In message <[log in to unmask]>, Brian 
Fredericksen <[log in to unmask]> writes
>Its obviously harder to worry about your bees when you have 1000's of 
>colonies and a large
>overhead to meet.

Why is this obvious? Having costs to meet and a living to make has the 
exact opposite effect. You HAVE to make sure your bees welfare is 
catered for.

>  Shop rag treatments and preventative antibitoic use is rampant
snip
> The facts speak for themselves and since the
>commercial folks account for most of the hive ownership the steps in 
>the right direction or the
>losses are most felt in that sector.

I read and reread that lot several times......but cannot call it an 
accurate picture of the world as I see it.  It is a rant, pinning blame 
on the one sector yet again.

>IMO the "affordable honey" is part of the problem in the commercial 
>industry. You get paid dirt for
>your honey,

Pray tell, as you seem to know. What price do I get for my honey?

> need to do pollination to survive, the "affordable honey" creates the 
>environment to
>cut corners and use off label treatments. Unless the commercial price 
>of honey increases to a
>sustainable point and stays there I don't see how the number of 
>commercial beekeepers will
>increase.

The price HAS to be sustainable all round! That does not mean the 
beekeeper gets all he or she wants. The only good business deals are 
ones where both parties come away with something that makes them feel it 
was good business. One party 'stiffs' another and its never forgotten.

Yes, bulk prices in N. America are too low..........but the price spike 
of a couple of years back after the Chinese crisis was also destructive. 
It lured several countries into ramping up production, and when supplies 
come back on stream all round suddenly there is more honey on the market 
than before the spike, which is bad news. Post spike prices are usually 
lower than pre spike prices. Then of course you also run the serious 
risk of unintentionally promoting imports by pricing domestic product 
too high.


>"They aren't following the new standards for hive husbandry," Miller 
>said. "Things have changed.""

We shall see what the story is when the dust settles on this one. 
Conclusions are being jumped to on scanty evidence, or even none. Seems 
too good an opportunity for those with a pet hobby horse to miss 
wheeling it out.

-- 
Murray McGregor

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