Irish Beekeepers facing 'meltdown'

[Finman]

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Summary:

Last year from Spring to next spring was exceptionally difficult or abnormal to the bees.
The conditions went over some bees' abilities which do not normally stand that kind of conditions. How it finally happened to each hive: starved, nosema, willting, too much varroa, reduced cluster size or what ever. Those things appear when conditions become too hard.

I believe that in UK the bee stock is quite variable, and in bad years the weak half will disappear.

What to do? If there is once in 50 years extreme conditions, we cannot live next 50 years in extremely armed. Life returns to normal.

But notes, like variations in hive types, races and many other things puts to think, what mechanism caused these things.

It is not easy. When USA have had those disapperaing years 8, many very clever guys have tried to utilize situation and have lied that "its is here too". Idea has been to get money to their own projects. It has happened here in Finland too. "Bumblebees are vanishing in Lapland", even if there is a vast Siperia just behind the corner. One counting and trend has been made from one point. - Why?

 

[Finman]

in some parts of the country Grey Squirrel eradication programs are in progress

I have visited in Stevenage couple of times and a free time boss of city council told that grey squirrel have substituted red one. And it hurts trees badly when it eates bark layer of trees. Stems start to rotten.

it was about 20 years ago.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Red Squirrels are native to the UK ... they're now confined to the north of England. The most Southerly population I believe is Ainsdale just north of Liverpool.

The Isle of Wight has no grey squirrels. http://www.wightsquirrels.co.uk/

I'm thinking that the cold spring and the late arrival of any pollen source is what did away with all the younger colonies!

but add in the lack of forage during the last 'summer' and autumn
Ruary

And the pollen the did store for use during the winter and early spring was poor quality.

 

[Finman]

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Couple examples:

- NZ bees do not stand our long winter. All package hives have died in Finland. They were once imported to country.

- I ordered superbees from Norton. I can see after two winter that they start to make brood one month earlier than local Italian bees. They have huge need of drinling water and they try to pick water outside even if there is half metre snow.

- Norton bees starts wintering in normal time and stops brooding.

- I had Elgon bees. (Elgon= mountain of Kenya). They made early brood and with such speed that they were quite often near to starve to death. They made cleansing flights in very cold weather and cluster reduction was massive.

- Early brooding suits fow me but it will be lack of pollen when nothing is in bloom. I can see too that in these colonies workers die earlier than in those colonies, which continue their winter rest.

 

[Chris Luck]

Internet bee keepers with shiny trouser seats, USA, New Zealand, Africa....

Try to keep your native bees if possible in Ireland, all else is simply people with vested interests with no real concern for bees or bee-keeping;

Chris

 

[Finman]

Internet bee keepers with shiny trouser seats, USA, New Zealand, Africa....


Chris

???? Medication fault again? Oh dear.


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[user 6228]

The Isle of Wight has no grey squirrels. http://www.wightsquirrels.co.uk/


And the pollen the did store for use during the winter and early spring was poor quality.

I stand corrected . Ainsdale is the most southerly in Great Britain (the main island of of the UK) My cousin lives in Ainsdale (my family is from around there) and has had them coming into her garden.

 

[Tribesman]

Internet bee keepers with shiny trouser seats, USA, New Zealand, Africa....

Try to keep your native bees if possible in Ireland, all else is simply people with vested interests with no real concern for bees or bee-keeping;

Chris

 

[mbc]

I stand corrected . Ainsdale is the most southerly in Great Britain (the main island of of the UK) My cousin lives in Ainsdale (my family is from around there) and has had them coming into her garden.

Wrong again, they live near Rhandirmwyn in Carmarthenshire, they dont even have special tree imitating thermalyte dreys.

 

[mbc]

Red Squirrels are native to the UK ... they're now confined to the north of England.

Not true.
Most red squirrels on mainland britain live in Scotland and there are also populations in Wales.

 

[Chris Luck]

Irish Beekeepers facing 'meltdown' to .....

in one bound, or was it two?

Yes, I know it was my fault for mentioning greys and alien abduction.

Chris

 

[Finman]

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Flying squirrel

It has had sometimes a nest in my bird boxes in gottage garden.

 

[Chris Luck]

Quite a restricted species eh?

Polatouche fait partie de la famille des Sciuridés. Polatouche est un écureuil pas comme les autres. En effet le Polatouche est capable de voler, plus exactement de planer. Il déploie une membrane située de chaque côté de son corps. Grâce à ceci, il peut se déplacer rapidement d'arbres en arbres tout en planant. Par contre cette membrane le gène lors de ses déplacements terrestre. Lorsqu'il plane, il est également bien plus visible pour les prédateurs, même trop visible. Polatouche a donc choisi de vivre la nuit, une façon d'être plus discret. En ce qui concerne son régime alimentaire, il n'est pas difficile, Polatouche se nourrit de fruits, de mites et de quelques plantes.

Chris

 

[Finman]

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distribution de l'écureuil volant

 

[blackcavebees]

Not in Ireland then, so that can't be a reason ...