>>Stand alone or narrow bills rarely get passed.

This of course is a shame and should not be.

>>Would have it in this case given circumstances, I still don't think so because awareness and unity low on issue by necessary powers that be just fyi...

Yes, I know.  I don't mean to sound bitter but our elected legislators only seem be aware of the draft legislation put forth before them by the 5,000 lobbyists with full-time residence in DC.  Where I am coming from, there should be a mass restraining order on all lobbyists to deny them access to the legislators.

Maybe then the legislators will be free to smell the flowers [and see if there any honey bees on them!] and actually serve the citizens who elected them.

>>Somebody maybe should talk to our new Sec. Schafer who 
reportedly last week said USDA doesn't need more money for honey
bee research, have it under control and making progress.

This may be the case of customers vs. suppliers.  The agricultural sector is the customer and the beekeepers are the suppliers.  The beekeepers may be struggling to supply agriculture with sufficient colonies but as long as they [barely] meet the supply target, the agriculture people think there is no crises.

There have been multiple hypotheses, theories, and speculations about the root causes of CCD.  We 'know' bees are under more stress than, say, 10 years ago from the registered agricultural practices.  The nay-sayers will say that nothing has changed in the last 20 years so there must some other reasons why bees succomb to pathogen they normally deal with w/o collapse.

We probably have reached the tipping point when it comes to the bee stressors but can't even formulate how their combined effect is weakening the bees.  In my opinion, more research is needed on the basic/cellular biology of honey bees and their immunology.  There are too many black holes we to be filled.

Waldemar

****************************************************
* General Information About BEE-L is available at: *
* http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm   *
****************************************************