Neonicatinoids are a factor. Not the only cause.
There are a lot of theories on CCD
Here is yours from March 3,2007:
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With Colony Collapse Disorder the adult bees can't find their way home. Something is screwing around with their internal compus. Specifically something in the fall time. What are beekeepers doing in the fall? Adding and removing strips to combat mites. And I'm assuming newer formulas are more likely to be bought by commercial bee farmers who seem most effected by this."
Until we are sure what we are after,whether it be chemical,viral,or possibly some natural cause,we can't just say this has to go,that has to go and everything must go.
Our government ,gee i hate that word anymore, still does not advocate using oxalic acid to combat mites in the beehive.
Until there are more cost effective ways to treat mites on a commercial basis,of which oxalic is very inexpensive,we will continue to see cumalative effects of chemicals in the hive introduced by the beekeeper themselves.
An underlying cause many time seems to be a previous stress period such as moving,poor diet from a mono crop such as blueberries which is very poor for bee nutrition.Extended bad weather can also bee another colony stress factor when corn syrup and sugar are added.We at this time are keeping bees alive that would most likely have died because of lack of food. Is this perpetuating a bad set of genetics?
It very well could be. We have tried to ensure survival of even very sick bees over time just to keep the numbers and maybe inadvertently created bees that are in no way equipped for survival without intervention.
Do we as beekeepers keep getting all of our packages and queens from the same place every year? Are we saturating the gene pool with downline s of the same genetics I don't know.It might be a good idea to start raising bees from feral swarms.
I understand the frustration,which is one reason I try in my beeyard not to be the one adding the lethal final straw.A lot of people stiil think if a little medicine is good,more is better.Most of the time that is not the case.
There may be fifty causes,so I don't think removing one is going to be the magic pill.
For the home and smaller beekeepers,I say use the IPM,dust with sugar,screened bottom boards if you wish. But do your best to keep camaphous and fluvalinates out of your hives.These are highest on the list of concentrations and are the ones beekeepers add themselves.Small beekeepers may in the end be the ones with the answer if they are the ones with bees that have survived.
