[log in to unmask] wrote: 

> Why should we not have a similar plan in place to protect the static hives
which are clearly owned by the MAJORITY of beeks?
>
> Why do we let 1000-1400 beeks and a couple of hundred large almond
ranchers decide whats best for beekeeping in the USA? 

RESPONSE:

> The latest Census of Agriculture by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
reports that there were about 17,000 operations with 2.4 million bee
colonies in 2002. Other available data for 2006 indicate that there were
also 2.4 million bee colonies during that year. The majority of these, more
than 2 million bee colonies, are reported to belong to commercial migratory
beekeepers. from "Recent Honey Bee Colony Declines" Updated August 14, 2007
by Renée Johnson, Analyst in Agricultural Economics

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