On Thu, 22 Feb 1996, Mark D. Egloff wrote:
 
>      Additional thoughts toward a coordinated program;
>         I think that most of the commercial and hobbyist beekeepers
>      recognize that working at this thing alone is like trying to find the
>      cure for cancer in your kitchen sink.  It will take a coordinated
>      effort guided by someone who has the background in scientific method
>      and can break the problem down into tasks that can be accomplished by
>      independent beekeepers.
>         The analogy that pops into my mind is that of distributed computer
>      processing where the computing power of many small computers is used
>      in parallel, each working on a small chunk of the problem.  Each
>      individual computer, by itself, could not solve the problem but they
>      can solve a small piece of it.
>         To the scientists on the net, are there opportunities to use the
>      "distributed resources" or is it impossible to coordinate the number
>      of volunteers who would step forward to help.   Or perhaps the problem
>      we are trying to solve cannot yet be broken into components that can
>      be distributed.
>         Regardless, I think that if we wait on outside support to help us
>      fix the problem or develop procedures and techniques which will help
>      us adapt, we will not get very far for a very long time.  Right now
>      some of the brightest and most experienced beekeepers and bee
>      scientists are able to tap and coordinate the resources of the world
>      beekeeping community.  Surely, in all that brainpower and experience,
>      we can find a way of mobilizing a coordinated approach to the problem.
>      Ah well, I am probably naive, and I apologize for taking up so much
>      space.
>      This issue has been bubbling inside of me for a long time that when I
>      got started I found I couldn't stop.
>      Yours,
>      Mark Egloff.
>
     Hi Mark, You did a very good job on what we can do. Tap all the
resources.We need the beekeepers in the equation. They don't need to know
population genetics or behavioral genetics to be a great help to thoughs
that have that education. We don't have the time to wait for someone else
to solve the problem. Can you imagine how much help beekeepers can do
just by gettin in the act to lobby for more money for bee research. We
can't be a loose cannon . We need the people who need pollenation on our
side to get research money. Our bees are big $$$ to them.
 There has been some vague ideas put out, we just need to line up a plan
that can gain us something. A list of traits that breeders can follow
,that will get us better bees.The researchers need to be helping in that
problem.That is a big problem.If you breed for a couple of behaviors long
enough , you will have to be dropping off some genes that control other
traits that you want.
Have a Pleasent Day
 Roy