Posted over from the sci.agr.beekeeping news group.
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The Sky is Falling, all the honeybees are DDD, dead, diseased, or dying,
so says the press releases with quotes from the best academic minds, all
doctorates in entomology or beekeeping and all feeding on the problems
of the beekeepers at the public trough.
For sure we beekeepers are not strangers to problems and like all in
agriculture our numbers have declined since the 1940's, 50's, 60's or
what ever base year you want to examine. But we are not gone yet and in
fact all this hype is nothing more then that. Crops are not suffering
from the lack of honeybees to pollinate them, though some would lie,
steal and cheat to create that opinion in the public mind to further
their own interests...and sadly many beekeepers are followers and do
much among themselves to perpetuate the untruths and half truths of the
condition of the honeybee industry. Our industry has always been plagued
by cyclic problems in the health of our bees and these are well
documented for any to review so I won't bother listing them as is the
beekeeper movement west and north to better pastures.
Half truths and untruths are hard to take to the bank, and today
beekeepers and farmers who depend on their bees to produce bountiful
crops are making more trips to the bank, and not always to take away
money..
The almond industry in California last year had a BILLION $$$ crop, and
this years crop is estimated to bee 39% larger, and many of us in the
field believe that it is much grater then the estimates, but 710,000,000
pounds of almonds is a pile of almonds and of course this means they
will be less costly to the consumer and more of us will be able to enjoy
them in more ways for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The total acreage of almonds in California continues to grow along with
some other insect pollinated crops. According to the latest results just
released of the 1996 Acreage Survey there were 466,777 acres of almonds
growing and in 1997 420,000 of these acres were bearing. No problems
have been reported to this reporter of ANY shortage of bees to pollinate
these acres, and considering the size of the crop beekeepers should be
congratulated for doing a excellent job of distributing their bees to
the almond growers for pollination. Growers continue to believe in the
future of the beekeeping industries ability to deliver honeybees for
pollination and new planting continue at levels that tax the ability of
the nurserymen to produce new trees..NO almond growers are rushing out
to buy their own bees as bees and beekeepers are in good supply and are
providing good bees for pollination at a reasonable cost.
Prune's continue to increase in acreage having 100% been replaced by
industry and homes in the Santa Clara valley they now are found in the
northern interior central valley and the acreage has expanded to
102,726 in 1996 with 22,504 acres of young non bearing orchards, much
grater then the old days when San Jose was the prune capital.. In 1996
California also had 34,000 acres of bearing apples, 12,900 bearing
cherries, 19,100 bearing Bartlett pears, 25,000 acres of strawberries,
and all of these insect and honeybee pollinated crops are reported as
NOT suffering from any lack of pollination, mostly honeybee pollination.
The facts are keeping bees is a lot of work, problems can be found by
any who wants to concentrate their efforts on looking, but the
beekeepers don't have time for that and its so pathetic these annual
re-runs of the beekeeping industries obituary each year from the
academic and regulatory community it's laughable, and they wonder why the
industry gives them, the academics and others, less then token
support...., no one likes to read half truths and lies about themselves,
and these professionals are the experts..
ttul, the OLd Drone
6397
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(w)Opinions are not necessarily facts. Use at own risk.
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~ QMPro 1.53 ~ ... Barbs has it, like a bee.
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