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Date: | Thu, 27 Sep 2007 14:48:42 -0400 |
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On Thu, 27 Sep 2007 01:07:35 -0400, Steve Noble <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
I am convinced that there are kinds
>of beekeeping operations out there that are capable of surviving anything
>that has been visited upon us so far. These will be the future of
>beekeeping.
Steve seems to be suggesting (forgive me if I'm wrong Steve) that
commercial beekeeping does not need any rules or regulations, that it is
best to let market forces determine which beekeepers will live and die. I
think this is analogous to a beeyard that has descended into robbing
fever, where all the bees fight to the death and all the honey is lost.
We need some rules and regulations to maintain a civilized society. The
trick, as I see it, is to decide what regulations are needed to guarantee
a sustainable future for beekeeping, without unduly cramping the
entrepreneural spirit. If we follow the mantra that there should be no
rules of behaviour/hive management practices, I think our industry will
end up looking like the robbed out beeyard. I guess it won't be a total
loss. We'll probably still have a couple of drones crawling around in the
grass saying, " It was the only way, at least we can say we're not
liberals".
Some of what you say
>may be true, but a lot of it seems pretty hypothetical at this point.
Like
>the idea that commercial migratory beekeeping is causing all the big
>problems in beekeeping today. I would like to see more facts and rational
>argumentation to support this supposition.
My beef with large migratory beekeeping is that their operating practices
have a negative impact on beekeepers that don't move their hives. I think
these impacts are self evident so won't list them here. Fact is that if we
allow someone from Mexico to set 4000 stressed, diseased hives down beside
my 300 during the honey flow then I'm not going to get much of a honey
crop. So to survive I'll have to run 4000 hives and start chasing
pollination contracts all over the continent like the guy from Mexico. I
don't think this method of beekeeping is a sustainable or desirable way to
make a living. And I don't see the sense in letting market forces figure
this out the hard way when we can already see it.
Ted
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