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The Beekeeper

Survey: Beekeepers Lost 35% of Bees This Winter

April 14, 2008 at 7:49AM By Kim Flottum | comment

The Apiary Inspectors Of America commissioned a survey of colony losses this past winter. It is the best count of what’s happened so far this year since it's the only count of what’s happened so far this year. The AIA talked to beekeepers who have under their control about 18% of the nations 2.44 million colonies (about a half million colonies). What they found is not good news. ...

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tags: bees, colony collapse disorder, survey, beekeeping, apiary inspectors of america, bumble bees, pollinators

Some Say Bee Disease Will End in Fire, Some Say in Ice

April 7, 2008 at 3:03PM By Kim Flottum | comment

The Dead Don’t Stay Dead, It Seems...

Further investigation into what happens to all those empty beehives after all the bees have died from what is believed to be Colony Collapse Disorder has turned up some interesting answers...and some more questions.

First, we quoted Dennis VanEnglesdorp incorrectly in our last entry here. We took the quote from a newspaper article that quoted him saying that those hives should be burned. Well, they were right, and not right. Dennis did advise hobby beekeepers to not use equipment if they had experienced CCD. That’s because generally hobby beekeepers don’t have many colonies and replacement costs are minimal, considering the risks involved and the work involved in getting them in shape to use again. But, he added, and wasn’t quoted, if you choose to use them, have them irradiated before reintroducing bees into them.

Other researchers too, have suggested irradiation as a preventive measure for equipment after a bout with CCD. Indeed, although early reports indicated that irradiation wasn’t effective, long-term studies have now shown that irradiated equipment will have at least a 20% increase in the amount of brood raised in that equipment.

But this is still a soft number, and beekeepers are using other means to clean out the nasties left behind...as it seems there are some when all the bees are dead. ...

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tags: bees, colony collapse disorder, research, hives, irradiation

Has Colony Collapse Disorder Reached Canada?

April 1, 2008 at 10:15AM By Kim Flottum | comment

Did your bees die of Colony Collapse Disorder this winter?
That’s the $64,000 question right now. In parts of the U.S. bees are going gangbusters and looking like they are supposed to look in early April ... strong, ready, willing and able. But in the more northern parts of the U.S the season isn’t as advanced and the answers aren’t quite as clear. Of course those colonies that were pushed early for almonds found out how good they were, or weren’t, so they already know ... and what they know is that it isn’t good news again. ...

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tags: canada, bees, colony collapse disorder

The Weather's Better, But How 'Bout the Bees?

March 28, 2008 at 9:26AM By Kim Flottum | comment

Last year at this time was when the second round of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) seemed to strike. Or maybe not. Lots of colonies perished last year right about Easter time due to what came to be known as the Easter Freeze. A very atypical (well, it seemed atypical anyway) late frost hit right about now across much of the northern U.S. east of the Mississippi river all the way to Maine, and all down the east coat to northern Florida. It killed everything in bloom, and it killed all the buds that hadn’t bloomed yet, so there was nothing left of the spring blossoms. Nothing. ...

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