Sender: |
|
Date: |
Thu, 18 Nov 2010 19:33:25 -0600 |
Reply-To: |
|
Message-ID: |
<597E45FA35094E88B4C2FD97619F5037@bobPC> |
Subject: |
|
MIME-Version: |
1.0 |
Content-Transfer-Encoding: |
7bit |
In-Reply-To: |
|
Content-Type: |
text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=original |
From: |
|
Parts/Attachments: |
|
|
Thanks Juanse!
> "The indicators are pointing in the same direction. I know that we get
> good
> production from my bees that are in the woods by a 400-acre organic dairy
> farm in Tremont. I get 100 pounds of honey per hive there, compared to
> zero
> at another hive (located near fields that are sprayed)," he said.
The above testimonial has got to be worth talking about! Easy and simple
and to see. Researchers have always steered clear of pointing fingers at the
pesticide industry.
The reason is also simple. Hard to prove in court. Also funding is not
available to prove pesticides are causing problems. Funding only comes when
the bees dying is a new and needs research issue.
I have been involved in the pesticide killing bees issue for decades and I
know what I am talking about.
*if* the nations pollination is the big issue then the help needs to be
focused in the area of commercial beekeeping. Commercial outfit after
commercial outfit is closing doors and the only possible future solution is
hives from Mexico.
A once a year presentation at a national meeting is not a lot of help!
China reps *are* trying to by into U.S. beekeeping. Not for the bees but for
the beekeepers store markets so they can eliminate the middle men like
Barkmans & Dutch Gold. The large chains like Wal-Mart, Costco & Sams are
only interested in low price and a China owned U.S. beekeeping enterprise
could quickly take over the market.
As the beekeeper disappears local honey (or even U.S. honey) will become
scarce.
Many countries would not mind seeing the Washington apple industry or other
U.S. industries fail due to lack of pollination making the U.S. dependent
on having our fruit shipped in from their countries.
The opening of the Mexican border will drive down almond pollination prices
which has been the one bright spot in U.S. commercial beekeeping and perhaps
the single most important thing to save many operations which would have
failed by now if almond pollination prices had not soared in the last
decade.
To look even farther into the future one hypothesis is that Mexican hives
have not seen the losses like the U.S. beekeepers have seen but that once
many of these operations send bees north their hives will start failing.
Only a hypothesis but I can assure you many U.S. commercial beekeepers will
say they wished they had never started going to California as that was when
their troubles first started..
Many Canada beekeepers (if not most) I speak with are content to stay away
from almond pollination. At least until research comes up with some
solutions other than simple hypothesis as to why bees are dying.
One told me almond pollination can be described like the beekeeper stuck in
the mud wanting another beekeeper to get in the mud with him and try to pull
his stuck truck out. Reports are of a huge shortage this year in almonds.
realistic question:
What will almond growers do if they can not get enough bees from U.S.
beekeepers?
Doing nothing not being an option.
bob
***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
Guidelines for posting to BEE-L can be found at:
http://honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm
|
|
|