to the Arklatex next week to do some checking.
My bet is a breakdown in mite treatments. I feel my treatments this August/September were not as effective as past years. No losses yet but some hives are close to collapse.
main cause of losses this year? probably that a main mite treatment chemical is no longer available in the US. I have had at least 2-3 people a week call for bees to buy for the last 2 months they are saying no one has any for sale.
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