In a message dated 4/15/00 9:43:01 AM, [log in to unmask] writes:

<<One outlandish suggestion touted was to put balloons on the bee
yards.  Sheesh!>>

"If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it."
—Albert Einstein

<<All other efforts must be directed at getting others to
obey/enforce the law.>>

   In discussions I had a month ago with a Massachusetts Pesticide Board
spokesperson concerning the possiblity of spraying malathion to control
mosquitoes later this year, I quickly hit a wall when that person said, 'When
it comes to the health of honey bees versus the health of humans (to control
West Nile virus, which lives in mosquitoes), we'll choose human health every
time.'
   I found it hard to argue with that. Any suggestions you can offer to carry
that conversation forward to the advantage of beekeepers would be
appreciated.
   It was then that the spokesperson mentioned the helium balloons that were
placed around organic farms to warn off aerial sprayers when malathion was
used in this state in 1990.
   If anybody can take an outlandish idea and make it work, it's beekeepers.
If balloons can provide some protection for no cost (distributed by the
state) and a very small amount of work, I'll try it. Maybe the balloons could
be placed to protect some of the forage too. If your bees are working a big
field of purple loosestrife, put some empty hives out there and put up a
balloon. But I'm not fooling myself. This is not a real solution to the
problem of protecting our hives. But I'm not sure if any protection is
possible when government officials decide to suspend the laws regarding
pesticide use in the name of public health.