I think there are some parallels between this discussion concerning 
migratory beekeeping and the debate over the health effects of cigarettes. 

The evidence that cigarettes killed people was irrefutable by the mid 70's 
but it took another twenty years to change peoples' attitudes and make it 
socially unacceptable to light up in a public place. Arguments used by 
those in favour of the large scale, long distance movement of beehives 
have a familiar ring to those used by the pro-smoking lobby. 

"If the ciagarette companies are killing off their customers they will go 
out of business", 

"There are two kinds of humans, those with lung cancer and those waiting 
to get lung cancer", 

"People should be free to do what they want because it's only hurting 
them", 

"The cigarette industry employs thousands and generates billions in taxes, 
to regulate it would be unthinkable." 

"You can't ban smoking or my industry (restaurants/bars) will be put out 
of business" etc.

And through those twenty years of debate there were a few individuals who 
persisted in standing up in public to point out the falacies in all these 
arguments. I sometimes found such individuals annoying and shrill but I 
now appreciate their determination to stop smoking in public. I enjoy 
being able to eat a resturant meal without someone at the next table 
puffing away, and I know it's better for everyone's health.

And speaking of clean air, it is something that seems to be missing from 
this discussion. Some have even suggested that migratory beekeeping is 
harmless because it is a tradition going back three thousand years. But 
we're not using dhows now, brown cow. Trucks pollute the very environment 
bees need to thrive, not only with what comes out the stack but through 
tire and brake wear. I know, I know, trucking bees is a such a small slice 
of the trucking industry that it is hardly worth mentioning. But is there 
anyone who doesn't think there are too many trucks on the road? If you're 
not part of the solution...

In my most recent issue of The Hive and the Honey Bee, E. L. Atkins 
mentions research done in the late 70's (pg 1200 - 1203) that shows air 
pollution damages plants and shortens honey bee lifespans. The research 
indicated that pollution's effect increases with an increase in 
temperature. Does anyone know of more recent research on this subject? Or 
how pollution affects mites?

I don't feel it is my place to suggest how Americans organize their 
beekeeping industry because I live in Canada. However I can tell you that 
closing the Canada/U.S. border to the importation of bees in 1987 slowed 
the spread of mites in Canada. I did not get varroa in my bees until 1997 
and have still not found Acarapis woodi. And I am not unique among 
Canadian beekeepers. During those ten years, when I was mite-free, our 
national beekeeping organization was able to get formic acid registered 
for use in Canada so I could treat mites when they arrived.

I'm thinking I must now be close to one of the longest bee-l messages ever 
by now. Maybe even right up there with some of Alan Dick's and old 
whatshisnames (226 lines?!?!!). So I will make one more observation just 
to try and break that record. 

I read bee-l by going to the University of Albany website and clicking on 
a few messages I think I might find interesting. And sometimes if I'm 
really bored and procrastinating about doing something useful I'll read 
them all. And I have noticed I tend to read debates on this sort of 
divisive topic rather than reading C. Hooper's latest update on the 
benefits of hive products ('Oh, something about the health benefits of 
propolis from C. Hooper, yawn'). Yet it is the low return on hive products 
relative to pollination fees that is largely driving this whole migratory 
beekeeping industry. How to get more money out of a stationary beehive is 
what we should be discussing. So C. Hooper, whoever you are, I am making 
it my New Year's resolution to start reading your posts. That only leaves 
me about a month to continue wallowing in the mud here. Till then, keep up 
the good work.  

Ted

Thinking - social attitudes make all the difference.

******************************************************
* Full guidelines for BEE-L posting are at:          *
* http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm  *
******************************************************