I have the following comments to Dave Green's analysis of my discussion on
mosquito spraying:

1.    In number 14, I said that beekeepers do not have the legal "right" to
place bee hives where they want to and then expect others to protect them
from hazards.

By that I meant that: a) we don't have a constitutional or legal "right" as
that term is used in law.  I was also saying that beekeepers have often put
their bees in harms way and suffered large bee kills without due thought and
consideration of the potential hazards in the area e.g.:  placing an apiary
downslope from a crop to be sprayed with an agricultural chemical, putting
an apiary on a wet land where mosquitoes have been sprayed for many years,
putting an apiary in the shadow of a tree fruit crop where aerial
applications will fall on the apiary, putting an apiary in a "draw" or small
valley where chemicals legally applied up slope move down the valley with
normal air movement.

b) and beekeepers needn't expect others to protect their bees when they do
not take due caution themselves.  Though this statement isn't meant to
excuse persons who fail to comply with labels, state law and regulations
about the proper use of chemicals.

2.    Unfortunately some beekeepers still think that they should be able to
keep bees in an agricultural area without any bee loss from pesticides.
That hasn't been the case almost since pesticides were first used.  Here in
Yakima I  have a cumulative loss of  6-8 pounds of bees per hive from April
to August!  And I don't like it!  The apiary is on a hill top.  The reasons
for the loss:  i) growers who don't think about bees after their pollination
need is over, ii) applicators who don't read and follow the label, as Dave
Green says,  iii) the pesticide label language on residual chemicals do not
protect pollinators!,  iv) growers spraying large acreages that can't be
sprayed in the time, temperature, and wind "windows" available so they spray
when they shouldn't be spraying, deciding to take the risk they won't get
caught, in lieu of having crop damage,  v) growers who spray their orchard
and allow the chemical to fall onto bloom on the orchard floor,  vi) growers
who spray after their rented bees have been removed but their neighbors
still have bees being used for pollination.

3.    I don't know where the idea got started that beekeepers should move
their bees from legitimate and appropriate apiary sites because a grower
wants to spray a pesticide.  Growers seem to expect it nowadays.  They don't
realize that bees must live and be reasonably protected or they won't be
around the next spring when they are needed again for orchard pollination.
Here in Washington it is like Dave suggests in SC, you move bees from one
application area to another, and maybe to a worse hazard area.  We do not
have a state law here that beekeepers must move their bees when asked to do
so.  I tell growers that beekeepers can't move bees after they are set down
for the summer honey crop and explain the difficulties and bee behavior much
as Dave describes them.  If the bees are being used for pollinating a seed
crop I tell growers they have no right to expect the bees to be moved.  Some
beekeepers don't have the equipment to move hives until after the honey is
removed.  And the grower needing the bees for pollination should be able to
get his crop pollinated without his neighbors killing off the field force.
Growers may need to suffer some crop loss to protect bees.

4.    Dave suggests that he'd "have to charge $150 or more per hive for
pollination, to make it a viable business."  Here in WA pollination fees
should be $50 per hive or more to make commercial beekeeping a viable
business.  (More on that in another post on 'pricing and cost.')  Yakima
orchard rental rates probably average $35-38.  But beekeepers being who they
are, some rent for $28 to $30 in the same area as those who rent for $35.
Then there are those who bring in thousands of hives and set them for $22
"to get the orders!"  Please explain to me that kind of thinking in today's
economic reality in commercial beekeeping.

5.    I agree that Dave and all beekeepers should expect implementation and
enforcement of the law by regulators.  Having said that, Dave knows that it
isn't quite that simple because of the realities in the enforcement
community.  They have regulatory procedures to follow which often don't seem
to match the penalty to the offense.  And I've been told by growers that the
penalty is just another cost of doing business when they have to protect
their crop from a pest.  (Memories of beekeepers using unregistered products
on mites.)

6.    Dave takes a shot at me for having a "salary, a pension, and many
perks" and asks when he will be permitted to get on board.

When I was operating a bee supply business I made an analysis of the future
of the business given the bee industry economic climate at the time.  I
decided it would not be productive to stay in that business.  I also
considered becoming a commercial beekeeper.  I talked with beekeepers in
several states, observed their businesses (age and condition of hives,
warehouses, rolling stock and other equipment), asked questions about their
investment, costs and net profits, and observed their living standards.   I
decided from a business management perspective that I wouldn't put my money
into such an effort.  Instead I replied to a job announcement in the
department of agriculture and was hired.  We all make decisions in life and
we live with the results.

7.   I agree with Dave that "it's hard to be 'nice' to someone who pulls you
down, or even those who could help but just look away."

Unfortunately, this reality brings us back to the arduous task of working
with individuals and groups to improve our business climate.  I know well
the risks, the prodigious effort required, the long hours, the negotiations
with diverse interests, the discouragement, and the minimal progress that is
sometimes made (and a little satisfaction), as anyone who has followed my
career can tell you.  And the salary, pension, and perks, don't equal the
effort that I have contributed.  But many people can say this about their
jobs, including beekeepers.  So I'm not unique from that perspective.

8.    Dave is "confident that he could make a good living, if it weren't for
pesticide damage from label violations."

I can't know Dave's business environment.  Are his pesticide related losses
really equal to his net profit in any given year?  Do other beekeepers in SC
experience the same reality?  Do beekeepers in other states experience this
reality?  Does this suggest the importance of beekeepers getting together as
a cohesive group to change this environment, especially in an effort to
reduce pesticide losses?

9.    Given the economic reality in the beekeeping industry here in WA it is
quite apparent that the industry will continue to slip and slide for the
next five to ten years.  The average age of commercial beekeepers is
probably 55-60 which means they will want to retire in a few years.  When
they sell their operation and after they pay capital gains taxes, will they
have enough to retire on?  Several beekeepers from various parts of the
country have discussed these issues with me in recent years so I feel that I
have at least some appreciation for the complexity of their business
realities and retirement decisions.

What will change in the beekeeping industry to make it profitable enough to
attract young people and families into the business?  Will they be able to
buy an operation from a retiree?  What will the true value of a bee
operation be if no one can afford the cash to buy or experience to operate
the business?  It is my opinion that growers won't find the bees they need
for pollination in a few years.  Then the dynamics of our business
environment will change.  Unfortunately we don't seem to be able to make the
changes before the crash comes, so we are forced to accept the difficulties,
react to them the best we can, and just hope everything comes out alright in
the end.  But I fear that many will be lost along the way.  Dave says it
this way:  "Sooner or later, probably sooner, our bubble is going to burst."

I admire Dave for his forth rightness in discussing his perceptions on these
and other issues.  Perhaps our exchange of ideas will provoke other ideas in
our readers and hopefully urge some to take a leadership role in helping
create change in the business environment in which we find ourselves.

Best regards,

James C. Bach
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