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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
Keith Malone <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 3 Dec 2002 09:52:33 -0900
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Hi Jim & All,

> It is interesting to note that no one anywhere has ever really "won" a
fight against
> an invasive pest or disease, and that no model or approach has been shown
to be
> effective in even preventing the spread of these invasives.
<snip> Anyone have an actual solution to suggest?
> I'm fresh out.
>
>         jim

Small cell, The Lusby,s and several beekeepers in the USA and Europe have
done just as you have suggested above using small cells. Though their hard
work and results are negated. When is a caring and honest researcher going
to research small cell methods correctly and completely?

Really there has been no great strides made in the transportation industry
in the past one hundred years. Nothing has changed in our modes of
transporting goods around the world, we only use boats, trains, trucks, and
planes. It's really only been in the last three or four decades that this
spread of pest and disease has occurred in honey bees. Nothing has changed
in our modes of transportation's in the past one hundred years, so maybe
something has changed in the industry of beekeeping? Worker cell size has
changed in the beekeeping industry in the past one hundred years. It has
only taken a bit of time for beekeepers mistakes to finally catch up and
bite them in the rear. Somebody has to be able to put two and two together
to figure this simple equation out. This is not Rocket Science and you do
not need a Ph.D. to figure it out.

What do honey bees do to combat SHB in it's place of origin, they immobilize
the beetle by propolising it. But in it's place of origin honey bees are
kept on small cells, therefore they have a greater division of labor and are
not overwhelmed by the extra duty of invasive pest removal or
immobilization. Also no chemicals are used to mess up the bees memory and
motor functions either, so the bees remain smarter and can maneuver easier
to complete their duties of dealing with these pest. Albeit this is only my
opinion and is an anecdotal conclusion so I really do not expect the highly
educated beekeeper to except my opinion but this is my take on it.

The father of American beekeeping, Langstroth, was not an Etymologist but
was a mathematician with only a few colonies of honey bees in the beginning
and was responsible for devising a method of beekeeping that allowed for
beekeepers to be able to manage larger numbers of colonies than would have
been possible before his time. The answers to today's problems in beekeeping
may come from an individual that is not schooled in etymology or scientific
methods. The answers may come from a simple beekeeper who desires to be able
to manage his/her colonies without the use of chemicals and therefore be
able to manage more colonies than would have normally been possible. We
should be exploring even methods devised by beekeepers who are not
necessarily of the scientific community but even someone that is simply a
beekeeper. It was exploration that found America even though most people
thought that the explorers would die when they fell over the end of the
earth. Explore, test, try, trial different methods but do not ridicule
someone else's unproven methods unless you have tried it first.
  .  ..
c(((([
Keith Malone
Chugiak, Alaska USA

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