Dear Friends:

Long time, no posting.

Last year our local electric coop sprayed weed/brush/tree killer along the
fence line, a preventive measure against trees growing too tall toward the
power line although very few could grow that high.  (No, they did not tell
me anything about this spraying)  As a result, they killed about fifty Vitex
trees, of varying maturity in rows, I had planted along the fence as a hedge
(to keep off prying eyes into my apiary) and most important, as an
invaluable nectar source for my bees.  They skipped spraying the middle
section of fence line where I have planted them in them in three rows; I
think as they sprayed my neighbor’s fence line and killed the first
adjoining three rows, they finally realized, oops, these were man-planted
trees.  

It took me ten years to plant, water, mulch, fertilize, and take care of
them and they have become a tremendous nectar source for my bees especially
during dearth around my neck of the wood.  Over the years, I have also
noticed that my honey crop has lightened up significantly due to Vitex’s
light nectar, much lighter than other nectar sources surrounding my apiary.
 Each year their blossom gets bigger and bigger as these stalwart plants
mature bigger and taller.
  
Since they have sprayed only last year, however, I have yet to see if any of
my honey crop will be contaminated via inert residues along the fence line,
a lab analysis that will cost me money, as well.  Now the spraying
subcontractor and the electric coop are willing to compensate my loss.  How
do I go about calculating my loss in dollars?  Ten-year old Vitex plants are
full of vitality as the life-force in them having finally firmed; they yield
increase by leaps and bound each year as they mature.  Given that, I thought
about multiplying my annual honey income (home yards only) by the factor of
ten, years that have taken for them to grow, among other thoughts.  But what
about the *potential* of their future yield had they not been sprayed?  How
do I measure that?  Do I double/triple last year’s yield to forecast the
future loss?  Sure, I can think of counting individual trees that have been
killed and calculate the labor I had given them, or replacing the entire
plot with ten year old trees.  I feel I need a legal counsel: I would like
to hear from you legal minds among Bee-L members.
I appreciate your thoughtful insights and suggestions.

A simple communication from the subcontractor to the land owner would have
solved this problem, but they simply ASSUMED and not a word of caution was
given to me.  My back-breaking labor of planting and taking care of them for
the last ten years has gone in an instant.  What a loss.

Yoon

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned 
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html