Hello Kirk & All,

Thanks for the post Kirk.

I believe many commercial beeks have been saved by industry changes which 
came too late for
four large operations in my area. The first spike in honey prices to the
buck fifty range saved many an outfit which were sitting on 4-5 years of
unsold honey.

Then almond pollination prices went through the roof giving needed funds to
almost bankrupt outfits.

Right now honey is again close to record highs and beeks are getting a
boost.

**If** (stay with me for a minute)

Almond pollination fees had progressed at the rate they had for the decade
before the increase and now would be in the say 60-65 dollar range and honey
would have stayed in the sixty cent range ( as was the case at the time of
the last farm bill) then in my opinion there would be only a very few
commercial beeks left .

Remember the above does not even consider what a big die ( happened last two
years) off might do!

So far not one commercial beek which has had up to 90-100% losses has
received monetary help however Alaskan salmon fishermen are getting 160
million to replace their lost wages (or the amount of income of the best
year of salmon fishing over the last five years!)

In the 70's beeks at least received the cost of a package when hives were
killed by pesticides to get back on their feet.

When I am gone you are wasting your time if you think my kids, neighbors or
members of the bee club I belong to will take over my job. They all know the
work involved. The sweat involved. The long hours and days away from family.

The joke in beekeeping circles is we will most likely all end up taking jobs 
after commercial beekeeping as "Wal-Mart greeters".

These are the points many legislators never consider. The large operations 
in my area simply closed. In Nebraska in the area a close friend runs a 
commercial operation there used to be half a dozen commercial operations. 
Only one left.

Pollination of our crops takes a hell of a lot more than just the honeybee. 
Without the beekeepers no serious migratory pollination. Seriously folks 
keeping thousands of hives year around in many crops will not work. The 
field hands would quit. Sprays would kill hives.

the hives need moved in at the right time and moved out at the correct time 
which takes migratory beeks.


 Most of us care less about the samples in freezers from 2006/2007 or even 
maybe 2007/2008. Researchers need to be in the yards having trouble at the 
time the yards are crashing right now. Rush samples to labs before crashing. 
Plan a course of action.

Better varroa control and nosema control has eliminated many of the first 
die off problems.

>Kirk said:
>  (Sure miss the good ol days).
 I do too! Beekeeping was easy back then. Really only Australia left varroa 
free for the most part now. Sixty minutes (Australia) did a program a few 
weeks ago about the changes varroa would bring to Australian beekeeping. 
Terry Brown and Denise Anderson took part in the presentation.

bob 

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