benign beekeeping?

[squarepeg]

thanks again ian, i guess i was gravitating toward the same conclusion.

[beemandan]

Many researchers believe they are dying off and succumbing to mites in alarming numbers as well.

I think it may be just the opposite. Back when mites first devastated managed bee colonies, they also slammed the ferals. I believe that there is an upswing in feral colonies today. I suspect it is the result of improved genetics in managed hives that eventually find their way into feral stock. Add to that the possibility that some of the feral mite populations may be less virulent. I doubt if we will ever see feral populations that rival those of the old days but I do think they are becoming more common.

[sqkcrk]

Mike, I'm not making a claim, I'm telling you what happened. It's not my problem if you think you know about weather in two places you've never been.

Another assumption.

[sqkcrk]

If you want to go treatment free, you will have to be more in tuned with the colonies disease pressures. You still have to manage disease pressures! otherwise nature will just kill them off anyway

If Nature kills them off, is that not a natural selection process which TFBs would find acceptable?

[sqkcrk]

. I do however think there is still room for optimization in hive management by looking at how bees naturally [...] live.

What does "want to" have to do w/ it?

[Ian]

If Nature kills them off, is that not a natural selection process which TFBs would find acceptable?

yes, I see your point, they probably would find that acceptable.

[squarepeg]

i get not propagating dinks, but why let the whole hive die, get sick, robbed, load up your good hives and the feral bees with whatever, and let those poor bees die in imaginalbly horrific death....

when all you have to do is take care of the problem and the genetics?

[sqkcrk]

What are "dinks"?

[Ian]

>>when all you have to do is take care of the problem and the genetics?

to each is there own. All depends on what our beliefs are I guess
but I agree with you, whats the point of it all?

unless your part of this kind of operation,

www.saskatraz.com

[squarepeg]

you've seen them mark. colonies that get way behind the rest, unless all of yours are super-hives.

[sqkcrk]

Below average colonies? Then let's say so, so unhip guys like me can understand. Or should I start w/ der espanol?

[squarepeg]

i think i got 'dinks' from an randy oliver paper, mike palmer uses his to make nucs for his new queens.

[sqkcrk]

Michael Palmer uses that term? I have to spend more time w/ him.

[squarepeg]

never heard mike say 'dinks'. i was refering to his use thereof for mating nucs and starter colonies. culling the less productive hives in favor of getting rid of the potentially bad genetics and ushering in hopefully better.

[sqkcrk]

I c

[squarepeg]

u c d b?

[Michael Palmer]

Icdbzb

[Michael Palmer]

i think i got 'dinks' from an randy oliver paper, mike palmer uses his to make nucs for his new queens.

Bob Harrison, Missouri beekeeper on Bee-L uses the term "dink" when referring to weak colonies.

While I don't use weak colonies, or dinks if you prefer, to make up my mating nucs, I do use "non-productive" colonies to start my regular nucs for wintering. While I still sacrifice these colonies for nuc making, I'm moving toward making all my nucs from over wintered nucs. I think I used about 20 colonies to make somewhere near 100 of the nucs this year, but the rest of the 450+ came from nucs. In 2013, all will be made up from nucleus colonies. My mating nucs are 4 way on mini-combs. These I make up by expanding the winter survivors onto additional mini-combs.

[buzz abbott]

I have not heard anyone mention powdered sugar rolls to count mites. Could you guys with lots of experience comment on the pros and cons of a sugar roll count?

[beemandan]

pros and cons of a sugar roll count?

In my opinion sugar roll
Pro:
Doesn't kill bees
More significant results than mite drops
Con:
Not as convenient as mite drops
Not as accurate or consistent as alcohol or ether wash.