It seems our struggle with unusual winter weather continues for one more year. The below average temperatures across the country is certainly affecting the hives. At this point, our ability to mitigate the impacts is impeded by the weather itself. However, there are some steps that can be taken which might be the difference between the hive surviving or succumbing to the elements. We go through some of these steps in the "Question of the Month" section of this e-flier.

In other disturbing news, the body of evidence that pesticides are impacting our colonies continues to grow. A recent study conducted by Penn State and University of Florida found a synergistic interaction between commonly used pesticides. They looked at two miticides used in the bee industry, one insecticide, and one fungicide, as well as, one "inert" ingredient. There are several points made in the research and interview with the researchers. 

• There is more of an impact on the bee larvae from these pesticides. Currently, the EPA only requires testing on adult bees for registration of pesticides.
• There are combination of these pesticides which are more toxic than the individual pesticides themselves.
• Even supposed inert ingredients can impact bees.

So what does this mean for us beekeepers? We can consider using IPM and soft chemicals to manage our mite levels. We also need to make sure that we are culling old comb. The recommendation is to not have any brood comb that is more than 3 years old. This means every year you remove 1/3 of the oldest frames and replace them with new. If you do this, you will ensure a complete frame turnover in three years. 

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