Hello Bill & All,

In my opinion there is the real world of those which keep bees for profit and a not real world of the media
and many internet lists.

Since we seem to be having a serious discussion on bee kills I will provide reality to the subject.

The USDA-ARS concerning bees  is seriously underfunded and seriously not able to investigate 
hive loss  in commercial operations. 

In Missouri we never rated a visit. 

Bill:
The last couple times we contacted the USDA through our local office (around 4-500 hives each time) we were told 
to wait and a researcher would be sent  the out to inspect the deadouts and take samples. 

We waited and kept calling. The runway of a 100 foot building was full of pallets of deadouts. We were told not to work 
the deadouts. 

 Weeks later we said either you send an entomologist , researcher as we needed to work and repopulate
the boxes. 


Finally a  local USDA person arrived last time, ( never would come out the time before) took a quick look at the 100 foot line of pallets  , was on scene around five minutes and said he needed to leave. He said the office could not find a researcher or an entomologist to inspect the boxes.

The above story IS the real story of CCD.

Survey sez??????

Most migratory beekeepers can not afford to wait on the USDA before working hives.

If the USDA was operating at the same speed as commercial beekeepers a higher number of reports would be filed.

Commercial beekeepers are operating at a fast pace most
 
 of the time.

 Surveys are usually not read as based on the situation a year or two ago.

Bell Hill Honey (Missouri) is out of business and I am basically retired but my former partner and I have always had 
to solve our own problems.

Our best source of information has always been our fellow beekeepers.

Maybe the bee informed project will help?

I would not be surprised to learn Jerry B still has CCD samples in his freezer untested since 2006

 Jerry?


bob
 

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