Friday December 8th, 2000 Winter weather is now here. We're in for a week or so of below normal temperatures according the the weather guessers. Ellen and I are driving today to Lethbridge, a town known for wind, and returning tomorrow. The forecast is not the best.
We assure ourselves that, in service, wraps are not flexed at minus twenty and should stay on until spring without problem, even if they do open up slightly. We must be careful not to disturb them in the cold and hope that the tape adheres better over time or iron all the wraps in the spring. This is an excellent example of why beekeepers should not just go whole-hog with a new idea. We have proven repeatedly over the years that there are wild cards in every deck and at least half the time, they play against success. We deliberately resisted temptation, did a limited trial, and did not keep the assembly line rolling after we had enough wraps for our test, even though we have extra labour now. Until more results are in, we will just have to be patient. We have pollinated hybrid canola for what is currently the crop science arm of Aventis in Southern Alberta since1998. They are excellent people to work with, and each year, after the season ends, they have a growers' meeting to discuss what has been accomplished in the year and what has been learned. After the business meeting, there is a dinner and entertainment. It is always fun. This year was as upbeat as always, even though sales are not good due to depressed canola prices, high inventories, and the GMO scare that is currently underway. The take- home message of the meeting was that cutbacks in growing acres are forecast for the coming spring. After the meeting, I noticed that it was the beekeepers and bee scientists who showed up in the bar to talk, while the growers went home. Maybe it is because beekeepers are scattered and don't see each other every day, but maybe it is just the nature of beekeepers everywhere. Aventis had kindly arranged hotel rooms for those of us who had travelled at all far, so we did not have to worry about driving in blowing snow. By bedtime, there was an inch of soft white snow. Castle mountain opens Wednesday.
Saturday December 9th, 2000 In the morning we awoke and had a leisurely breakfast. When we went down, Neil and Jan and Les were the only beekeepers in the cafeteria. Adony had driven Lynn to the airport early and the rest of us were either sleeping or gone. We said our farewells again and kidded that we'd likely meet around town somewhere, but of course, we did not make any plans to do so since we were all headed home at that point. Lethbridge is a city of about 50,000 and has pretty good shopping. El & I headed to Costco just to poke around a bit. Later she decided she wanted to go to Chapters which is on the far corner of the town. We arrived there and had just begun to browse when Neil walked up and said, "Hi". They were sitting at a table in Starbucks having coffee.
Normals for the period: Low minus 14. High minus 2. Sunday December 10th, 2000 The Moon is Waxing Gibbous (100% of Full)
Adony sent me this note the other day and I thought I would pass it on since stats is the science that allows researchers to draw conclusions from murky-looking data. There are very definite rules as to where various analyses can be used. My pet peeve with bee -- and other -- researchers is that when I read a study, I often suspect that these very definite prerequisites for statistical analysis have not been met and that statistics have therefore been misapplied. If that is so, then conclusions presented are not proven, even though they appear to be. The confusing thing for many people is that conclusions reached by bad science are not necessarily out of line with the truth or what people already 'know' to be true. That is not the point. The point is simply that if the prerequisites for statistical analysis are not met, then the conclusions -- right or wrong -- are not scientifically proven and moreover, the use of stats in such situations amounts is totally invalid and lends a deceptive aura of science to what is really just mucking around. If nothing is proven and all we have is still opinion and improperly controlled observation, then what was the point of spending the time and money? Such studies only muddy the water and confuse people into thinking that the issue was scientifically studied -- when it actually was not. On the topic of research, some bee research was presented at the Aventis meeting, since they are trying to get a clear understanding of the pollination process and the factors that determine how and how well bees work in the crops. There was some work on how far the bees penetrate into the crop and some work on the effects of colony size. My personal impression of what was presented (and that of my wife and some others to whom I spoke) is that some of the research presented had enough obvious flaws to render it meaningless. We saw the same problem with the work last year. Unless an experiment is well planned, and unless the controls used in an experiment are carefully evaluated, comparisons are invalid. Very often assumptions must be made going in, and very often, it becomes obvious in the middle of the project that the comparisons are not meaningful. What then?
Suddenly I feel free. I can only assume it is because the wrapping is done -- right on time. There is nothing pressing anymore. We have some loose ends to finish up, but nothing pressing. We're talking about going south for a while if we can find a suitable house-sitter. I spent the day tidying around the house and playing around with the computer.
Normals for the period: Low minus 14. High minus 2. Monday December 11th, 2000 It's cold out there -- Minus 29.5 C as I write this at 5 AM Monday. We had to shift our coal stoker into second gear Saturday night. It looks as if it will be a cold week -- too cool to go skiing, I think. Minus ten is okay, but anything around minus twenty gets uncomfortable. I remember patrolling years ago at minus forty, but there were mighty few skiers on the hill on such a day and we got to spend quite a bit of time in the Ski Patrol shack. Adony has said he will drop by today to discuss several projects. This morning I spent a few hours doing a family newsletter to accompany outgoing Christmas cards. We are thinking the new pillows are too thick and will have to fine-tune that design a bit before we go too far with production.
Normals for the period: Low minus 14. High minus 2. Tuesday December 12th, 2000 It's warmed up to minus 21 here at 6 AM. I'm off to the dentists and hope he gets the tooth capped with no hassles. It's been acting up a bit with the temporary cap and aching sometimes. I think the cap does not seal out food and that sugar gets in there and ferments a bit. The permanent cap should not have that problem. Adony is heading back north. He arrived after supper last might and we had a good visit. Meijers were here as well, so we discussed the pros and cons of a number proposed research projects and potential involvement in them. In our part of the country, at least, researcher/beekeeper partnership in research is a fairly new idea. Instead of the researchers just proceeding with their work using their own ideas and resources, beekeepers and researchers are meeting, designing projects, then working together on them. The beekeepers supply the hives and much of the labour, vehicles, supplies, etc.. The researchers supply the expertise in the scientific area plus the trained observers and the analysis. The beekeepers donate their resources and the projects are able to attract matching funds from government and private foundations for this 'sweat equity'. The major bonus of this approach is the buy-in from all parties, since everyone has a say in how resources are allocated. Many remember back to huge wastes of government funds under the top-down approach that held sway in the past and are determined that such abuses should never occur again. With everyone involved in the decision making, and everyone sharing the expense, there is much less moral hazard in this approach. I spent the day paying bills and such work. It is amazing how fast the paper piles up.
Normals for the period: Low minus 14. High minus 2. Wednesday December 13th, 2000 The guys are still repairing lids and stapling in the risers. we decided that our double pillows are too thick and will stick with single ones for now. I'm getting deskwork caught up and working on the files. It looks as if I'll be co-moderating BEE-L for a while longer. We still have some differences in opinion about what is appropriate to the list, but the job must be done. We've decided it needs a firm hand and plan to cut off some of the abuses a bit faster. I'll continue to do most of my writing here on these pages though. When I write to BEE-L, as a moderator, I have to rely on another to approve my posts and that means that days can pass sometimes before another moderator logs on. By then the hand, having written, has long passed on and my comments have been made by someone else or they are out-of-date.
It is necessary sometimes to be able to screen bees in the nucs if you are planning to move them. It is also sometimes necessary to keep the bees confined for a while after arriving at a new yard, especially if there is a discrepancy in the amount of brood or in the case where cells have been used instead of mated queens. He uses the type of self-adhesive drywall mesh tape shown here. Apparently the bees are able to chew their way out through the screen or remove it if you don't get back as soon as planned. I got word this afternoon that there will almost definitely be pollination cutbacks beyond the 90% level and that perhaps more beekeepers will be bought out of their contracts. Here's a fun link to Nick's Bee Beard page.
Normals for the period: Low minus 15. High minus 3. Thursday December 14th, 2000 We're off to Calgary again this morning. We spent the day shopping, not that we need much, but that we enjoy a mall in the way some enjoy a museum. We got back around six, had supper and that was about it.
Friday December 15th, 2000 I was up at 3 AM and wrote to sci.agricuture.beekeeping on the subject of making tapers (see below). The wind is definitely strong as forecasted, and although we are getting a few inches of soft snow, it will all be in drifts or in gullies. So far it is not too promising for snowmobiling.
I D/Led a new newsreader -- XNews --
after reading a recommendation on
sci.agricuture.beekeeping and am now trying it out. So far it seems
I also got a freeware program to replace Winzip which ahs been annoying me. It was originally freeware, but became overpriced shareware. Of course I only found that out after loading an 'upgrade' which turned out mostly to be an 'upgrade' to pesterware from a its former incarnation as a useful, quiet ap. FWIW, I find that shareware is typically overpriced compared to really intensive and complex software like operating systems, and often priced at about 200% of what I would gladly pay. So I don't pay for them. I look for alternatives. There are some really good utilities out there at http://www.webattack.com/freeware/ I wonder on a day like this about people who believe that bees can survive without shelter in extreme cold conditions. My neighbour's flag is flying straight out in the wind at minus 22 degrees. "Cold doesn't kill bees, moisture does', is what they say. They may be right about moisture killing bees, but exposed human flesh freezes in minutes (seconds?) with winds like I am observing right now. How can a bee survive on the outside of a cluster in a direct wind? I know they cannot for long. I'm doing payroll and bonuses today and will use any excuse to procrastinate. I've got a new 20 gig drive to install sometime soon so I can backup properly and also installs of FreeBSD and Linux to play with. I am also putting off the next round of work on the imidacloprid problem, but had better get with it soon. Some people pooh-pooh the new paradigm, but it is here: Dinosaurs can learn. Beekeepers can work together.
We have been planning to go south for a few weeks (months?) , but after hearing that the pollination business is falling apart, we are thinking that we might have to stick around. Bummer. This is the first year in a while that we are ready to go. So, we'll be home for Christmas. Not really. We'll be at Fortress again -- shredding. My favourite way to spend Christmas is at a ski hill. It is so peaceful. All the neurotics are at home trying to please everyone else and everyone is mellow on the hill. I skied with six Santas at Sunshine Village one year, and almost no one else. Gosh, maybe I need a Santa suit.
Normals for the period: Low minus 15. High minus 3. Saturday December 16th, 2000 It's minus 22 again this morning. This is the day I have promised to get the imidacloprid site done, so here goes... Well, I spent the whole day on it and have it pretty well finished. The only thing I gave not accomplished so far is to present a clear case against the chemical. The necessary information is spread around the web and mostly in French. I will have to do this soon, I guess. For the meantime, there is an interesting discussion in French with English translation available and lots of references and references to the demonstrations with pictures. Over 1,000 French beekeepers showed up for at least some of the demonstrations, so I suppose that indicates some serious concern.
Normals for the period: Low minus 15. High minus 3. << Previous Page Next Page >>
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We did a little more shopping at the Park Place Mall (which is
pretty darn nice these days). and then left town. On the way home, we stopped
to see Richard & Bonnie Cote and family, beekeepers we have known for years.
We enjoyed a tour of their new house built with a fabulous river view in
Diamond City, then headed home.
We have a bit of snow now,
and the snowmobile is out and waiting, but we don't have enough snowpack to
snowmobile or ski-jore yet. The picture is from
I notice that these diary
pages are getting quite a few hits lately and suspect that the improved
navigation aids and absence of the popup index window has helped a lot.
No one is saying though. I'm curious if the type I use is large enough
for the important stuff (I know the weather text is small) and shows well on
all browsers, so I'm open to