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Almond Pollination

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golfpsycho:
Interesting points.  However, I believe the bees themselves help spread the mites.  Through robbing, drifting etc.  There was a heated discussion about AFB being spread by beekeepers rather than robbing on another board recently.  My own beliefs aside, if one hive is crashing from mites, it makes sense some hitchhikers will be on board as it gets robbed out.  This would include feral colonies as well as managed colonys.  The mites probably expand shortly behind the bees as swarms reestablish themselves in the wild.  How long does it take for a swarm from beemaster's hives to be considered feral? (this is a trick question cause I like to tease beemaster about his swarms) The survival of those "feral" bees would speak a great deal to natural comb.. whatever that might be.  Bees build alot of different sized comb, and the small cell theory seems to be evolving to include only the "CORE" brood nest.  I don't know what the answer to all the mite/shb problems, and personally, I believe the answers will come from the "commercial guys"  They have their livlihoods pinned on it.  They are on the leading edge of each development

TwT:
good point golf and i have to agree with you, the commercial guys will be the one's behide the development, I have a friend that is a commercial beekeeper and he says he will do what ever he has to to stay in businees,he has helped me out a whole lot, i thought i knew alot about bee's since i helped my father with them growing up but he helped me catch up with todays beekeeping and still helping me. I talked to my uncle the other day that lives in California and he has friends that are beekeepers and he said they have lost about half there hives, i wish  Bruce has all the luck and hope he don't lose to many hives.

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