Keith,

I haven't had time to follow closely this line but I can say I don't believe
that Bob is saying that feral colonies are not important.

In fact if you want to read the patent application you can see that we
actually integrate feral survivors into our gene pool. They are very
important to our program.

Now for the patent.  First of all, I was talked into doing this because of
the assault from a couple insecure RESEARCHERS also in the bee breeding
business, that in in my opinion are way over-funded.

However, the great researchers that are doing similar work as us are laying
low until someone plows the ground for them.  It is mostly political in
nature-I believe.  Pisses me off but I am one of those type A frontal
assault types.  They are not.  I'll plow the ground.  But I can tell you
this (I have learned to keep the names confidential) There are many that
either totally agree with what we are doing, are doing it themselves or are
developing programs similar to ours.  Our detractors almost to the men and
woman have agendas that are threatened by our program, observations and
success.

Last year, we set up a state wide breeding program for the state of Georgia
in which we gave out over 600 open mated and Inseminated queens for only the
cost of priority USPS mail and free if they picked them up themselves.  From
the beginning, I got bushwhacked and ridiculed by a FEW influential
competitors-the very same folks that requested our bees and received our
bees for several years.  NOTE: They didn't get any of our queen this year!
If and when you hear the negative reports please ask yourself if they or
their minion have breeding programs and then talk to someone preferably an
experienced beekeeper that have kept our bees and ask them what they think.
I hope to get our list of testimonials together with permission and that way
you can see the opinion of folks that don't have a dog in the race.

We have not made any money on this.  To date we have received a $2,000 state
association grant and $500 from our local club.  I stopped counting how much
money we spent out of our own pocket three months into it and after $15,000.
This doesn't include our time or the II and production queens we gave out.
We have spent thousands of our own money to develop a bee that is proven.
Now ask me if I get fighting mad when it is implied that we are doing this
for selfish, dishonorable, greedy profit motives.

I'm a retired Captain from the US Army infantry.  I am into service and have
found a new way to protect and if that pisses off some-tough.  Also, I have
worked in the research field (IBM R/D Tucson, AZ GPD) long enough to
understand the politics that permeate, and stifle many great thinkers in and
out of research organizations and institutions.  Also, remember that you
don't have to be employed by the government or University to do valid
research.

If I could afford it, I would give all my queens away because I know that we
have the genetics in the gene pool and the key to all of us surviving the
next few years is to get these or similar genes out as fast and wide as
possible.  (think T. Clarea)

I let the Patent Pending status drop as of 8Jan05 because of lack of
support.  I don't believe my detractors can hurt us except in words because
they have to produce the bees and that involves a process that is evidently
foreign to them.

My goal was and will remain to simply help the beekeeper and get us off the
chemical treadmill that all talk about but few do something about.  Is this
selfish-yes?  If we do not have any beekeepers interested in keeping bees in
the future-how good will any of our futures be?

We have applied for several grants over the years.  The biggest one was a
large multi-institutional one in which the end product would be program in
which the beekeepers nation wide would not only get free breeder queens but
also get the needed training to produce the same program that our patent is
based upon.  The problem is guess who looks at the requests and decides if
you (non-Phd) get the money?

Bob is a good friend.  I admire him greatly.  He was very skeptical and
disagreed with me for several years.  However, the difference with Bob is he
came all the way from Missouri looked into our operation-documentation,
research, in the hives, etc., then he took some queens home with him and
then he made his observations.  He is the real deal and I trust him.

I have yet to get any current researcher except Dave Tarpy and Sue Cobey in
the beekeeping community to visit our lab. They both were impressed but go
into slightly different directions than us.  At the same time they might not
agree with all that we do but they are secure enough to see the honest
effort as well as note our success.  I think this is great. I invite all to
come visit.

We have a good friend that is a retired research USDA Botanist that has been
overseeing our work and assisting us. He is actually the one that has done
most of the paper work done on grants and patent application.  John has
books and patents as well but most importantly understands the threat we are
up against as beekeepers.  He has not been paid a dime and has never asked.
He has got a few cases of honey, though.  Greedy-huh?

This is hopefully the first year we will make some money.  More importantly
this is the year we will get more of our genetics to the beekeepers.

I will not be responding-too busy.  I will be reading as much as possible.

Dann Purvis


Purvis Brothers Apiaries, Inc.
5122 Trackrock Camp Road
Blairsville, Georgia 30512
(706) 781-3128 (office)
[log in to unmask]
Www.purvisbrothersbees.com
Www.mountain-honey.com

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and  other info ---
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::