On Thu, 27 Sep 2007 01:07:35 -0400, Steve Noble <[log in to unmask]> 
wrote:

I am convinced that there are kinds
>of beekeeping operations out there that are capable of surviving anything
>that has been visited upon us so far.  These will be the future of
>beekeeping.

Steve seems to be suggesting (forgive me if I'm wrong Steve) that 
commercial beekeeping does not need any rules or regulations, that it is 
best to let market forces determine which beekeepers will live and die. I 
think this is analogous to a beeyard that has descended into robbing 
fever, where all the bees fight to the death and all the honey is lost.  

We need some rules and regulations to maintain a civilized society. The 
trick, as I see it, is to decide what regulations are needed to guarantee 
a sustainable future for beekeeping, without unduly cramping the 
entrepreneural spirit. If we follow the mantra that there should be no 
rules of behaviour/hive management practices, I think our industry will 
end up looking like the robbed out beeyard. I guess it won't be a total 
loss. We'll probably still have a couple of drones crawling around in the 
grass saying, " It was the only way, at least we can say we're not 
liberals".  



Some of what you say
>may be true, but a lot of it seems pretty hypothetical at this point.  
Like
>the idea that commercial migratory beekeeping is causing all the big
>problems in beekeeping today.  I would like to see more facts and rational
>argumentation to support this supposition.

My beef with large migratory beekeeping is that their operating practices 
have a negative impact on beekeepers that don't move their hives. I think 
these impacts are self evident so won't list them here. Fact is that if we 
allow someone from Mexico to set 4000 stressed, diseased hives down beside 
my 300 during the honey flow then I'm not going to get much of a honey 
crop. So to survive I'll have to run 4000 hives and start chasing 
pollination contracts all over the continent like the guy from Mexico. I 
don't think this method of beekeeping is a sustainable or desirable way to 
make a living. And I don't see the sense in letting market forces figure 
this out the hard way when we can already see it.   

 Ted

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