While they still don.t know the causes of the decline in honey bees, the chemical treatment for the main parasite seems to be losing effect. The mites are developing a resistance to the main chemicals used to control them. Record US Honey Bee Losses And What 'Mite' Be Behind Them | ZeroHedge But the short answer is that they don't know just what else is causing the colony collapse. Might be insecticides, disease, or environmental, they don't really know. Many tree crops depend on insects for pollination and it is almost essential in those plants that require cross pollination from another plant or tree. Kind of a shock if your plant or tree grows quickly, has beautiful flowers and then no fruit forms. What caused the catastrophic U.S. honeybee colony loss? Deciphering All the Buzz About Honey Bee Loss - College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Beekeeper friend says the mites are an issue for sure, but capturing swarms and interfering with colonies are a bigger issue. He says a lot of times sick bees will swarm to protect the rest of the hive while the swarm will die off, and beekeepers are too quick to gather them. He has 4 hives and lost two of them this summer when they swarmed away. This is something I am looking to get into next spring with 1 "hobby" hive.
I got into a few yrs ago,, I don't know why, because I was working at the beach for a couple yrs and couldn't tend to them ,, the hive lasted 2 years,, then died out. Would like to try again,, maybe if I get some of these other projects out of my way.
I have a bumper crop of bumblebees but hardly any honey bees this year. I planted nearly a quarter acre of pollinator friendly flowers and plants plus more fruit trees. Stupid honey bees were flying around in february during a warm spell that fooled my apple and cherry trees as well. I was feeding the bees raw sugar nectar in hopes to keep them alive until true spring arrived. Doesn't look like I had any success. But the bumble bees are freaking everywhere.
