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Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers

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  • From: Marty Hanks <marty AT justbeenc.com>
  • To: NaturalBeesinNC AT yahoogroups.com, Orange County Bees <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>, Debbie Roos <Debbie.Roos AT chathamnc.org>
  • Subject: [ocba] nice bee day
  • Date: Sat, 30 Mar 2013 14:31:23 -0400

Hello All,

What a GREAT warm day...the girls are flying and bringing in LOTS of pollen. I have noticed leaves and maybe what look like the start of buds on our Tulip Poplars here in southern Orange. EEEK! Busy bee work is right around the corner.

As the bees buzz and the season gets going over the next month, so to will the heated debate of what has caused such a massive bee death this past year. Most are reporting near 50% loss and several are over that!! Brushy Mountain say that folks are telling them that 50-70% losses! So in that percentage range is where i find myself. I lost nearly 60%...thought many were late swarms or splits and 1/2 of those were working new comb as we try to grow our Apiary. SO as a "natural or chem free" beekeeper I see my number, though sad, an insightful hint at what is possible. I'm heartbroken for my 60%, but for my "natural" methods and focus on "survivor stock" style of beekeeping, I have to say I'm ahead of the curve. If I continue to just match the national average bee loss then its a win for chem free beekeeping...if i can keep slightly beating it, like i did in year 2 then i'm still further ahead. Lets see what 2013 curve balls will be thrown at us!

Though the journalist still try to keep things neat and quick and "all mysterious" with their labeling of any bee death to CCD. There is growing concern for how our mono crops are managed and the now reported, heaver than predicted use of pesticides on our food crops. I think what's finally getting some light (and what's mentioned on the attached article) is the MIXING of these products inside the hive. I think that is a huge concern. Here ya go...

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/29/science/earth/soaring-bee-deaths-in-2012-sound-alarm-on-malady.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&smid=fb-share


I think i have a new BFF in Bret Adee, described in this NYT article as the largest commercial beekeeper in the US. 
"Experts say nobody knows. But Mr. Adee, who said he had long scorned environmentalists’ hand-wringing about such issues, said he was starting to wonder whether they had a point."

and...
"Of the “environmentalist” label, Mr. Adee said: “I would have been insulted if you had called me that a few years ago. But what you would have called extreme — a light comes on, and you think, ‘These guys really have something. Maybe they were just ahead of the bell curve."

Mr Adee....your welcome!

Cheers,
Marty Hanks
Just Bee Apiary
 
 Home of the Orange County Honey Project.
"Created by Artisans....Bottled by Humans"


  • [ocba] nice bee day, Marty Hanks, 03/30/2013

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