On Wed, 2 May 2007 07:27:32 +0100, Murray McGregor <[log in to unmask]> 
wrote:

>You really don't get the real picture here.
>
>I cannot square any idea that commercial migratory beekeeping is
>exclusive of good animal husbandry. 

I never said its exclusive, I'm sure every kind of beekeeper can be put in that class (bee-havers), 
Its obviously harder to worry about your bees when you have 1000's of colonies and a large 
overhead to meet.  Shop rag treatments and preventative antibitoic use is rampant in the 
commercial industry in fact it may be the unofficial standard method of operation for most 
commercial beekeepers (although there is no statisitics to prove that). These practices are 
documented by several reports. I see nothing that ABF or AHPA is doing either to promote 
sustainable practices in their membership. 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. Getting hobbyists to move to more sustainable  practices is not 
going to save the industry.  

I don't see how any one can defend the "overall" situation in the commercial world as sustainable. 
Are we to beleive that the industry has embraced soft chemical useage, moved towards resistant 
stock, avoids FB treatments and burns equipment, or is changing contaminated comb out from the 
checkmite era? Get real......

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

I'll let the commercial beekeeper in the article below do the rest of the talking

"Miller said neither scientists nor beekeepers understand what's at the root of the collapsing 
colonies. He believes about a third of collapsing colony disorder is due to poor management by 
the beekeepers.

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



BTW, I have been critical of the CCD map since many affected beekeepers where out of state when 
they saw CCD problems. How then does that loss get registered in the home state? 




http://www.helenair.com/articles/2007/05/02/ap-state-mt/d8oru96o0.txt

North Dakota joins states with 'collapsing colony disorder'

BISMARCK, N.D. - North Dakota now is among about a dozen states, including Montana, where 
beekeepers report some of their bees are buzzing away from hives for good.

The phenomenon, known as collapsing colony disorder, affects crops that depend on bees for 
pollination.

Judy Carlson, the apiary inspector for the state Agriculture Department, said North Dakota 
beekeepers are returning to the state after using their bees elsewhere to pollenate cucumbers and 
almond and orange trees.

A survey of 15 out of the 179 beekeepers in the state found about half had poor or disappearing 
hives, she said.

"Some are reporting that they are losing 50 to 80 percent of their hives," Carlson said.

North Dakota, with an estimated 382,500 hives, led the country in honey production last year.

"This is a really big deal for the honey industry here," state Agriculture Commissioner Roger 
Johnson said. "It's a real mystery because bees have an enormously strong homing instinct, but in 
this case, they are flying away and never coming back and nobody knows where they went."

Randy Verhoek of Bismarck said he lost half his 13,000 hives this year, costing him about 
$400,000.

"We'd go out one day and find full boxes, and a week later they would just be gone," he said.

Verhoek said he lost money because he did not have his normal hive count for pollination in 
California almond orchards. He said he had to send weakened hives to Texas for rebuilding.

Verhoek and Gackle beekeeper John Miller, with 10,000 hives, say the phenomenon of collapsing 
colonies may have many causes, including drought, disease and insecticides.

Miller said neither scientists nor beekeepers understand what's at the root of the collapsing 
colonies. He believes about a third of collapsing colony disorder is due to poor management by 
the beekeepers.

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

Carlson hopes government research will find ways to prevent collapsing colony disorder.

"Our bees go to other states, so it affects everyone at some point," she said.

In March, a leading Montana beekeeper said his business was taking a hit from a big loss of bees, 
which he attributed to mites and collapsing colony disorder.

Lance Sundberg, a professional beekeeper for 24 years and the operator of Sunshine Apiary in 
Columbus, said that in a span of about seven months ending in February, his hive inventory fell 
from 5,600 to 3,800.

A service of the Associated Press(AP)

******************************************************
* Full guidelines for BEE-L posting are at:          *
* http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm  *
******************************************************