"To me, such on-the-ground
observations by unbiased beekeepers suggest that the problems experienced
by unsuccessful beekeepers may not be primarily due to agrichems."

I have no doubt that pesticides can kill bees.  Killing insects is the sole purpose for insecticides after all.  An overdose will kill bees.

But, we do not all live where our bees are exposed to pesticides.  In my case I live in NE Ohio in a very hilly, forested area with a people density of roughly 200 per square mile.  The only agriculture within my bees range is weed hay fields, mainly grass, used for horses.  Our soil is way too poor to grow real hay.  In fact it often only gives one cutting of weeds.  Due to forests bees do not forage very far.  My bees simply have no pesticide exposure except roundup I spray around hives to control weeds or wasp spray I use on yellow jacket nests.  Out in the country where I live people do not even use chemlawn.  

Before I recently got back into bees the closest domestic bees were 1.6 miles and 2 miles from my house in two different directions.  I could hardly ever see a honey bee on anything in my yard.  Yet overall between myself and the two larger apiaries close to me the winter losses are about 30%.  These other two fellows have the same lack of pesticide exposure I have.  It seems obvious to me that bees have a lot more problems today than simply pesticides.  This exact same area did not have anything close to present losses 35 years ago.  Back then AFB was about the only problem we had.  And, AFB was a major problem then due to all the feral bees.  Today the ferals are gone.  Yet several species of native bees are everywhere.  On golden rod this fall the number of native bees was higher than the number of my domestics right in my own yard 200 feet from eight hives and five nucs.

Weather permitting bees can do well in my environment.  Early pollen and nectar from maples in mid March any day warm enough to fly.  A steady stream of flowering trees, including wild fruit trees, red bud, tulip poplar, locust and basswood carries me to early July.  Birds foot trefoil in ditches as well as other wild flowers keeps them going into early August.  And golden rod followed by asters starting September 1 covers the fall.  A 300+ pound harvest from one hive used to be common.  Today half that would be very good.

Dick

" Any discovery made by the human mind can be explained in its essentials to the curious learner."  Professor Benjamin Schumacher talking about teaching quantum mechanics to non scientists.   "For every complex problem there is a solution which is simple, neat and wrong."  H. L. Mencken

             ***********************************************
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