> In commercial beekeeping, there is a lot of monkey see, monkey do. Not just in commercial beekeeping. A local hobby beekeeper who got a Master Beekeeper certification at EAS is lecturing, at $30 a person, on "non-chemical beekeeping". They have been keeping bees for about 5 years. Another, who lost all their colonies last year is also lecturing on how to manage bees and they have kept bees for two years. The internet is another untrustworthy source. A "natural" beekeeper posts of their success, but those who have actually visited their apiary see something entirely different. The one constant I have seen over the years is the sometimes irrational and blind acceptance of all things organic. I do not want to use "chemicals" on my colonies either (and I practice organic farming), but the year I did not treat, I lost colonies. I will be treating for the foreseeable future, as long as those around me do not treat. But, my guess is they will not be keeping bees much longer. That seems to be the followup to the one constant. Bill Truesdell Bath, Maine *********************************************** The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html Access BEE-L directly at: http://community.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-LSOFTDONATIONS.exe?A0=BEE-L