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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
Peter L Borst <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 19 Aug 2011 08:12:21 -0400
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To some a bee hive is like a bird house in the back yard. To successful
commercial beekeepers bee hives are a tool to and end. Pollinating the
crops, producing surplus honey and producing bees to keep the hobby
beekeepers hives going!


The last part of this statement brings up an interesting issue. Who supplies bees to part timers? Traditionally, the bulk of packaged bees and nucs have been bought by commercial beekeepers but part timers have been buying significant amounts in the past few years. In fact, part time beekeeping has really taken off. 

One thing we have noticed is that a lot of these beekeepers fail at beekeeping in a few years, usually because the bees die. The reasons for this are many; lack of experience, lack of good advice, etc. come to mind. But to this one might add: the quality of the bees. 

There has been a lot of hay made on the subject of commercial beekeeping. I have always had an immense amount of respect for commercial beekeepers over the years, and have defended them against criticism, particular the accusation of being feedlot beekeepers. Feedlot being a pejorative term aimed at the producers of cattle, chickens, eggs, etc. and now animals as diverse as shrimp, salmon and honey bees.

I always thought that the best way to raise good bees was to have them in good locations. Obviously, not all locations are good and not all good locations are good all the time. So, one could move the hives -- or start to feed. Stimulative feeding has a long history, and just about everything has been tried. It can be very expensive, however. One has to weigh the benefits of feeding with the out of pocket expense. At some point, costs will exceed potential returns.

Further, one wonders if the health of bees raised on sugar and soy powder is equivalent to that of bees raised on real nectar and pollen. I know I wouldn't last long on dietary supplements or "space food". There is a potential there for damaging the helath of the colonies, despite what the nay sayers are telling you.

Part-timers will be a market for honey bees for a long time to come. I would like to see a lot more of these folks learn to divide their own colonies, and break away from the cycle of having to replace their bees every year or two. Additionally, buyers should scrutinize the bees they are getting, and ask questions about the practices used to raise them. 

We know that bees from the south bring small hive beetles, and god knows what else up to the North. I think there is a growing market for healthy, free range bees; raised with no or a minimum of chemical and artificial inputs. Whether these bees are better, I don't know, but it's worth looking into. 

PLB

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