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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
Mike Stoops <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 20 Nov 2007 18:45:20 -0800
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Yoon Sik Kim <[log in to unmask]> wrote: Aaron:

(1) First of all, I should have spelled that “stationary,” 

(2)  .......  man had to figure out farming, first, long before he figured out 
monocrop-farming.  

(3)  I tend to think that there were migratory beekeepers, though not in modern scale, BEFORE monocroping; however, the seeming allegation that migratory beekeeping has a longer tradition than stationary beekeeping, even in America, needs to be verified.  Also to be considered is what percentage of these beeks were migrating against how many non-migratory beeks? 
.

.
Short history lesson I'm sure everyone on this list knows.  
(1)  Mid 1800's - A trip at this time was walking or, if well to do, on horseback or wagon/carriage.  At any rate, the trips were usually less than ten miles and took most of a morning or most of an afternoon, usually both because these were round trips (no motels, you know).  Extended families, for the most part, rarely moved more than fifteen to twenty miles from the old home place - in their life time.  Travel was an ordeal, not normally a pleasure.  Where does this place migratory beekeeping at the time?  A very rare occurrence.

(2)  Most farming at this time was subsistence farming with a little extra crop production sometimes to bring extra money in.  The presence of team drawn farm machinery was just emerging.  Most farms grew everything the farm needed for its own needs.  There was no conception of monocroping.

(3)  Most migratory beekeeping involved chasing one's own swarms through the countryside until it decided to land.  Beekeeping was farming and farmers didn't move around unless they were headed west to new land.

The "Tin Lizzy" made migratory beekeeping possible because it was almost impossible to use horses to go from one portion of the country to another (horses weren't fast enough nor were they cheap enough).

Just my little two cents worth on the advent of migratory beekeeping in the U.S.

Mike in LA

       
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