How many hives did you loose? How do they look now? Are they still going backwards?

[Ian]

Just wondering what does not out of control equate to in a mite wash?

My thresholds have shifted from 5% in fall to 2-3% in fall

[Keith Jarrett]

[QUOTE=borada bee doc;888440]

[benstung]

[QUOTE=swarm_trapper;888478]

Also many hives were tested for mites and they were not out of control, no more than past years.

Just wondering what does not out of control equate to in a mite wash?

under 10 mites coming off of 300 bees

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...334066972.html

[benstung]

Whoa Andrew! I saw one comment that was potentially critical of benstung...otherwise I see a lot of people asking questions....
In my case ben said the only thing he might have done differently would have been to treat for mites during the summer. I was curious how effective he thought that might have been in stemming his losses.
I think most folks reading and commenting are sympathetic and hope to make sure their own operations don't suffer the same fate.

Well we will never know how treating in July would have effected the out come. I like to think it would have helped, but then again I am still not sure mite loads were the whole problem.
But with out mites maybe the bees could have weathered any other storm that came along.

[beemandan]

But with out mites maybe the bees could have weathered any other storm that came along.

Heaven knows there's truth in that.

[Keith Jarrett]

Heaven knows there's truth in that.

Very well said BMD, any time that you have a good over winter conditions like we had last year (remember all the extra bees in Calif at almond time) you WILL have a higher mite load avg, so look out in the coming summer. This is just common sense beekeeping.

P.S I treated in almonds then had to double back in first week in June.

[benstung]

yes common sense. thats why we treated 2-3 times in the spring before honey supers went on. and 3 times in the late summer. Using formic and OTHER things.