>
> We keep hearing the same nonsense about corn. Around here bees rarely visit corn as we have an 
> abundance of flowering plants when the corn is tasseling. If the corn coated seeds was such a 
> bogey man - where are the dead or missing bees in the corn belt (MN, IA,NE,IL,IN,MO)? If anything 
> the Corn Belt had very few reports of CCD. 
>   
I cannot say anything much about corn, neonicotinoids, & pollen 
gathering in relation to CCD. But the very first beekeepers meeting I 
ever attended we had pollen tasting.
We had to ID the pollen to the plant. The small commercial beekeeping 
couple collect their own pollen for resale. They have noticed several 
things. Some colonies go right to the corn pollen no mater what else 
might be available. And then later a decline in colony strength results 
from using their stored pollen. I've read that corn pollen is one of the 
poorest and incomplete protein sources for honey bees. Poor protein=poor 
bees. Corn pollen tastes like, well, you know...corn.

As for my various apiary locations, all are on organic farms. However 
all are surrounded by chem-ag methods of  farming. Corn fields surround 
all but one apiary. Even my home apiary has large stands of corn  up 
hill and up stream as close as 1/4 mile away. This is the first year for 
my out apiary location and the first year the neighbor has planted corn 
since the bear wiped out my first two colonies. You know I will be 
assessing the health and activity of my colonies carefully this coming 
fall, winter, spring. Just to say it differently, this will be a 
cautious, non-accusatory  vigil. I am keeping activity notes for myself. 
This is not a scientific study...rather it is nature observation.

Alf Bashore

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