> statements such as migratory
beekeeping has not caused any harm to beekeeping industry overall are just
too broad,

I agree.  This is not a simple subject in any way, and far too complex for 
broad generalizations.
On one hand, migratory beekeeping is no different than herding your sheep up 
to mountain pasture during the summer (which is exactly what I do with my 
bees, although I load them on a truck).
It also allows "efficient" (although likely nonsustainable) monocrop 
agriculture, as per the almond industry.

On the other hand, there are clearly competition and pathogen dispersal 
issues.
A stationary beekeeper can have his honey crop "stolen" by a semi load of 
bees dropped nearby.  This issue can be addressed by registration and 
spacing of apiaries, as in Montana.

Another impact, since the advent of varroa, is rapid mite transfer from one 
operation to another.  I received an email last night from a startup 
sideline operation.  He had a very successful year in mite and disease 
control, and had happily looked forward to a good winter.  Then his bees 
suddenly were overwhelmed by mites--a semiload of mite-infested colonies had 
been placed a half mile away from his yard.  He has no legal options in 
Calif other than to move his home yard away, and to try to save his colonies 
with last-ditch treatments.

The main impact of coast-to-coast movement of bees is in the epidemiology of 
pathogens.  Indeed, a case could be made that due to geographic isolation, 
California could have remained mite- and beetle-free for many years, had it 
not been for the influx of out-of-state bees.  Few bee pathogens can 
disperse across 5000 miles in a single year, unless assisted by 18 wheelers. 
This puts our entire industry in the same sorry state of infection within a 
year or two of the arrival of any novel pathogen.  We do not get to enjoy 
the luxury of the benefit of a learning curve that would develop as a 
pathogen slowly dispersed on its own across the landscape.

Similarly, new pathogen mutations, such as chemical resistant mites, or TM 
resistant AFB are rapidly spread.

Another issue is that the constant redistribution of bee genetics via swarms 
and drones issuing from transported colonies prevents the development of 
locally-adapted stocks.  Breeders who wish to control natural matings can 
have their plans completely disrupted by unseen drops of hundreds or 
thousands of colonies.

I make the above assessments as a participant in migratory beekeeping, and 
state them merely as facts to be considered and addressed in discussion. 
Our current agricultural model would suffer without migratory beekeeping, 
and many of our largest beekeepers would not survive if they didn't move 
their colonies.  Yet, the current model clearly has problems associated with 
it, some to the clear detriment of other beekeepers.

Randy Oliver 

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