I have long since spent my 2 cents worth on this topic so I am upping the ante to a nickle. 

Contrary to the popular notion of a collapse of honey bee populations there is in fact a substantial increase in managed colonys largely fueled by the almond demand. Many speculate that that alone has saved the commercial industry. Pete's quotes from the early 1900s described a much different world then we have now.

 >in Southern California, owned by J. F. McIntyre, has, in one spot, some 600 hives of bees; but the great mountains on either side, the fertile valley, and the great abundance of honey flora, make such a number possible. 

Of course now that fertile valley if full of a million acres of almonds that house bees for a few weeks in Feb. and those lands and much of the rest of the valley are toxic the rest of the year.  

 In those days beekeeping was for honey with perhaps a side income from queens, packages, and wax. I don't know but I believe that paid pollination did not exist to any important degree until latter in the last century. In the lat few decades pollination has overtaken honey as the primary income source for large operations. The elephant in the room is almonds followed by fruit, seed, and lessor other crops. Unfortunately there is not an off switch on a colony of bees. If there were a lot of pollinators would turn them off and wait until next spring. Also many commercial operators are fleeing ag lands for fear of pesticide exposure. So where to go? The answer seems to be anywhere you can to reduce feed costs and pesticide exposure and the small established stationary beekeeper is of little concern. It may be a sound business decision and it may be legal but IMHO it aint right. A good friend of mine and major queen producer says that we are a small community and that what goes around comes around. I may be too old to see that happy day but as Sam Cook so elegantly sang "Change Gonna Come"

Paul Hosticka
Dayton WA

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