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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
Bob Harrison <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:28:49 -0500
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Hello peter & All,

> Too busy doing their own - but they will probably sell you some of the
> food
> they produce!

Truth is no one will. When the beekeepers and bees are gone crops that need
pollination will be gone from our diet. Without bees some crops will produce
some minor crops but their production is not considered profitable.
>

> Not ALL.  I think it right to provide help when natural disasters strike -
> but we were talking about incompetent beekeepers.

Please do not put words in my mouth. I never used the word incompetent.

> So why are beekeepers not involved in the process of defining what
> research is needed?

We have tried but our input is not wanted. Researchers are not interested
for the most part in field work. Working with millions of stinging insects
is not their cup of tea. have you ever read the amount of samples analyzed
from the 2 million plus hives of bees in the U.S. ?


 >Happening over here.

its hard to compare beekeeping in the U.K. to the size of the U.S. huge
migratory machine. To keep up with the issue researchers need to follow the
bloom.


> Who paid the cost of the indemnity programme?  Taxpayers?  Not the best
> way to stop people killing bees!

Lobbyists for the pesticide industry were behind the first indemnity
program. Smart move on their part. I told beeks several years ago big ag
would get a new indemnity program going to take the heat off their butts
but I guess they feel beekeepers are too small a group to cause a serious
problem.

Truth is Peter beekeepers have never been able to recoup losses from
pesticide kills . We have lost some long and costly lawsuits and only in
rare cases have beeks prevailed.

 >Why not campaign for changes in the law?

The laws are on the books. Hard to prove. Especially with the
noenicotinoids.

We
> have virtually eliminated pesticide kills here in the UK.

I hope your really do not believe the above.  Without testing beeks blame
appalling summers, queens that don't mate, CBPV , varroa and winter.

>
 suggest that this is not really the right
> route - it needs to be illegal, with tough penalties, for anyone to kill
> bees by pesticide miss-use.

You sound like our lawmakers. make a law and solves the problem. We have
enough laws on the book we nee ENFORCEMENT.

What you hear from Bob Harrison today finds its way into print months later.
In the April ABJ you will read an article by Dr. Larry Conner about a
commercial beek in Florida with 10,000 hives. He DOES NOT move his hives
anyplace close to an orange grove. The reason he does not make orange
blossom honey. Loss of hives to the neonicotinoids! Right in the article.
read for yourselves. The beekeeper is the VP of the American Beekeeping 
Federation now and soon to be the president. When president you will see 
those effected by the neonicotinoids start acting in my opinion.

We are moving in the right direction but taking small steps at first very 
carefully knowing a battle lies ahead.

The neonicotinoids kill bees! Beeks around the world can keep your heads
stuck in the sand but sooner or later ( after your hives are dead and the
comb is full of poison pollen)  eventually you will come to realize what
the beeks in France, Germany, Italy and other countries have discovered.

> No, there is no CCD here -

Pick up a copy of the book " A Spring Without Bees" by Michael Schacker. The
book was released a couple years early in the U.S. Beekeepers are only
starting to wake up. The thought of such a huge killer of bees in our midst
forcing huge changes to the way we keep bees is a hard pill to swallow for
U.S. beeks.

Like the Florida commercial beekeeper I have had to make changes in the way
I keep bees. Changes was the only solution I saw.

We have been friends for years Peter. Hopefully we can agree to disagree!
Although we might not agree at least think about the things I have said.

BEE-L is a way for me to unwind. 240 queens arrive tomorrow from Australia
all need homes in hives. I should be in bed!

bob

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