3 ms·

"Even if you treat for these, there will still be a level of it present in the hive." True, which is why all hives need to be actively managed to optimize surv

"Even if you treat for these, there will still be a level of it present in the hive." True, which is why all hives need to be actively managed to optimize survival rates, but this comment coyly fails to acknowledge that mite counts in surrounding hives do measurably spike when a neighboring hive craters.

giantg2 3y ago
Show me the data. If you define surrounding hives as those within 30 feet or so, yes due to drift they will see a spike. More distant hives should not. Actively managed and treatment-free are not antonyms. If someone thinks they are, that's a problem.
- forgetfreeman 3y ago
  I like that you're pretending in two places in the comments that sick hives don't get robbed out during their collapse. I posted some reading material for you elsewhere in the thread. Give it a once over, it looks like you might learn something.
  - giantg2 3y ago
    "I like that you're pretending in two places in the comments that sick hives don't get robbed out during their collapse." Nice strawman. I make no such claim. Most hives that get robbed out are predominately done so by the hives in the same apiary. "Give it a once over, it looks like you might learn something." Based on my interaction with you, I highly doubt it has anything to offer.
- nothercastle 3y ago
  Treatment free is euphemism for the owner deciding it was cheaper to accept 50% losses then to manage the hive with treatment. It’s basically impossible to do treatment free unless you are on a island
  - giantg2 3y ago
    You get 50% losses even if you treat. You can still manage a hive with IPM and be treatment-free - management strategies are not the same as treatments (even experts list IPM strategies separate from treatments in their books/websites).
    - nothercastle 3y ago
      50% losses are too high for commercial keepers. Backyard hobbyists though definitely within normal ranges

giantg2 3y ago

Show me the data. If you define surrounding hives as those within 30 feet or so, yes due to drift they will see a spike. More distant hives should not. Actively managed and treatment-free are not antonyms. If someone thinks they are, that's a problem.

forgetfreeman 3y ago
I like that you're pretending in two places in the comments that sick hives don't get robbed out during their collapse. I posted some reading material for you elsewhere in the thread. Give it a once over, it looks like you might learn something.
- giantg2 3y ago
  "I like that you're pretending in two places in the comments that sick hives don't get robbed out during their collapse." Nice strawman. I make no such claim. Most hives that get robbed out are predominately done so by the hives in the same apiary. "Give it a once over, it looks like you might learn something." Based on my interaction with you, I highly doubt it has anything to offer.
nothercastle 3y ago
Treatment free is euphemism for the owner deciding it was cheaper to accept 50% losses then to manage the hive with treatment. It’s basically impossible to do treatment free unless you are on a island
- giantg2 3y ago
  You get 50% losses even if you treat. You can still manage a hive with IPM and be treatment-free - management strategies are not the same as treatments (even experts list IPM strategies separate from treatments in their books/websites).
  - nothercastle 3y ago
    50% losses are too high for commercial keepers. Backyard hobbyists though definitely within normal ranges