>I kept bees in the orchard year-around when I was an orchard manager and we
did not kill them, because we followed the label directions scrupulously.

>
> The kept bees also were a monitor of the effect we would have on wild bees
> in the area. A grower needs every bit of "background" pollination he can get
> as well, both to supplement the managed pollination, and as an emergency
> backup, such as when a beekeeper truck is in a wreck, or he maybe has a
> heart attack, etc.
>

Dave, these are some of the most profound statements I've read in a while!

I implore the beekeeping community to grasp them.  Beekeepers and
agriculture can coexist IF LABEL DIRECTIONS ARE SCRUPULOUSLY FOLLOWED.

Your use of bees as bioindicators for the suitability of the environment for
wild pollinators was brilliant!  This is a great avenue for beekeepers to
follow--theoretically there should be no area in the US that bees cannot be
safely kept throughout the year (assuming that there is adequate forage).

As Pete pointed out, this is clearly not the case, but it should certainly
be our goal.

Randy Oliver

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