Eric writes:
agriculture is defined by
intervention/management/manipulation of natural systems.  I
think fundamentally your argument condemns beeKEEPING in
general, as opposed to bee-hunting, but that's obviously
not the case you're trying to make.

Reply:
You are right in that agriculture is defined keyed to
"natural systems" which then makes me wonder why bees are
artificially enlarged with oversized foundations, robbed of
all stores and fed artificial feeds,bred within unnatural
systems, and then medicated when they get sick, for nothing
is natural about all of doing this for sure! then
beekeepers want to know what is going wrong for some
reason...........I can only wonder why.

Eric continued:
Is there any rationale for how you differentiate between
this or that manipulation or management procedure, calling
one "natural" and casting an evil shadow over the other? 

Reply:
Well to me, to be natural for size for example, would be to
be with foundation/comb sizing within the natural sizing
spectrum/range of sizing and not above it.

To be breeding one would be working with acclimitized
local/regional stocks keyed to local/regional floras, and
would be trying to undo complex mongrelization that has
occurred over the years by so much mixing of the various
bees on today's market many of which are quite inbred
IMPOV.

Also to be natural, once centainly wouldn't take most to
all of the natural diet away from our bees and then feed
back the artificial.

So basically, the closer you can mimic the natural
environment settings the bees are from, the closer you are
to natural and the further away you are from doing it the
more you are on an artificial non-sustainable system for
the long-haul that then only creates problems.

I'm not saying we can ever really get back to all 100%
natural and feed a world, especially working with langs and
even TBHs, for they are man created, but we certainly can
let lose of much of the artificial gimicky that is hurting
industry so bad, while keeping that which let's us keep our
bees healthy and let's us do a decent day's work.

So you like making many treatment runs? So you like making
many feeding runs and food change outs? Do you do that to
other animals taking all? As for size of cell/foundation,
well, if the shoe fits and creates no blisters/problems
then keep it. HOwever if it makes you hurt and then affects
you health overall as many with bad feet say, then someday
you have to change the shoes to fit to get well!

Respectfully submitted,

Dee A. Lusby
Small Cell Commercial Beekeeper
Moyza, Arizona
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/organicbeekeepers/   


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