Hi All,
As my sons Eric and Ian take over the helm of our beekeeping operation, it's been a struggle keeping bees in the California foothills. We suffered through the worst drought in Calif history, followed by the wettest winter/spring in history (100+ inches of rain at my place). The bees couldn't forage this spring due to the rain, and as a result entered our main flow at about half strength, only to be slammed by a record heat wave. We're finally stabilizing, but it's been tough for both us and our bees.
I'm in the middle of three main projects at the moment:
1. Finishing up my computer model for predicting mite buildup and alcohol wash counts, and effect of various treatments. This model will help beekeepers anywhere in the world to see the effect of their various varroa management options.
2. Running a controlled trial of the oxalic acid shop towels, for which I've just posted an update at http://scientificbeekeeping.com/extended-release-oxalic-acid-progress-report/ This proposed application method is still in the experimental stage, so do not yet count on it for mite control until we perfect it.
3. I'm deep into our breeding program for mite resistance. There are hopeful signs of progress, but I'll know much better by the end of the season. I'll keep you up to date with my "Walking the Walk" articles.
Progress in breeding for mite resistance depends upon an easy assessment method. Along that line, I've come up with a method of doing rapid-fire alcohol washes (4 minutes in total per sample). I'll be publishing soon. I've updated the fabrication method for my mite-wash cups at Mite Wash Cups.
As I send this email out, I've just sent my May and June articles to my web technician to post--sorry for the delay.
I thank all of you who have donated lately in support of these projects.
Happy beekeeping!
Randy
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