Hello All,
I would like to add my two cents worth. I am in beekeeping to make a profit.
I use similar methods to Michael Palmer. I used different methods when 
keeping bees in Florida.

I feed fructose. What an asset! All the other beekeepers saying feeding 
fructose is bad for bees have dropped the issue after years of research on 
the subject by USDA researchers ( except maybe Dee & Joe).

Countless research is refered to in the archives saying feeding fructose 
does NOT hurt bees. 

Also painting all treatments used in beehives as "dopes" does not help in 
getting the research community to look into your methods.

I am on a first name basis with most of todays research community and they 
say you will not listen to what the have got to offer on a subject. I 
learned a hell of lot more by listening than I ever did by talking. 

I have read most the old beekeeping books and find little of value. A 
couple points in Millers books and maybe one point in Richard Taylors.

Todays bee labs have got the technology. Mass spec and electron microscopes
hooked to computers. those researchers have let me look over their shoulder 
and see what they are saying is so.

I for one am not interested in going back again into the dark ages of 
beekeeping from which many of the organic beekeepers quote from. I have got 
many of the same books and keep the library for the Midwestern Beekeepers 
assn.. I venture to say one of the largest beekeeping assn. libraries in 
the U.S.. When many quote from those old books I can turn to the quoted 
page. I am sorry but I do not get the same message as many "organic" 
beekeepers do.

About current beekeeping treatments ( called dopes by Dee):

Its kind of like saying everything on the drugstore shelf is bad for people.
you can not paint the whole drugstore supply as bad. Some save lives.

Does the same use of medicene go for for yourself? None of my business but 
curious.

Thirteen years ago I had cancer. A months worth of chemo and I have been 
cancer free thirteen years. Sure glad I took the treatment ( or dopes)!

We are all interested in your opinions but I for one do not agree with most 
so we will have to:
"agree to disagree" 

Beekeeping certainly has room for the "organic" crowd just like other types 
of agriculture.

My answer to current organic apple post:

I grew organic apples for around twenty years but  converted to IPM as I 
had worked my butt off for twenty years without showing a profit. Once 
changed to IPM I started to make money.

I have taken many courses on growing apples organic with the most recent 
being a course by the organic orchardist " Michael Phillips" ( author the 
book " The apple Grower").

I have had good luck with organic peaches, pears, asian pears but NOT 
apples. Organic apples are tough to produce. 

Many apples sold as organic have been sprayed. No one tests the end product.
The organic group in our area (which is an honest group) has a member which 
is so  sensitive to pesticides even picking up an apple with spray can make 
her sick. She had to be helped from the local Whole Foods store after 
picking up one of their organic apples.

In our area  a large packer sells his heavily processed honey as "raw" in 
the health food stores. 

Our efforts did lead to the packer pulling his "local honey" stickers and 
adding a sign saying "local product".

My point is that everything you trust as "organic" or raw in health food 
and especially supermarkets is not what they claim! 

Go to your local farmers market and buy from directly from the producer!

The FDA is an underfunded agency which does little (if anything) to police 
label violations and the large organic corporations police theirselves.

Sorry for adding apples ( posted in another post) in the this post but 
leaving home for a week and need to get on the road. Will answer the roar 
from my posts next weekend!

Maybe Michael & Bill can hold back the roar. Please be kind to those guys 
while I am gone! 

 
Sincerely,
Bob Harrison

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