In article <[log in to unmask]>, Tom
Barrett <[log in to unmask]> writes
>This ends up as 8038 acres - (3.14*(2^2)*640) (640 acres in a square mile)
>
>If all of this area is controlled by the beekeeper, and his wife does not
>use any pesticides on her garden then fair enough. But can anybody tell me
>or anybody else in all honesty that the bees will pick up nectar from forage
>which has not been affected by pesticides in such a vast area?
Tom, if you are referring to my earlier bit about running a 300 colony
unit to produce organic honey then perhaps you misunderstand.
The unit where the honey is being produced is indeed organic and is
55000 acres, well larger than your nominal area quoted. Some of the
apiaries are 8 miles from any edge of the land being controlled under
the system, of which the stated 55000 acres are converted and certified,
and the neighbouring blocks, as much again, are under conversion. Even
beyond that, neighbouring ground containing bee forage is entirely
without inputs of a non organic nature.
What no-one has yet asked is what the nature of this ground is. It is
wild moorland, with only ling and bell heather, cross-leafed heath,
blaeberries, cowberry (and other related species), rocks, a few trees
and old pine forests, and the odd grassy break (with some short wild
white clover) where the deer graze. No houses, no farmers wives gardens
(and in any case that would generally be irrelevant as it would not
constitute more than 5% of any input), no arable agriculture. The ground
is locked and private, and you can only walk there unless you have a
pass key to use the roads.
There are varroa mites there though, and cleanliness of environment does
not seem to give the bees any leg-up in coping with it.
The large arable organic unit is used as a wintering ground to get the
hives out of the worst weather. Strictly speaking there is conventional
arable agriculture within flying range in that area, but not much pollen
is gathered in the winter months, and flying ranges are pretty short.
This is a bit of a compromise within the letter of the regulations, but
in practical terms the bees only go half a mile in the period they are
there so there is no 'contamination'.
--
Murray McGregor
|
