On Fri, 25 Oct 1996, Dan Houg wrote:
 
> The below news release from General Mills has appeared locally and is
> presented here for informational purposes.  Apologies if this has
> been presented before.
>
> -dan
>
> >NEWS RELEASE - OCTOBER 23, 1996
> >
> >
> >"The makers of Honey Nut Cheerios, along with the nation's foremost
> >entomologists and representatives from the American Honey Producers
> Association,
> >today launched a national campaign to raise funds to accelerate study of a
> >crisis that threatens to eradicate America's honeybee population and devastate
> >American agriculture.
> >
> >According to one of the nation's leading entomologists, Dr. Eric Mussen,
> >Professor of Entomology at the University of California, Davis, an invasion of
> >parasitic mites that migrated to the United States from Latin America over the
> >past few years 'now represents the single greatest threat to ever confront the
> >food chain and America's agricultural industries.'  Almost all of America's
> wild
> >honeybees have been eradicated by the mites since they first arrived in the
> U.S.
> >More than 60 percent of America's commercial honeybees have been killed by the
> >tiny, spider-like creatures.
> >
> >...the Honey Nut Cheerios "Save the Honeybee" campaign will raise funds to
> >research threats posed by the "Varroa Mite", which sucks blood from
> honeybees by
> >attaching itself to their bodies; and the "Tracheal Mite", which chokes
> >honeybees to death by reproducing while lodged inside honeybees' throats.
> >
> >As part of the Honey Nut Cheerios "Save the Honeybee" campaign, between now and
> >January 31, 1997, Honey Nut Cheerios will donate 25 cents for every honeybee
> >clipped from the front of a Honey Nut Cheerios box and mailed to General Mills.
> >The cartoon-like drawing of a honeybee has appeared on the front of the Honey
> >Nut Cheerios boxes since 1979, a year after its introduction in 1978.
> >
> >...General Mills stands ready to donate up to $100,000 for honeybee research.
> >The funds will be evenly distributed to three of America's premiere honeybee
> >research centers:  the University of Minnesota, Michigan State University and
> >the University of California, Davis.  Each school has established apiary
> >research programs that have been in the forefront of the search for a way to
> >destroy the deadly mites and repopulate America's honeybee hives.
> >
> >Individuals who want to help save the honeybee should mail honeybees clipped
> >from the front of Honey Nut Cheerios boxes to:
> >
> >"HELP SAVE THE HONEYBEE"
> >P.O. BOX 5450
> >MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55460-5450
> >
> >Those who want to receive a honeybee information packet or hear more about how
> >too they can help are urged to call the "Help Save the Honeybee" Hotline at
> >800-362-2006."
 
 Hello All, I'm posting this again because this is VERY important.Money is
hard to come by these days.We need the public to be educated about the
honeybee and our problems.General Mills should be thanked for there help
in a problem that will affect all of us.Take the time to spread the word
what General Mills is doing.This is not layback time.This is a potential
gold rush.We have to get out the vote and we will get many more rewards in
the future. We need the 1-800 # full all the time.The door is open for us
and we need to use it in the best way that we can. Our researchers need
money so they can help us.This is win - win all the way.
  We need to make this work and we will have more help right around the
corner. Everyone wants to be a winner. If it workes for General Mills, it
will be used by others and we will be the winners also.
 This is my opinion.
 Best Regards
 Roy