permaculture

["Margaret & Steven Eisenhauer" <eisenhauerdesign@earthlink.net>]

Howdy All,

We have 120 Apple trees and didn't get apples until we started keeping bees.
But we do not spray anything but compost tea. They have helped with mast
(nut) production in our woods through their pollination as well.
Bees are good to have around and I doubt they disrupt natural pollinators.
Leaving native plants in your fields will help the native pollinators as
well as not poisoning the fields.

Don't forget that natural cosmetics rely on bees wax as a base.  Honey is a
natural antibiotic if it has not been heated or filtered.  

I don't know why people would not keep bees.

Cheers!
eisenhauerdesign@earthlink.net
 

-----Original Message-----
From: permaculture-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:permaculture-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Lawrence F.
London, Jr.
Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2008 9:37 AM
To: permaculture
Subject: Re: [permaculture] Saving the Honeybee Through Organic Farming


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

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