Market Farming

["Bill Shoemaker" <wshoemak AT inil.com>]

>Another problem is the Bee mite which has decimated the
>honey bee population.
>
>Some estimates put it at 80% decimated.
>Here's a web site:
>http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~acarolog/beemite.htm


There are two mites which have decimated the wild honeybee population; the
varroa mite and the trachea mite. Both are natural enemies of honeybees.
I've heard actual estimates of wild honeybee losses due to these two mites
as high as 95%. Crop spraying has had little to nothing to do with this
problem.

The USDA is in the process of releasing honeybees which are resistant to
these mites but it will take years for the commercial industry to recover.
And if the market for honey doesn't improve, it may not recover. And the
wild bees will only recover very slowly. That's why it's important for
growers to become more knowledgeable about alternative pollenizers, such as
mason bees, and support their local populations.

Bill Shoemaker
Sr Research Specialist, Food Crops
Univ of Illinois - St Charles Hort Research Center