# Rip van Winkle?



## Wandering Man (Jan 15, 2016)

I had a hive in the 1980's. I captured a swarm that was trying to set up house in my sister in law's house.
All went well until wax moths took over in the early 1990's. My county was in quarantine, thanks to the recent invasion of Africanized bees and the panic over the bees.

Rather than figure out how to restore the hive, I stopped beekeeping.

20 something years later, I'm in a place where I can start thinking about bees again. We've got a package of bees coming in late April. 

So, I'm here to relearn what I once knew, find out what's new, and do some prep work before my bees arrive.

Is it my imagination, or are bees facing a lot more diseases and pests than they did in the '80s?


----------



## BeeRanger (May 21, 2015)

Hey Wandering Man and welcome to beesource!

You will find *BeeSource* is very helpful in answering your question (Well,at least most of them)
Regarding the question whether there are more diseases and pest after the '80s is beyond me...that is probably because I wasn't even alive until 20 years after the '80s so I can't compare.

Good luck with your bees.


----------



## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Welcome to Beesource!

>> Is it my imagination, or are bees facing a lot more diseases and pests than they did in the '80s?

Well, varroa mites arrived in the USA in 1987, and have now spread across the country. I'm not sure when varroa would have got to your part of Texas. In any case, varroa are generally considered the most serious pest honey bees currently have to deal with.

More on varroa here: https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/publications/E-201.pdf


----------



## Wandering Man (Jan 15, 2016)

Rader Sidetrack said:


> Welcome to Beesource!
> 
> >> Is it my imagination, or are bees facing a lot more diseases and pests than they did in the '80s?
> 
> ...


Thank you for the link. They sound scary!


----------



## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

Welcome. I would say that without realizing it you probably have had a bout with varroa. Wax moths are rarely the destruction of a healthy hive, But a symptom, it is possible that in the 90s the new invaders could have weakened the hive and the moths took advantage of it. But who really knows. I recall well the arrival of the pest and the denial and subsequent astonishment that came with them. In any event with proper management, they are simply a concern that can be dealt with. Good luck in your endeavors!


----------



## Wandering Man (Jan 15, 2016)

Tenbears said:


> Welcome. I would say that without realizing it you probably have had a bout with varroa. Wax moths are rarely the destruction of a healthy hive, But a symptom, it is possible that in the 90s the new invaders could have weakened the hive and the moths took advantage of it. But who really knows. I recall well the arrival of the pest and the denial and subsequent astonishment that came with them. In any event with proper management, they are simply a concern that can be dealt with. Good luck in your endeavors!


Thank you.


----------



## GaryG74 (Apr 9, 2014)

Welcome to BeeSource! While there may seem to be many more diseases and pests, most are being met with sound management skills. New ideas are being discovered daily so the future is not gloom and doom. BeeSource is the place to learn what works and what doesn't, there is a great storehouse of knowledge here that will help you through those rough times. Good luck!


----------



## ToeOfDog (Sep 25, 2013)

My vague memory of the 1980's was that tracheal mites were going to destroy the world. Then they discovered menthol strips.

Is it that there are more disease and pests or there are more avenues of rapid communication?


----------



## Wandering Man (Jan 15, 2016)

GaryG74 said:


> Welcome to BeeSource! While there may seem to be many more diseases and pests, most are being met with sound management skills. New ideas are being discovered daily so the future is not gloom and doom. BeeSource is the place to learn what works and what doesn't, there is a great storehouse of knowledge here that will help you through those rough times. Good luck!


Thanks. I really needed to hear that!


----------



## Wandering Man (Jan 15, 2016)

I've pulled out my 1984 Dadant catalog.

The "Honey of a Hobby" kit cost $87.50 and included one standard beehive, entrance reducer, 10 frames, 10 sheets of foundation, bee veil, hive tool, smoker, and "First Lessons in Beekeeping."

2# of Starline package bees was $26.75.

Chemicals could be purchased to fight Nosema, Foulbrood, wasps, and wax moths. That's it. No other pests are mentioned in the catalog.


----------



## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

Welcome!


----------

