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Subject:
From:
"Peter L. Borst" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sun, 15 Jul 2007 11:55:52 -0400
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Steve Noble  wrote:
>At any rate, my question to you is, are any of the second two
bulleted statements you have quoted untrue?

>> You can help!  Please contact your senator and let them know that native
>pollinators are very important to the future of agriculture.

This is just speculation and hyperbole. Personally, I don't suppose
native bees are -- or ever will be -- abundant enough to have anything
but a small effect on the present or the future of agriculture.

I certainly don't think anyone has a clear idea of how many of them
there are, or if this number can be significantly increased. If these
numbers are unknown, the usefulness of native pollinators is also
unknown.

>> Why are native bees so helpful? Collectively, native bees are more
>versatile than honey bees. Some species, such as mason bees, are active
>when conditions are too cold or wet for honey bees.

While this might be true, if they are not present in sufficient
numbers it doesn't matter how "versatile" they are. Almond growers
need over a million colonies. I doubt you are ever going to see
numbers like these from native bees. Conspicuously absent from all
this talk is the question: Could there ever be enough of these guys to
make a real difference?

Agriculture requires a reliable source of pollinators that can be
managed  to keep them healthy and viable. If natives actually became
abundant then they too would be more vulnerable to pathogens. If a
virulent pathogen got into a native population, there would be nothing
you could do but watch them get wiped out.

Personally, I find native wild bees to be immensely interesting but I
believe that to try to link them to agriculture is a huge mistake.
They are better off in wildlife conservation areas. The future of wild
bees as well as birds and other wildlife is to have large areas where
agriculture with its spraying and monoculture is simply not a factor.

In other words, not only are native pollinators not in the future of
agriculture -- agriculture is not in the future of native pollinators.
They should be kept separate altogether. My opinions only, of course.

-- 
Peter L. Borst
Ithaca, NY
USA

http://picasaweb.google.com/peterlborst

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