Regarding Andy's comments on purple loosetrife EA etc.
I am not professional in either beekeeping nor the environmental
field, however it is my understanding that p.l. is VERY serious
threat to the health of ponds and waterways. I am in fact a
conservation commissioner here in Massachusetts, and I am quite
familiar with wetland plants and wetland biology.
Am I missing something here? I would think that "in general"
our friends the bees tend to have a lot of choices as to where
they forage and gather their nectar. Granted we truck bees around
the country and site them for specific pollenation, so yes in
some cases, certain plants or trees are important in the whole
pollenation cycle.
I am not in favor of totally eradicating p.l., I find it visually
appealling myself, yes, and agree with Andy on that point. It *is*
beautiful to see a large stand of it in full bloom...
But....I think our need to deal head-on with the p.l. problem in
ponds and waterways (far?) outweighs concern over where bees are
going to get their nectar from. I mean, as beekeepers, we do have
control, in most cases, over where we locate our hives. If poison
ivy produced a great flower and made great honey, would I champion
the laissez-faire, and indeed the propagation of, poison ivy, for the sake
of honey production? No way, not me....
You're right Andy, that a 22 page report from the US Government sounds
a bit brief for a problem as complex and widespread as the p.l. invasion.
But I think this species represents a significant threat to freshwater
ecosystems, and thus may impact many many species very negatively.
I think our friends the bees have plenty of other plants on which they
can forage, and we can help them by locating our hives sensibly.
Respectfully,
Ed
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ed Sterling, GPCC | ACTUAL quotes from my kids: "Daddy, hummingbirds
Bolton, MA 01740 USA | help the bees put honey in the flowers!" "In the
Phone/FAX: 508-779-6058 | daytime, the sun melts the moon into cloudpieces!"
"[log in to unmask]" | "A snowman makes the quietest sounds in the world"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wish you had a favorite childhood toy from the 1950s/60s/70s back again?
Barbie? GI Joe? Fanner 50? Girder and Panel? See http://www.ultranet.com/~ed
|
