Hi Barry,,

   I took a crack at it... if you get a chance appreciate you reading 
   over my response and let me know if any of it is incorrect... 

   Thanks, 

   Kathy



----- Original Message ----- 
From: Kathy Kellison 
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: 5/23/2008 11:00:41 AM 
Subject: FW: Beaumont and Honey Bees



    Dear Mr. Lowell,


Innumerable beekeepers, I among them, were disturbed to read your article retelling
the needless extermination of a swarm of bees that had congregated under the eave of a Beaumont
home.  From the reported details, these bees were probably not Africanized, and may have
only been temporally using the shelter before scout bees identified a more suitable nesting
site.

Honey bees that are not Africanized, when swarming are not dangerous, and in fact, an 
experienced beekeeper could have easily collected this swarm with their bare hands. 
Given the decline of honey bees, essential to some 16 billion dollars of agricultural revenue,
recent media directed at honey bees has been motivated to reflect accurate information 
when it comes to bees.  It appears from this example, your editorial management doesn't share 
this commitment and would rather propagate misinformation, aimed at stroking public hysteria fueling 
misconceptions about  the behavior of bees.

Honey bees swarm when certain conditions arise in the colony. One such condition
is overcrowding in the existing nest site.  The queen and a contingent of varied aged
bees leave the nest to begin a new colony.  It is an event that could be indeed  termed
 a "celebration" rather than some harmful threat to humans characterized in your article. 
A first timer witnessing, to yes thousands of bees, involved in a swarm may be uneasy
due to the seemingly disorganization and intense humming created by so many bees
flying at the same time, but the bees quickly settle down because the queen's oversized
body in proportion to her wing size does not allow her to fly for very long.  "Boxing"  a 
honey bee swarm, hardly ever results in anyone getting stung, perhaps because the bees have
no brood  or any other reason to be defensive.  In fact, when I am called to a swarm,
on lookers learn that they can  gently touch a collection of bees clustered from a branch
or similar support,like the innocuous cluster pictured, without any potential of being stung.

Unfortunately, most of the general public involved in a stinging incident, may not
even have been stung by a honey bee.  If they were, it is probably because they panicked
and alarmed the bee that was only resting on her way home to the colony full of nectar
and loaded with pollen in her collection baskets on her legs.  Many stinging incidents
are attributable to yellow jackets or wasps, instead of honey bees.

I believe you will be getting a few more responses to your article similar to mine.  I
hope you will consider running another piece on honey bees, more thoroughly
researched, with tips to your readers about responding to honey bees, situations
involving swarms and one that reflects a more objective representation of honey bees'
behavior and along with their irreplaceable role in production of a third of our food pallet
in addition to essential underpinning of heathy ecosystems world wide.

If I can be a resource to you, please do not hesitate to contact me,

Thank you for your consideration,
Kathy Kellison
707-321-4711
Executive Director
Partners for Sustainable Pollination
[log in to unmask]




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