> (with deep enough pockets to fund such a study) would benefit from doing a 
> comprehensive study on foundation contamination?  who would fund such a 
> study?

The U.S. taxpayers are concerned about the loss of honey bees. Yet only a 
small amount of funds are being applied to the problem and the Sec. of Ag. 
seems to think the problem is not a big deal.

Yet:

Tax payers were hoodwinked into a 160 million dollar ear mark tagged on the 
farm bill for salmon fisherman by Nancy P. ( congress).  Those fishermen may 
need funding but their problem lies in over fishing and brought on 
themselves and the hand writing has been on the wall for years. They still 
have got their boats and can move to other fish to fish for.
Getting pay of  the amount of their best year of the last five while trying 
to figure out what their next move is is a bit out of the ordinary in my 
opinion.

Beeks can't even get the price of a package with CCD like the received in 
the 70's when the USDA-ARS documented a dead hive killed from pesticides.

Beeks are as Dave Hackenberg said "the red haired step Childs of 
agriculture".


When the bee industry is gone then its gone.  I am late going to the bee 
yards because partly of two beeks losing hives to CCD type symptoms. Both in 
areas of teaseling imadicloprid treated seed corn. Coincidence? I surely do 
not know.

The people of the U.S. can spend the money to save the bees or simply ignore 
the issue until the commercial industry is gone. Maybe we can get China to 
send bees to pollinate along with honey.

Four million is not enough money to make a serious attempt at fixing the bee 
industry. If half what the salmon fishermen received was earmarked to save 
the bees than an appropriate response by congress would have been made. I 
have nothing against the salmon fisherman and glad they are receiving help 
but think congress has got its priorities mixed up.

bob 

****************************************************
* General Information About BEE-L is available at: *
* http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm   *
****************************************************