“As the commercial honeybee industry evolves toward a pollinator-based economy, with fewer but larger companies and greater aggregations of bees, beekeepers are learning to manage their bees in a manner similar to that of other livestock operators. Herd (or colony) health depends on an in-depth understanding of animal nutrition and disease management, including routine treatment for parasites and surveillance for new, emerging foreign-animal diseases.”


 Charles Linder wrote:

“I don't think that was or is spin. That is a true and accurate statement of both beekeeping and farming trends in general.”

Maybe you are correct Charles. Spin is the wrong word to use in describing the paragraph above. In this 'scientific' paper defending the use of neonics, the authors head off on this strange tangent where they suggest that the natural environment is no longer a healthy environment for honey bees. But they say that is no problem because beekeepers are learning to feed their bees a proper diet so that they remain healthy.

I may be misinterpreting the paragraph, but I felt the authors imply that this new regime will benefit everyone - the pesticide producers will make money selling pesticides that kill everything, the farmers will make money growing crops free of pests, and  beekeepers will make money renting hives to pollinate vast monocultures while feeding their bees  in isolation from the toxic environment. 

The authors seem to feel this solves all problems and will make everyone happy. And I suppose it will if you don’t mind giving up paradise for a fast buck.

This way of thinking reminds me of the beekeeper who placed a yard of bees close to a primary school. Kids at the school kept getting stung so the school principal contacted the beekeeper and explained the problem. The beekeeper said: “Don’t worry, I’m insured.” End of problem. What a wonderful world. Ted  

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