Peter said: "Look, if I thought it would work, I would be the first and 
 foremost practitioner of "organic" beekeeping."

The fact that you put "Organic" in quotes is revealing.  To me it is an 
indication of:  a) your understanding that "Organic" is not strictly 
defined as it relates to beekeeping and b) a certain degree of indignant 
skepticism, if not contempt, on your part toward the whole idea.  

   I don't think all so called Organic beekeepers are as self righteous and 
dogmatic as you seem to indicate in your posts.  I for one, although not 
labeling myself as Organic, simply see value in working to find solutions 
that involve less not more dependence on chemicals.

   I don't blame large scale commercial beekeepers for all the problems I 
am having keeping my bees alive.  However, I do think that in as much as 
those operations are encountering difficulties, it would be prudent for 
them to examine how their practices might be a source of those 
difficulties.  And I am sure that they are.  I also think that solutions 
may very well result from asking "How can we accomplish what we want to do 
in a different, perhaps more natural and/or unobtrusive way?".  It is not 
unreasonable to hypothesize that some pressures on the bees might be 
alleviated using some form of this approach.

   If it is true that you would love to keep bees organically, what ever 
that means to you, then instead of asking someone else to prove to you that 
it can be done under your exact circumstances, make it your goal to prove 
to yourself that it can be done.  Otherwise I think what is likely to 
happen is that you will spend a lot of your energy trying to prove that it 
can't be done, which of course is a waste of time.

Steve NOble

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