Hi everyone,
It's been a little while since I've provided any updates on the current status of Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD. That's not because I've been lazy, but rather because there hasn't been much new! A recent article in Science magazine (attached) summarizes the status quo fairly nicely.
Also, this month's research review column covers some recent data on sugar dusting entire colonies for varroa control. Unfortunately, the results aren't all that encouraging:
http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/entomology/apiculture/Html%20files/Ellis_et.al.2009.htmlFinally, we've had an excellent response to the 'Born & Bred' initiative on queen rearing and bee breeding, with over 300 sending in their letters of intent so far. We're sending out letters to everyone this week notifying them of the dates and locations, the first of which will be held in conjunction with the NCSBA Spring Conference on March 5-6th. As such, we'll only be accepting new letters of intent (available for download on our website at http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/entomology/apiculture/BornAndBred.html) until February 12th to give us enough time to coordinate with interested beekeepers. If you know of any beekeeper who might be interested in the workshops, please be sure to have them send us their contact information by then. In the meantime, check for updates later this week on our website concerning workshop dates and locations.
Thanks to everyone, and hope your bees are overwintering well. Sincerely, David