2022 Colony Loss Survey

Welcome to NZ Beekeepers+
Would you like to join the rest of our members? Feel free to sign up today.
Sign up
tristan

tristan

8,946
5,380
maungaturoto
Experience
Commercial
JohnF said:
The only thing that can be interpreted from a survey Tristan, is the data supplied. All else is speculation and theories (which may be warranted but don't detract from the survey results themselves).

The question is quite clear (copied below) and even illustrates the signs of both DWV and PMS

Q48 Did you see signs of deformed wing virus or parasitic mite syndrome in your production colonies during the 20212022 season?
Signs of deformed wing virus {shrunken and deformed wings or other developmental abnormalities}
o None
o Limited
o Extensive
o Unsure

Signs of parasitic mite syndrome {spotty brood patterns, increased levels of brood disease, and/or white larvae that are chewed or pecked down by workers}
o None
o Limited
o Extensive
o Unsure

A survivor bias? Umm . . doesnt that affect *any* survey? I mean, a survey of 90 year olds who exercise vs those that don't
Well of course it doesn't take into account those 88 year olds who died last year . . .
Click to expand...

thanks john i could not remember the question.

but, is the reason they cannot see the PMS because they don't have the ability to see it, or because they do not have PMS in the hives?
the question doesn't take into account if they actually have PMS or just can't see it, which of course no question can actually answer.
so the result is the same for a bad beekeeper who can't see PMS and a good beekeeper who doesn't have PMS.
i suspect the big assumption in the question is that everyone is a good beekeeper and has the ability to see DW/PMS, which we know most certainly is not true.

then correlating it with experience seams strange. ie its saying ~40% of new inexperienced beekeepers see PMS but ~60% of experience beekeepers see PMS. that kinda indicates either newer beeks don't have good ability to see PMS or they are better beekeepers than more experienced beekeepers.
either way, the graph should never be straight line. its not a skill that you get better at slowly.

survivor bias matters a lot. if people who where beeks that year and gave up because their hives died, had participated in the survey i think the results would be different.
 


Top