CloverKnollFarms
Super Member
I don't personally think that sending inferior genetics out into nature, to further harm the natural balance, is responsible. It's mainly done for purposes of personal greed. Bee losses for a beekeeper can be financially hard.
In most cases bees are fed, because of greed as well. Beekeepers take far too much honey from the bees, and need to feed them much less nutritional sugar syrup. I also don't see that as responsible. The bee collected more than enough to survive, it's "caretaker" harvested too much, typically for financial reasons.
Now, sometimes a beekeeper does a split and feeds. Again the beekeeper did an unnatural thing, now requiring feeding. Why did he do a split? Financial reasons.
For beekeepers... It mostly boils down to finances. Sugar syrup is cheap, honey is expensive, and a colony with poor genetics that dies doesn't produce an income.
Others have other opinions. Which I can respect. But there are two sides to manipulating nature. Beekeepers aren't saviors, though they often see themselves as such.
I have friends that feed and treat their bees. We get along just fine. But just a they tout their reasoning for their superior methods, I too offer my methodology.
There have been studies done relating low hive humidity to higher varroa counts, as well insulated hives will retain higher humidity levels and thusly reduce the count. Also, humans bred bees to be docile and produce more honey, traits that don't align with varroa resistance in bees. Beekeepers control swarming tendencies, which leads to higher varroa counts. Beekeepers, IMHO are part of the problem. We took something wild, domesticated it for profit, made it weaker, and now have no option but to keep ensuring poor genetics continue.
In most cases bees are fed, because of greed as well. Beekeepers take far too much honey from the bees, and need to feed them much less nutritional sugar syrup. I also don't see that as responsible. The bee collected more than enough to survive, it's "caretaker" harvested too much, typically for financial reasons.
Now, sometimes a beekeeper does a split and feeds. Again the beekeeper did an unnatural thing, now requiring feeding. Why did he do a split? Financial reasons.
For beekeepers... It mostly boils down to finances. Sugar syrup is cheap, honey is expensive, and a colony with poor genetics that dies doesn't produce an income.
Others have other opinions. Which I can respect. But there are two sides to manipulating nature. Beekeepers aren't saviors, though they often see themselves as such.
I have friends that feed and treat their bees. We get along just fine. But just a they tout their reasoning for their superior methods, I too offer my methodology.
There have been studies done relating low hive humidity to higher varroa counts, as well insulated hives will retain higher humidity levels and thusly reduce the count. Also, humans bred bees to be docile and produce more honey, traits that don't align with varroa resistance in bees. Beekeepers control swarming tendencies, which leads to higher varroa counts. Beekeepers, IMHO are part of the problem. We took something wild, domesticated it for profit, made it weaker, and now have no option but to keep ensuring poor genetics continue.
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