>I have been > getting a lot of feedback about the lack of bees on fruit trees in > western Washington. I looked around myself and the problem is real. > Now I wonder if other parts of the world that has Varroa has the same > problem? We have lost many of our hobby beekeepers do to varroa and > they don't want to start up again. This could affect wildlife that > lives off of berrys and nuts. The real gold that the honeybee does > for man is pollenation. The honeybee is not native to North America. I wonder how the various natural plants and trees made out before they came? Are all the bees that are capable of pollination large enough that they are obvious to the casual observer? What about the role of ants, butterflys, and small animals? I know that my father grew apple trees in Sudbury Ontario (Canada) for years without more than an occasional malformed apple until he got some bees, after which time he had ample set and yield. I realise many plants and trees we have are not native either, so I can assume there is the possiblity that they particularly will suffer from lack of honeybees, however what about the native bees? Have they been lost, or will we see a comeback now that there is less competition? Were there ever sufficient numbers before sprays and destruction of nest sites? Or have we upset and changed the environment so much that even 'nature' is dependant on the bees that are provided, protected, and managed by man? I don't know the answers to any of these questions, but I'm sure there are some who do make this their specialty. Moreover I've read that people in some parts of the world are claiming that the honeybee has upset their ecology and caused some plants to dominate areas where they 'should' not. I wonder.... 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/>