Hi James,                                                                       
                                                                                
Glad to see you are here (at last).  I have enjoyed your comments on            
many subjects and appreciate your unique perspectives.                          
                                                                                
And I'm glad to see you wading into these issues.                               
                                                                                
> He also found that the bee pollen from almonds could be used to               
> pollinate cherries in Washington, but would result in deformed                
> pollen tube growth.                                                           
                                                                                
Almond pollen can set seed in cherries???                                       
                                                                                
Hmm.  This is really news to me.                                                
                                                                                
Don't get me wrong --  I know *nothing* about such things, but I sort of        
thought that plants were like animals, in that only closely related             
individuals could interbreed.  Tell me more.                                    
                                                                                
> I have become concerned the last ten years because we as beekeepers           
> are seeking foreign substance controls for use in bee hives.  We              
> want to add so-called biological and chemicals to our hives to                
> control pests and or predators.  All of these substances are foreign          
> to nature's bee nests, except in those minute quantities resulting            
> from air or environmental pollution.                                          
>                                                                               
> And I am not yet aware of significant scientific evidence that these          
> materials do not have some quantifiable impact on the colony or               
> brood rearing.                                                                
                                                                                
You will find that many agree on this.                                          
                                                                                
> I define winter loss as colony demise caused by prolonged periods of          
> cold weather which prevents bees from moving to ample winter stores           
> in their hive.                                                                
                                                                                
We had exactly this occur this year for the first time in many: 45%             
loss where 15% was normal. The 'ample' stores (which we weighed in              
the fall)  proved less than ample this year for  outdoors colonies.             
                                                                                
Indoor wintering proved to be easier on stores, but the long                    
confinement caused increased mortality over normal.                             
                                                                                
Even on balmy  Vancouver Island, losses of 40% are reported due to              
dampness and confinement.                                                       
                                                                                
Regards                                                                         
                                                                                
Allen                                                                           
                                                                                
W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper                                         VE6CFK         
RR#1, Swalwell, Alberta  Canada T0M 1Y0                                         
Internet:[log in to unmask] & [log in to unmask]                                
Honey. Bees, & Art <http://www.internode.net/~allend/>