Hi, I am Jamie Sherman, COO of Pollinator Partnership (P2), and I’m guest writing this BIP blog to highlight a great partnership project between BIP, P2 and many other friends of P2 – The Mite-A-Thon.
You probably have heard of this already, and I’m writing today to make a special plea for your participation.
Varroa mites are a big problem in beekeeping, some would argue – THE problem. Survey after survey shows that mite levels, especially in the fall, predict colony losses. Yet many beekeepers don’t know what Varroa mite levels are. That’s why we are doing the Mite-A-Thon, so we can get a real feel for what mite levels are across the country. Armed with this information, beekeepers can make the best management decisions they can. There is growing consensus that your mite problems are your neighbors’ mite problems, and so we need as many beekeepers as possible to participate. After all, the first step to solving a problem is knowing if you have a problem.
So we are asking you to please participate in Mite-A-Thon (add your data here). And not only you, but your neighboring beekeepers, and all the beekeepers you know! This national effort goes live in 4 days, on September 9th and runs until September 16th. We have made it simple. We have provided all the resources you need to do it, so now – we hope – you’ll participate so we can get a better handle on this 30 year old scourge whose time is past!
http://pollinator.org/miteatho
