Honey Bee population crashes and Cell Signals

[DougPaul]

Raven--thanks.

Or the bottom line with respect to CCD: The individual factors (one at a time) may not be enough to cause CCD, but in combination they may cause CCD..

Of course there may also be something else causing CCD...

Doug

 

[jniehof]

So cell phones are now in the same risk category as "insufficient alcohol." Ain't that a kick in the head.

Not quite... they're in with coffee, pickles, and carpentry.

 

[Little Rickie]

It would take alot more testing as Doug said, to determine if this was the case as there are many possible combinations.

Good luck with the bees!

Thank you. As I read and talk to people more I'm surprised at how much is known about bees bees and how little is known. I suspect as this becomes more economically necessitated more research will go into this and solutions will be found.

I'm guessing after years and years of managing bees for maximum honey production has breed bees with weakness that come out under stress.

Why would bees move or die if they are: safe, warm, dry and well fed. Their unhappy of course!

Since pheromones are what regulate hive behavor then if the queen isn't happy, (and we all know, "If she's happy your happy") because all she does is lay eggs all day and never gets a day off, then she goes on strike (get those drones off my back) or farts and everyone leaves for a better smelling home where she doesn't have to work so hard and goes back to smelling good or at least attractive.

My bees are a hobby and I don't need to max out production so I'll see what happens. So far they look good, eggs are getting laid, good foraging activity, nice pollen clusters coming into the hive.

 

[brianW]

@ rickie, Wouldn't re-queening every year reduce your hive larva for a few weeks while the new queen makes her mating flights and starts to lay eggs? You could let the hive get large and split ti, before the hive swarms, into two hives and but a new queen into one or both of them. Just a thought.

If you are not interested into multi-hives I am sure a local beekeeper would take the extra one or better yet some 4H clubs do apiary.

 

[Little Rickie]

@ rickie, Wouldn't re-queening every year reduce your hive larva for a few weeks while the new queen makes her mating flights and starts to lay eggs? You could let the hive get large and split ti, before the hive swarms, into two hives and but a new queen into one or both of them. Just a thought.

If you are not interested into multi-hives I am sure a local beekeeper would take the extra one or better yet some 4H clubs do apiary.

I think frequent re-queening is part of the problem. They make queens like McDonalds make hamburgers and they come from all over North America+.

I'm thinking of splitting next spring and ultimatly haveing three hives from splits and then re-queening one hive every year with a known and established local/native queen to breed my bees unique to my local conditions. Any splits above three I'll sell locally. I don't have to max out honey production at the cost of weakening the hives. I want strong and healthy bees.