> ...a prediction made by Rudolf Steiner, almost a century ago, 
> regarding the collapse of beekeeping...  He was an 
> influential occult spiritualist...
> ...his main concern for the future of beekeeping was due to 
> the rising popularity of the practice of artificial insemination, 
> which he thought was a bad idea.  

But is there any area of animal husbandry where artificial insemination
has not been employed?  If Steiner's concerns were valid as applied to 
bees, why would that same concern not apply to all animals that are bred 
for agriculture?  I'm not knocking those who employ "traditional breeding", 
but let's face it if you want a consistently good-quality stock (and who 
doesn't?), open mating one's breeder queens has a historical failure rate 
approaching what one would expect for origami condoms.

> it has given me food for thought when I read about all the beekeeping 
> bad news, and contemplate what bees are, and how their relationship 
> to humans came to be what it is.

"The Death Of Beekeeping, Film at 11" has been announced so many times,
I've lost count.  The bees have paid no attention.

> it is at the same time hard to see how the current extent of this 
> exploitation can further the long term interest of the honey bee 
> species

> No one knows, least of all me, just how far out on a limb we are, 

Not to play "dueling metaphors", but "out on a limb" is where the
fruit is always found.

>it seems clear that a correction is being made even as we speak. 

While it is possible that moving bees around and keeping them
in close proximity helped CCD spread, even this would be 
mere speculation at this early stage.

But if we do run up against a serious problem with significant
implications for the "future of beekeeping" or "the future of bees",
my money will be on our ability to use tools like artificial insemination
(tools EXACTLY like artificial insemination) to save the day.

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