Hi all
The issues of migratory beekeeping are complex and contentious. I have never sided with protectionists, despite the fact that beekeeping for many people would be a lot easier were it not for the impact of migratory beekeeping on local beekeepers. But I regard "beekeeping" as a whole and do not see any merit in the pitting of one faction against another. There is a very interesting thesis from 1970 on MIGRATORY BEEKEEPING IN CALIFORNIA:

> Movement reports are notifications of apiary migration that every beekeeper is required by state law to submit to the county Agricultural Commissioner. The county Agricultural Commissioner files all movement reports received from beekeepers. On the surface, it appears that there is a wealth of information ready for geographic analysis in the files of the county commissioner. However, as an interview with any apiary inspector will prove, only a small percentage of the beekeepers actually submit the movement reports. As is the case with many laws that are "on the books" but not enforced, this law generates a good deal of animosity among beekeepers and Agricultural Commissioners. For this reason Mr. H. L. Foote, Supervisor of Apiary Inspection for the California Department of Agriculture, indicated that a researcher probably would not receive much cooperation from Agricultural Commissioners in using bee colony movement reports. If such a survey of movement reports were made, the validity of the results would be in doubt because of the unreliability of the data. 

> In view of the increasing dependence of commercial crops on bee pollination, some searching questions need to be asked and answered by further research. The role of honeybees in the production of commercial crops needs further investigation. After the role of honeybees in agricultural production has been firmly established, investigation of the effects of dependence on a solitary species of insect for pollination needs to be concluded. What would be the effect on agriculture of genetic changes in the honeybee in the future? What dangers exist in the continued use of pesticides and in the spread of disease?

MacDonald, N. (1970). Migratory beekeeping in California (Doctoral dissertation).

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