permaculture

[Laura C Frazier <lauracfrazier@earthlink.net>]

 CATASTROPHIC BEE COLONY COLLAPSE IS NOT AFFECTING ORGANIC HIVES
 As previously reported in Organic Bytes (Issue #104), beekeepers in 24 
states are experiencing record losses of honeybees. Some states have 
reported up to 70% disappearances of commercial bee populations. 
Researchers are struggling to find the causes of this mysterious 
collapse. A crucial element of this story, missing from reports in the 
mainstream media, is the fact that organic beekeepers across North 
America are not experiencing colony collapses. The millions of dying 
bees are hyper-bred varieties whose hives are regularly fumigated with 
toxic pesticides by conventional beekeepers attempting to ward off 
mites. In contrast, organic beekeepers avoid pesticides and toxic 
chemicals and strive to use techniques that closely emulate the ecology 
of bees in the wild. Researchers are beginning to link the mass deaths 
of non-organic bees to pesticide exposure, genetically modified 
organisms (GMOs), and the common practice of moving conventional bee 
hives over long distances.
Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/bees.cfm

"Life is a Mystery to be Lived, not a Problem to be Solved"
FarmGirl Arts & Consulting
Laura C Frazier, M.A., M.Div.
Kernersville, NC  27284
(336) 971-3834