Bob wrote:

>To summarize there is the world of internet beekeeping which really knows
>very little about the world of commercial beekeeping and then there is the
>real world of commercial beekeeping which is very secret and the secrets are
>told from beekeeper to beekeeper in restaurants in California, Texas and
>Florida areas beeks winter. In the halls of beekeeper meetings.

Bob,
You keep trying to set yourself apart from others. Perhaps I didn't mention
that I have worked in commercial beekeeping starting at age 24, and I am
still in constant contact with commercial beekeepers today, 35 years later.
I go to beekeeper meetings, I sit and talk with "oldtimers", and "newbees"
alike. If you want to characterize me, or anyone else in the "world of
internet beekeeping" as out of touch with reality, that's fine. But you
would be wrong. Since I make my entire living doing beekeeping, I consider
myself to be a "commercial beekeeper". As far as your secret world is
concerned, you can't have it both ways. If you and your beekeeping friends
expect to get assistance on your problems from researchers, etc. you might
consider being a little more forthcoming. Personally, I have nothing at
stake here. I am merely trying to get people to "think outside the box". The
future is where new things will be discovered, not the past. If you have new
ideas to share, I would do it. A healthy bee industry is not one or two guys
succeeding. Honey bees are needed in every corner of this nation. Every day
people ask me what happened to the bees they used to see in their gardens
and orchards. In my opinion, this is a time to be promoting awareness of the
good things honey bees do and how they are just as important to the
environment as anything else. I think we have an opportunity to generate a
great deal of interest in beekeeping, what we do, who we are. It would be a
shame to squander the opportunity. For example, a lot of people think that
beekeepers are the source of the problem with their various practices. If
that isn't true, best say it isn't so, instead of cloaking yourself in
secrecy. People who keep secrets generally have something they are trying to
hide.

Peter Borst

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