Re: lack of bees

Dennis Stoneburner wrote:
> 
> CEMahan@aol.com wrote:
> > have been lots of butterflies and hummingbirds this year...more
> > than I ever remember. But very few bees.
> ***************
> In SW Virginia - There have been very few butterflies, and honey bees.
> the honey bees are suffering from mites in the hive.   They are out of the bee business.  You're right -
> doesn't bode well at all.
> 
> Dennis Zone 6-7 sorta

I have a few "hobby hives".  There are "tracheal mites" and Varroa
mites.  The tracheal mites live inside the bee air passages, and the
Varroa infest the outside of the bee and take fluids from it.  Menthol
is the only approved treatment for tracheal mites, and Apistan (Tm) is
all that is approved for Varroa mites in the US.  Resistance is
developing to these two treatments now.  There are no feral bee colonies
anymore due to the winter kill off and these mites.  The Northeast had
80 to 90 percent losses of hives in some areas.  It is expensive for bee
keepers to treat all their hives.  With the emerging resistance, we have
a true crisis developing for pollination services, not to mention the
loss of honey.  Many commercial keepers are doing about as well trucking
their hives around to pollinate fruit trees, melons, and such.  If
something is not found to eliminate these mites, or at least neutralize
them; we will have some real problems.  Sorry to be so gloom and doom.

Mike
-- 
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Mike Jones    (jonesmic@mail.stlukes.org)
Sioux City, Iowa http://www.siouxlan.com/
U.S.A.        USDA Zone 4b
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     The Loess Hills
"Where IA, NE, & SD Meet"
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