[log in to unmask] wrote:
> Paul, its in specific areas where bees fail to thrive - NOT
> necessarily all intensive agriculture. In particular, the corn
> belt - where it is a corn desert. In IL, you can drive from
> east to west across much of the state and see nothing but
> corn. Didn't see many beehives, and I can imagine that
> there's not much for bee other than corn.
But Jerry, what evidence do you have that indicates the hives
that DO exist in the intensive corn growing areas of Illinois
and surrounding States are not thriving?
> They plant the corn almost up to the road, and the narrow
> green strip btw road and fields is often mowed or hit with
> herbicides.
But what evidence do you have that indicates that nectar
plants are actually scarce in the green strip between the
road and the corn fields?
Perhaps folks from the western USA such as yourself
and Randy Oliver don't have enough Midwestern field
experience to easily recognize the nectar plants that
exist along the margins of the corn and soybean
monocultures.
Practical case in point: Here's a mowed corn / soybean
belt crop margin in southern MN I saw last summer that
at first glance appeared be a biological desert for pollinators:
http://i959.photobucket.com/albums/ae78/18R-C/rfa.jpg
But when I got out of the car for a closer look I could see
both nectar plants and pollinators were common:
http://i959.photobucket.com/albums/ae78/18R-C/rfb.jpghttp://i959.photobucket.com/albums/ae78/18R-C/rfc.jpghttp://i959.photobucket.com/albums/ae78/18R-C/rfd.jpghttp://i959.photobucket.com/albums/ae78/18R-C/rfe.jpg
Paul Cherubini
El Dorado, Calif.
***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
Guidelines for posting to BEE-L can be found at:
http://honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm
