From: Laura C Frazier <lauracfrazier@earthlink.net>
To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [permaculture] Organic Bees
Date: Thu, 17 May 2007 13:58:24 -0400
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
[permaculture] Organic Bees,
Laura C Frazier, 05/17/2007