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Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers

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  • From: friedjf AT verizon.net
  • To: beecd AT icloud.com, ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [ocba] Hmmmm
  • Date: Tue, 09 Jun 2015 09:38:19 -0500 (CDT)

 As an OCBA newbie but a long-term biologist, I'd like to propose a discussion.
 
I notice that some beekeepers seem beekeeper-centric, and I wonder if that is to the detriment of bees.
 
By this, I mean some beekeepers defend the position that any manipulation of bees/hives is okay if the beekeeper finds it warranted or suspects that it would help. Move hives hundreds of miles, open hives just to see what's happening, feed them sucrose, transfer frames from strong to weak hives, etc. None of these practices mimic nature, and they surely stress the bees/hive. I hear beekeepers on all sides of hive treatments and management issues so, I conclude that we often don't know what's best for the bees, and we're rolling the dice with our choices.
 
 
At a time when beehives are highly vulnerable to collapse and many other problems, shouldn't beekeepers minimize the variables that affect their hives to minimize stress? Would it be easier to detect the source of a problem if we were less intrusive? Are we being bee-centric enough?
John Friedrick 






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