At 11:37 PM 7/16/01 +0100, you wrote:
>Hello All
>
>Would I be right in saying that with the advent of varroa, thereby causing
>the destruction of the feral colonies and colonies in the hives of non
>compliant beekeepers, that there should be an increase in the forage
>available to the compliant beekeepers?
>
>Has that been the experience in the UK and the USA?
>
>Sincerely
>
>Tom Barrett

In many places there is less forage due to development.  I live near
a relatively small town (30,000 pop) in Ohio and even here the amount
of farmland lost in the last 10 years is noticeable, Go back 20 years
and the difference is dramatic.  Near larger cities in Ohio (Columbus,
Cincinnati) the difference can be staggering, hundreds of acres being
snatched up at a time for subdivisions and shopping centers.  You
still see the odd old farm house on the main roads between many of the
developments.

Even living several miles away from the town in a rural area, my forage
will not remain untouched.  The existing city reservoir is a mile away, and
because of area growth they plan on adding a second one between it and
my house (right across the street), potentially loosing 400 acres of
farmland (soybeans) and wooded areas.  Only upside is that it will likely
increase the amount of clover available.  Not a great amount, but they don't
mow the reservoir too often.

While there may be more forage due to loss of feral bees, It's hard to
judge because too many other factors have changed i think.

-Tim