> A 10-ft margin around a 160-acre field of corn or soybeans > is not very much forage for bees, compared to the rest of the > weedless 160 acres. I'm sure that you could pencil out the > math involved. Randy, I think the nectar plant filled roadsides / crop margins of the upper Midwest are a paradise for pollinators: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k75/4af/flowersb.jpg http://i959.photobucket.com/albums/ae78/18R-C/2beesa.jpg http://i959.photobucket.com/albums/ae78/18R-C/monteb.jpg as compared to what our Calif. Central Valley roadsides and crop margins look like: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k75/4af/almondb.jpg http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu87/4ALC/tracy2008a.jpg So that's why I was puzzled by a statement you made a few months ago to the effect that you were "appalled" by the "wall to wall" agricultural practices you observed in the upper Midwest. 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
