David VanderDussen (NOD Apiary Products) has prepared a Summary of “Take Home Messages” on Mite Control, Nosema, and an IPM Strategy for Canada. The article, written for Hivelights and reproduced on the CHC website, gives an overview of presentations made at the Colony Health Symposium at the Canadian Honey Council AGM (January 2008).
Here’s a quick “summary of the summary” —
For details, please see David VanderDussen’s article at http://www.honeycouncil.ca/users/folder.asp?FolderID=6171.
Dennis vanEngelsdorp:
Update on CCD in America
“The current situation in the US is in flux, but there are reports of up to 90% colony losses in CA in colonies staged for 2008 almond pollination, occurring over a 2-week period,” Dennis vanEngelsdorp reported. “No single factor explains CCD, and multi-factor analysis has been initiated to see which factors in combination may cause collapse.”
He noted that residues of the active ingredients in Apistan® and Checkmite+® (i.e., fluvalinate and coumaphos respectively) can build up in both wax and pollen within the hive, reaching levels where the pollen becomes toxic to bees.
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Chris Maund, Integrated Pest Management Specialist (Entomologist) and Provincial Apiarist for New Brunswick, tells us that winter losses for the province’s beekeepers are significantly down from the last couple of years, averaging around 20-25% for colonies over-wintered outdoors and 15-20% for those indoors. 