Is it me, am I doing something wrong, or are other bee keepers not as “forth coming”?
I have checked my colonies to see how they have come out of winter; I
have 15 laying queens and 5 colonies so small they don’t look capable of
surviving. I am very upset (I could say gutted). Statistically that is
over 50% losses. Bee Farmers portray a similar story, but local bee
keepers say they have lost around 30%.
AND- Is it me, or is the public getting the wrong story portrayed to
them.I know I have already said this:There are big concerns over Varroa
and Pesticides yes, but the real concern at the moment has to be the
climate (in particular) over the last twelve months. The non existent
summer where the bees had to be fed to keep them alive! Followed by the
long, cold winter has decimated my colonies – queens did not mate
properly last year and with no nectar (and little pollen) bees were
poorly nourished for the winter we have just had. To me this is a real
concern. My colonies are about 6 weeks behind in their build up which
adds to the problems unless we have a long hot summer. But no one seems
to be highlighting any of this!!!
Or is it just me???
