On Wed, 12 Jun 1996, Andy Nachbaur wrote:
 
> DH>From: David Hinz <[log in to unmask]>
>   >Date:         Tue, 11 Jun 1996 20:56:56 -0700
>   >Subject:      Re: Tucson Bee Lab Closure
>
> DH>I began my beekeeping interests in Tucson as a biology student at the
>   >University of Arizona. The staff that I met at the bee lab are first
>   >class. Considering the logistics of insect migrations and disease, I think
>   >a laboratory on the desert frontier is essential for the security of our
>   >nation.
>
> Well, David, I agree with you about the personal at least the one's I
> have ever had the opportunity to work or meet with in the past from
> Hamilton to Levin. As far as the "essential" and having a "desert" lab
> I would say that if it had been built in an area like Central California
> or Northern California it would not be closing today as it would have
> had several billion dollars worth of farm crop support from farmers
> who depend on bees for crop pollination plus the largest and most active
> group of commercial and hobby beekeepers and in the spring a large
> percentage of all the bees on wheels in the United States who take part
> in one of the great wonders of the agricultural world, the movement of
> 800,000+- hives of bees to pollinate 400,000+- acres of almond trees.
> Plus a direct connection to several of the best agricultural higher
> education institutions in the world and many other universities and
> numerous private, and many other government agricultural research labs
> of many flavors most of which are also closing now.
>
> I had a home in Arizona myself and my X wife is a UA alumnus and still
> sits on several agricultural committee's and boards dealing with
> fed-state extension as I have at the UC Berkeley representing beekeeping
> industry interests long ago to the regents and university president and
> know how good the UA and UC are, just is case some will say I am writing
> from the shallow prospective of a un-informed California beekeeper.
>
> Water over the falls now, but then it was a political decision to build
> the bee lab in Tucson which has never been 100% utilized for bee
> research and now it is a political decision to close it, one with
> little hope of change by the beekeepers.
>
> I never worked at the lab, but spent much time with the people there
> from day one and at other times doing much jawing and much library
> research of my own. It was a good place for near retirement USDA
> personal to set up their new homes outside of the snow belt before
> retirement and a surprising number of them now live in the area
> including a few old time bee keepers at Green Valley. Kind of a perk
> within the USDA system and not one that necessarily gave us the best bang
> for our buck from its leadership with retirement on their minds.
>
> Many beekeepers got more then tired at hearing year after year at annual
> beekeeping meeting from upper echelon USDA bee scientists of
> reorganization plans and seeing boring charts of the science of the
> structure of the USDA research command with the name and command changes
> when they had real bee problems in their bee hives at home they had to
> live with every day, including annual death loss the was growing every
> year for less then 10% in the 50's to 50%+- in the 90's.
>
> PMS, now bPMS is typical of the so called BeeScience work product output
> by the USDA. Anyone in the interested public who stands back and looks
> closely can see that over the years the USDA has spent more time
> renaming reoccurring bee problems that they could not find viable
> explanations for then providing solutions other then the annual carrot
> always held out to the bee industry to keep them interested, such as
> the new natural approach to bee pests, which is not new and may not be so
> natural.
>
> It is my personal observation that outside of the beekeeping
> and farm organizations with their paid managers there is not enough
> grass roots beekeeper support anymore for bee research in the US. I
> believe this is somewhat a back lash for the bee quarantine mentality
> of the USDA Bee Research leadership and the destruction of the lives of
> some innocent beekeepers who were found with so called pests through no
> fault of their own, and the total quit, a real silent spring, from the
> USDA bee research personal at all levels, many who knew better at the
> time and stood by and watched if not acting as cheer leaders.
>
> The fact is that USDA bee research appears to be more bee regulatory and
> big chemical business orientated then a problem solving research
> organization for the common everyday variety bee problem and their
> keepers. No so when it comes to helping chemical companies, and one
> lucky chemical company with the help of the USDA has managed to in a
> short time to get into the beekeepers pockets to a greater extent then
> any manufactures of new beekeeping equipment. In no small part
> responsible for the near depression in the beekeeping equipment
> manufacturing business. Reference the placing of the bee industry on the
> "farm chemical merry go around" and the necessity of the USDA now
> begging the same beekeepers to find bee stock that has never been
> treated with the "approved" chemicals which is in direct opposition to
> the best advice they have been putting out. Then if you were a Hawaiian
> beekeeper and believed the same USDA bee research people sold out cheep
> your interests in healthy bees to a foreign interest would you give
> anything more then lip service to keeping the same so called Bee
> Research system going?
>
 Hi Andy and All, The US government is going through a major reshaping.
We need change and have to focus on what we really need for them to do
for us. The past track record is not good. After spending 32 1/2 years as
a civil servant and half of that time in management , I know why we never
did get the bang for the buck. When it come to the USDA , it has an upper
management problem. You have to define who your custumer is and them
provide them with what they need. The people that run the organization
must take the time to keep asking the question , are we helping our
custumer on what we are doing.Now it sounds simple , but its not. Needs
change and they have to change with the needs.
  I would like to support a very indepth breeding program and see some
new genes come into our overall queen breeding program in the US.We have
universitys that are doing most of the work that is really helping us
beekeepers. I do want the people that are working on honeybee problems to
know that I apreciate there effort very much.The USDA has people that are
not being used in a way that helps them grow and we beekeepers get what
we need. This Varroa mite is not new potatos.There has been research
ongoing and most of it has been around chemicals. We have beekeepers
trying things themselves and even killing there own bees. I think Andy is
right about the beepeepers not doing much to help keep the lab open. We
do have some very good people down there and they have given me good info
when I asked for it. I don't like to see us loose some very dedicated
people because the top is out of control.Its hard to change , but there
is no other choice.So I hope that we can save some of the people that
want to help beekeeping.
 My 2 cents worth. I would like to see some feedback from the USDA on
what they are doing right now. They earn the trust and respect from the
people when, they are open, upfront and honest.
 Best Regards
  Roy