This summer an amendment was tacked on the existing apiary inspection law in
NY State, making registration of bee hives mandatory. It is unclear if, how,
or even why this will be enforced. With all the problems they have already,
do beekeepers really need state agencies telling them what to do? 

Personally, I support the interstate movement of bee hives. It is a
longstanding tradition in this country, as well as most others where
beekeepers have the resources to migrate. The fact that bee laws vary from
state to state seems self-serving and not helpful.

There is an awful lot of talk these days by very uniformed people who are
trying to blame the disappearance of bee populations on modern agriculture
and especially moving bees on trucks. In my opinion, the latter is nonsense.

Imidacloprid, on the other hand, has become far more ubiquitous than I ever
dreamed. I just learned that it is routinely rubbed on cats and dogs to kill
fleas. 

> The acute toxicity of imidacloprid varies widely among bird species. It is
'highly toxic' to certain species including house sparrow, Japanese quails,
canaries and pigeons. Based on these tests, the ecological effects branch of
the US EPA concluded that their 'levels of concern' were exceeded for both
non-endangered and endangered songbirds. Imidacloprid causes abnormal
behavior such as lack of coordination, lack of responsiveness and an
inability to fly, even in birds for which it is not highly toxic, such as
mallards.  www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/Actives/imidaclo.htm

pb

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