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Post by kimmsrđź•Š on Mar 15, 2015 5:45:55 GMT -5
While doing some research about our bees and the problems they face I was rather amazed to find that for every article about bees and those problems there are at least 3 articles about killing bees.
There is no single problem but a combination of things. Some researchers have found glysophate, Imidacloprid, and many fungicides in the honey in hives where the bees appear to have weakened immune systems and appear to be more susceptible to the disease and the mites. Poor nutrition, feeding them sugar water instead of the honey they have been eating for eons. and transporting them miles all seem to contribute as well.
Hives that are where the bees have access to a variety of wild flowers, not sprayed or treated with poisons, seem to be healthier and can ward off these same diseases and pest. We need to, somehow, convince people that spraying so much of those insecticides, used to control about 8,000 insects considered pests out of some 8,000,000 insects, or about 1 percent but too teach people the difference between an insect pest and a beneficial because many do not know.
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Post by desertwoman on Mar 15, 2015 9:18:15 GMT -5
Good points, kimm. I especially like the notion that we should teach people the difference between pests and beneficials. Too many think that just because it crawls, it's "bad".
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Post by oliverman on Mar 15, 2015 9:36:36 GMT -5
Yes, and we need more diverse cropping systems that feed the creatures for the whole year. Even if none of the corn and soybeans in my area were treated with insecticides, bees will still go hungry most of the year, except on the few farms like mine.
I read recently in several conventional farming magazines and papers, that treating soybean seeds with neonicotinoids, was of very minimal effect in increasing soybean yields. Most years there was no benefit, and in the few years that there was, it was not significant. Overall, the cost of treating exceeded the revenue generated by the yield increases. The recommendation is instead to scout for pests, and spray insecticide in times where harmful insects are present in economically significant numbers. So, even the conventional researchers are recognizing that there is excessive insecticide use.
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Post by ncgarden on Mar 15, 2015 10:30:16 GMT -5
Having recently started with bees, I was dismayed to attend the beekeeping classes and beekeepers meetings and find out that overwhelmingly they are using just as many chemicals to keep their bees as the commercial ag industry is using to manage their crops. They are constantly treating for something, and almost always using chemicals. I stopped going to my local beekeepers meetings because I was such an oddball for refusing to treat my bees with chemicals. the little guys just can't win!!!
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Post by James on Mar 16, 2015 1:22:50 GMT -5
I have kept bees for many years. I medicate them in the spring with antibiotics. against Nosema disease and put some mite strips in the hive to get rid of mites. Here is the thing, If I do not do this, the bees won't make it through summer. At times the bees may drag in a brood disease from somewhere, likely robbing a sick and weak hive, but only antibiotics will save them . It is either give them some help with the chemicals or let them die from the pests. Do you vaccinate your kids for smallpox, measels, polio etc? If your kids came home with a batch of head lice would you get some chemicals to get rid of the lice or just let them run? Its the same principle.
You decide when you see your bees covered with mites, or dieing in droves from nosema or foulbrood! You say you recently started, you have not seen these things yet, but I predict you will.
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Post by James on Mar 16, 2015 1:44:26 GMT -5
ABC and XYZ of BEE CULTURE, A. I. Root Co. The Hive and the Honey Bee, Dadant
are a couple of very informative books.
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Post by brownrexx on Mar 16, 2015 8:59:38 GMT -5
I medicate our hives in the spring and fall as well.
Years ago, before bee diseases were brought here from other countries, it was not a necessity but now I feel that if I don't medicate them that it's only a matter of time before I lose them.
I do a few natural things like making grease patties out of Crisco and sugar 50-50 to make the bees throats greasy so that the tracheal mites can not hang on and are expelled.
I also have some menthol crystals to put inside the hives to kill mites. We have never had a problem with hive beetles.
Most responsible beekeepers only medicate in the Spring and Fall when honey is not being made. The idea of the medication is to eradicate the disease causing organisms inside of the hive. The bees that are actually medicated only live 6 weeks and by the time honey is being made the new bees are medication free and so it the honey.
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Post by ncgarden on Mar 16, 2015 11:41:26 GMT -5
This will be our fourth year, and we have been fortunate to not have any losses (outside of an an unexplained absconding of the hive). It's all circumstantial, but our next door neighbor started the same time we did, and have lost their bees every year and had to start again. Good karma <g>!!
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Post by davidjp on Mar 16, 2015 11:54:55 GMT -5
There was quite a good piece by Morgan Spurlock on CNN last week, I'm sure you could probably find it now again as its I daresay its being repeated. www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2015/02/26/cnn-morgan-spurlock-inside-man-03-05-15.cnn-creative-marketingAll the local hives usually in the orange groves have disappeared for a while. They are all about 400 miles north of here in the almonds. Its a big operation, 800,000 acres of almonds requires 1.6 million hives which apparently is about 60% of all hives in the US and at $150-200 a hive a major money maker. I usually go camping up there this time of year, its very pretty all the trees full of blossom for miles but apart from almonds which will cease blooming in a few weeks there's nothing else for that number of hives to support themselves so they have to be trucked around to find forage and pollination money. Sort of a vicious circle but almonds are increasing so expect it to get even more so.
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Post by tendingmygarden on Mar 16, 2015 11:56:44 GMT -5
For those researching the way to organically keep bees - take heart - it can be done.
You might want to start your research by looking at the practices of Betty Taylor owner of Persimmon Ridge Honey Farm in Tennessee. She adds NO CHEMICALS to manage mites or other diseases. And she does not add sugar or high fructose corn syrup to "stimulate"them.
She's been published in Mother Earth News and various other online publications.
She also writes a wonderful blog! Here's a quote from one of her articles: "Conventional beekeepers store stacked towers of honeycomb-filled boxes under the vapors of paradichlorobenzene, the same chemical found in moth balls. But beeswax acts as a chemical sink and can easily become contaminated with this and other chemicals. For this reason, I won't use readymade wax foundation for my bees to draw out. A chemical soup can remain in the foundation made from wax produced by conventional beekeepers. Instead my bees draw out all of their own pure wax foundation from scratch. Here in Middle Tennessee, they can do this only in the spring during a nectar flow, when there is enough nectar and honey available for wax production. Giving them a guide at the top of each wired frame gets the bees started, and they draw out beautiful frames of honeycomb."
And regarding vaccines - there is plenty of evidence and documented proof, for those who care to do the research, that vacines might not be the best way to go either.
Chemical companies would have us believe there is no other way to go but to turn to them in every aspect of life. That's just not true.
Theresa
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Post by James on Mar 16, 2015 12:11:03 GMT -5
As noted, I have kept bees for many years. so here is a story .... My son who lives in Southern Utah had a few hives. He was also in with Search And Rescue with the local Sheriffs office. Well...... a semi truck load of bees from back East headed for the almonds in California, had an incident and left the road scattering 300 or so colonies of bees all over the side of the road. Of course when the Sheriff showed up, he said "Find (Son) he knows about bees". So with the help of a few friends he gathers up the spilled load as well as he could and hauls them to a vacant lot. Well the insurance settled with the bee company for the loss and did not want the bees, so they told son they were his. So all of a sudden he is in the beekeeping biz big time. He takes some to California for pollination, then when they leave there he brings some up here to Northern Utah for the clover bloom and to make honey. So I have quite a lot of bees here during Spring and Summer. Usually from 35 to 45 colonies with his and mine both. Unfortunately with travelling bees they have opportunity to stick their lil noses in a lot of stuff. Sometimes not so good. One has to carefully check them for problems and medicate as needed. Just has to be done if you want to keep any bees alive.
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Post by brownrexx on Mar 16, 2015 14:25:08 GMT -5
Conventional beekeepers store stacked towers of honeycomb-filled boxes under the vapors of paradichlorobenzene, the same chemical found in moth balls. This is a treatment for killing the wax moth larvae which can destroy bee keeping equipment. Not only do they fill the boxes with lots of white webs, they will actually eat into the wood of the boxes themselves. Exposing beekeeping equipment to freezing temperatures for a couple of days will also work so that is what I do. I use no PDB. I put the empty honey supers into my chest freezer and then store them in my basement where the wax moths can not find them. I heard about that accident James. It's good to know that your son got the bees and it's also good to know that they were not destroyed.
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Post by armjr on Mar 16, 2015 16:26:03 GMT -5
It's been years (35) since I had any bees (hives), but there were always plenty at the ranch (feral bees). We were rightly concerned when they became "Aficanized", and they were indeed that. We won several battles but were losing the war for a while. For the past two years, the bees have been strangely absent. There has been no shortage of nectar but no bees to harvest it.
Alan
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Post by ncgarden on Mar 16, 2015 18:45:20 GMT -5
james, I have a friend whose job was to drive semi's full of hives between North Dakota and someplace (Louisiana)?? His stories of loading the hives and the trucks are something. I can't imagine your son having such a massive apiary "dropped" on him like that! Too many bees for me - I am pretty happy minding 3 or 4.
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Post by James on Mar 17, 2015 0:40:18 GMT -5
Yep, keeping bees is a fun and interesting and rewarding hobby for those of us who only keep a few hives. It can also become a job and a livelihood for those who want to take it that far. For me, at this time, an interest has turned into a little sideline business to go along with the garden and Gardener's Market.
Yes, the freezer for the supers, to get rid of wax moth.
Hey Alan, better get some hives and order up a few bees? They will do well if no wild bees.
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