tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post1065662150328510712..comments2023-04-03T09:09:34.305-04:00Comments on Global Swarming Honeybees: NRDC Takes EPA to TaskGerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-55936092005810354282008-08-20T20:58:00.000-04:002008-08-20T20:58:00.000-04:00If CCD or future bee pandemics became severe enoug...If CCD or future bee pandemics became severe enough to dieoff most colonies, it might make sense now to establish a "strategic bee researve". If mites and/or fungi that cause bee epidemics die too when the bee population declines, it would be useful to have populations of honey bees segregated from the rest of the presumably infected globalized bee breeding market.<BR/>Say, breed some bees on an island. Pay to have them maintained. In the event CCD beecomes devastating enough to wipe out colonies in entire areas, the strategic bee colonies could be enlisted to repopulate canola and greenhouse food cropland. To avoid infecting the strategic bees, the dieoff would have to bee 100% and the mites/fungi can't survive on some other host that might reinfect the new bee population.<BR/>I'd suggest governments subsidize bee breeders for this purpose. It is cheaper than regulating bee trade or doing nothing and hoping for the best. I'm not sure the range of bees, but the strategic colonies would have to be outside existing bee populations.<BR/><BR/>Along with this, it would be prudent to support best practises apiculture education, meetings and consultations and such, with the goal being to educate commercial beekeepers how to multiply bee colonies ASAP in the event of a massive worldwide dieoff. The strategic reserve should be bred to be capable of rapidly multiplying, if that is possible. ie) can bees colonies be bred to take advantage of more than two growing seasons? Perhaps the strategic colonies would need to be moved many times per year to take advantage of nature nectar food supplies, or perhaps artifical nectar stores could be establish to multiply strategic colonies.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-59414579688043191242008-08-20T13:53:00.000-04:002008-08-20T13:53:00.000-04:00You can take action on the NRDC website: http://ww...You can take action on the NRDC website: http://www.nrdc.org/action/<BR/>This is the best efforts I have seen from an organization going against the big boys concerning the honeybee/pesticide issue.<BR/>Our voices (and emails) are important on this one!<BR/><BR/>KarenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com