| It's that time of year again, when beekeepers | | | | - to demonstrate improved parasitic mite control |
| across the country are gearing up for winter. | | | | with proper timing of application; |
| Every measure will be taken to ensure each hive | | | | - to improve the content and delivery methods |
| has enough surplus food to keep their colony | | | | for carbohydrate and protein diets; |
| buzzing until next spring. For some that means | | | | - to improve the integrated use of controls for |
| leaving a super or two of fall honey, Cooking up | | | | pests and diseases including non-chemical |
| fondant, feeding pollen or grease patties, giving | | | | beekeeping methodology." |
| any needed treatments, and so on. Just the same | | | | Fortunately for us, in 2008 congress mandated a |
| fall routine we beekeepers go through every | | | | farm bill [Section 7204 (h) (4)] and began to fund |
| year. Then, after the work is done and | | | | CCD research. According to the colony collapse |
| temperatures are too low to get in a hive, it | | | | disorder progress report, there are now 8 federal |
| seems that the most we can do is keep our | | | | agencies, 2 state departments of agriculture, 22 |
| fingers crossed. | | | | universities, and several private research efforts |
| Especially with the reports of last years colony | | | | dedicated to studying this matter. Some progress |
| losses at 29% and the cause of CCD still | | | | has been made, however, it appears to be a |
| unknown, many of us wonder if there isn't | | | | combination of many stressful factors causing the |
| anything more that we could do? Something to | | | | hives to collapse. A new virus was discovered, |
| prevent CCD and strengthen our bees general | | | | but more research has to be done before we will |
| health? Well, researchers and scientists are | | | | know the extent of it's relation to colony collapse |
| working hard to help us answer those questions. | | | | disorder. Hopefully, we will learn more soon and be |
| Since the major colony losses in 2006-2008 many | | | | able to manage our bee hives better. |
| efforts have been made to discover the cause of | | | | Nevertheless, we need to prepare our hive(s), as |
| CCD and determine a form of treatment. In 2007 | | | | usual, for the oncoming winter. As regular ol' |
| The CCD steering committee formulated a colony | | | | beekeepers, the most we can do at this point is |
| collapse disorder action plan. They arranged 4 | | | | promote the general health of our hives. There |
| topics of research to be studied and several goals | | | | are many ways to do this and I encourage you |
| for each topic, with many objectives for each | | | | to study about it. We should keep in touch with |
| goal. Kim Flottum summarized their list of goals | | | | the ongoing research by reading the news page |
| nicely when he wrote, "Specifically, they (the | | | | at the Agricultural Research Center's website and |
| scientists) set these goals: | | | | other reliable sources such as Kim Flottum's |
| - to increase colony strength for pollination of | | | | beekeeping blog on The Daily Green web page. |
| almonds and subsequent crops; | | | | Staying in touch will not only keep you informed, |
| - to demonstrate that resistant bee stocks | | | | but will give you a slightly longer portion of the |
| reduce operating costs and increase survivability; | | | | stick as you care for your bees. |