permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lflj@intrex.net>]

Here is some interesting feedback about this:


-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        Re: [growingsmallfarms] Saving the Honeybee Through Organic
Farming
Date:   Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:02:42 +0000
From:   Melissa Brown <plinemel@hotmail.com>

I think the whole reason anybody is even talking about the value of
honeybees for pollination is precisely because we've moved to systems of
massive, insecticide-intensive monocultures.  That's where honeybees
have real value, because they can be brought in in large numbers and
removed when it's time to spray.  Even the apple orchards nearest me --
and apples are supposedly one of the most honeybee dependent crops --
don't worry about renting (or maintaining) honeybees for pollination.
Small farms in diverse landscapes (in the case of North Carolina
especially with woodlands) just aren't a real pollination problem.  I
think what we as North Carolinian beekeepers really need to be working
to sell is the value of responsibly produced honey as a food and
everyday sweetener, not pollination.
--Eric

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [growingsmallfarms] necessity of treating for mites in honeybee 
colonies
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:26:28 +0000
From: Melissa Brown <plinemel@hotmail.com>


I didn't mean to say or imply anything in my previous post one way or the other about the necessity of treating for 
varroa or tracheal mites.  To answer your question, though, with my bees I find it is pretty much completely unnecessary 
to treat for tracheal mites.  That might be different with different strains of bees from what I have (although I don't 
have any special strain/race) or in different parts of the country.  "Treating" for varroa mites isn't necessary either, 
per se, but varroa mites are something to deal with, and treatments (hard chemical medications, strong organic acids, or 
essential oil based medications) are one way to do that.  I do believe that varroa mites aren't a problem in nucs (small 
hives), particularly if they're made up in April/May with a frame or less of brood and a queen cell and allowed to grow 
to just 5 frames.  Varroa mites can definitely be a serious problem in "regular" hives, though.  If I were to keep bees 
now the way I would have kept!
  bees before varroa mites, I believe I would lose an average of about 25-40% each fall/winter to varroa mites.  Either 
on account of the bees becoming somewhat resistant or because the deadliest mites have been dying off with their hosts, 
that 25-40% figure is a whole lot less than where things stood 10-15 years ago.  Theoretically I think it would be very 
possible to multiply your hives out 40+% each year to stay ahead of your losses, at least in an average year, but that 
increase could otherwise be profit instead of merely loss recovery.  Please feel free to write me off-list (or come 
visit) if you'd like to go into more detail than concerns this list.
Eric