J. Waggle wrote:
>I’m not up on current figures, but with about 2.4 million bee colonies in
the USA, is there data that shows 2 million colonies directly involved in
food production?

I am sorry but this is (unintentionally) funny. ALL the hives are directly
involved in food production. That's what they DO. 

But you probably mean do they pollinate crops? Most also do this. Some hives
are located away from crops but they still are involved in food production.
Honey. 

By the way, that 2.4 million is a pre-CCD figure which the media loves to
quote ad infinitum. I would guess the number ranges from 1 to 3 million but
is continually changing, of course.

>Please explain how breeding for resistance is ignoring any bee problem?

Well, for starters, if the problem is you can't keep them alive, how will
you breed with them? People have been talking about breeding for this or
that since beekeeping started. 

As I state in my recent ABJ article, folks may need to keep the bees alive
with mite treatments, while they are getting there. Some outfits have
resistance/resilience; in others it may remain a goal for long time to come.

This is not an issue that is owned by the so-called organic beekeeping
group. Everyone wants pesticide free food, but we have learned to live with
a certain level. Is it killing us? 

Maybe, but the food is also keeping us alive and it is a fact that good
fresh food is the best weapon against natural and man-made environmental
toxins, which there have always been -- even before the modern era. 

pb

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