In article <[log in to unmask]>, petty
<[log in to unmask]> writes
>I have not yet heard anyone mention that the Apistan strips should be
>removed BEFORE the time that a typical vegetable garden is in bloom.
>if you leave Apistan in all year YOU will be partially responsible for
>helping to develope RESISTANT mites!! the whole point is that the Apistan
>knock the mite level down to a level below the damage threshold. removal
>of the pesticide is crucial to prevent the genetic selection of resistant
>mites. there has been a lot of good research on this latey. unfortunately
>most of the findings are published in journals that are not popular amongst
>most beekeepers.
>leaving Apistan in all year is lazy and irresponsible!
>anyone remember Integrated Pest Management???
As one of the posters previously making a small contribution to this
rather odd thread, and possibly having been misunderstood, I should like
to point out that the original question only indicated concern that
untreated colonies might not survive in the area and that treated
colonies might compromise the organic status of the garden.
At no time, even tacitly, did I suggest leaving Apistan in continuously,
which would, as the above respondent indicates, be bad practice.
The thread concerned the principle of Apistan treated colonies and any
(I believe none) effect they would have on organic gardening, rather
than methods and timing of Apistan application which are made perfectly
clear by the manufacturers and a whole host of other respondents in the
past.
The whole concept that a plant in an otherwise organic regime is
rendered non organic through having been pollinated by a bee coming form
an Apistan treated colony is, to me, bizarre.
Much seems to center on the old potato about fluvalinate being
persistent and tiny residues of it getting spread everywhere by the
bees. It is NOT persistent and has a very short life outside oil based
environments, as is the case with most (all?) pyrethroids, synthetic or
natural.
I know that we are dealing with a concept here, and that the organic
people are seeking a style of life and production method based on
certain principles. I had a long and involved argument with Allen and
others centered on, but not restricted to, this very issue fairly
recently. Ideals in this case must be tempered with some idea of
reality.
If a bee emanating from a hive which has been treated with fluvalinate
some time in the preceding two years enters a garden or farm being run
organically and pollinates a plant there the garden is rendered non
organic? Or, as one suggested, if you place the hive OUTSIDE the
perimeter of the organic area by one yard it does not damage the status,
and two yards away on the INSIDE of the fence it does? All because of a
non persistent chemical in part designed to help ensure the plants get
pollinated at all, which may have been used in the preceding two years
and with which the bee in question may even have had no contact?
If these are sufficient causes to prevent organic status (and I am quite
sure that they are not), then the air the plants respire and the rain
from heaven above will (and do) add many times more residues to the
system. Thus, truly organic production is virtually impossible, even
without the more spectacular examples such as 'blue ice' raised by
others.
On the other hand, and so far as I understand it from a UK perspective,
the main thrust of the issue is, that if you adopt a set of principles
preset by, or on behalf of, this particular interest/consumer group, and
adhere to it rigidly throughout a transition period, you can attain
organic status in agriculture and horticulture. It is a set of
principles and methods and NOT a guarantee of absence of residues. The
individual/customer is buying into a lifestyle and thus they set their
own agenda. (So, in that respect at least, Harry's point, which he
admits is illogical, about which side of the fence you place the hive on
making a difference, could just be technically valid. Your neighbour
could spray his non organic crop with some awful pesticide which drifts
in the wind in substantial amounts onto your crop and you remain
organic, but spot treat a problem yourself, with nominal amounts of even
fairly benign products and you lose your status.)
As I have said before, I am not an organic fan and do not buy organic
goods. I think that there are far too many uncertainties to ponder, and
every issue in this context seems to give rise to even more questions
and fewer sensible answers. From where I stand, there are many far more
important things in life than whether the zucchini I will be eating in
my lunch was pollinated by an Apistan treated bee.
Murray
--
Murray McGregor
[log in to unmask]
|
