> On Nov 1, 2015, at 8:42 PM, stephen rice <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> 

> I wasn't trying to paint Randy as pro-neonic. I know that he isn’t.



Well, a lot of us are pro-agriculture. Which means, we believe they should be allowed to make decisions about what to plant and how to protect their crops. Beekeeping, like it or not, depends a lot more on agriculture than Ag depends on it. Quite obviously, a healthy productive crop of say, canola, will produce more nectar than a pest ridden one. Further, if the farmer can’t make a profit producing a crop, they are likely to switch to something else, like wheat, which produces no nectar. 



The only clout the bee industry has right now is the dependency of the almond industry on it. And almond producers are working to break that dependency by investing in bees of their own and in developing self pollinating varieties. Absent that source of income, beekeepers would have to rely on producing honey, which would make them dependent on agriculture as a source of nectar plants. Very few beekeepers make a living solely from wild plants. 



So, I would once again suggest that beekeepers avoid siding with environmental activists, and work with agriculture to find a reasonable resolution to this question. I imagine the wheels of agribusiness already are turning out new formulations of pesticides which at the very least will sidestep new regulations, and may even be more bee-friendly. But if beekeepers condemn them no matter what they do, why on earth would they try to come to the table?



As a matter of fact, a recent new article states:



> At the first meeting of the New York State’s Pollinator Task Force (Aug 6 2015), commercial beekeeper Jim Doan was flabbergasted to learn that state officials had appointed two representatives of the national pesticide industry to the 12-member panel. “It’s very difficult for a beekeeper to think he can get a fair shake,” he commented.



Is this how beekeepers think? They should exclude the Ag industry from discussions of policy? I expect whomever they sent know a lot more about pesticides than the beekeepers on the panel. Which beekeepers were appointed, one might ask. 



> Beekeepers were apportioned two seats. With 12 hives, hobby beekeeper Stephen Wilson has chaired the Apiary Industry Advisory Committee for over 15 years. 



I could comment on why the Apiary Industry Advisory Committee has been “chaired” for 15 years by someone with 12 hives, but I won’t.



PLB 









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