Beekeeping Changes

Dan Agri View, Citrus, Field Crops

beekeeping
Everett Griner talks about changes taking place in the beekeeping business in today’s Agri View.

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I’m getting more copy on honeybee production than I can keep up with. It all points to the same conclusion. Colony collapse disorder is the result of not one, but perhaps dozens of reasons– more than pesticides, mites and contamination, but what about stress?

Stress comes in many forms and it’s a contributor. Think about this: loading hives on trucks in Texas and hauling them all the way to California to pollinate crops. Now that’s extreme stress. And bacterial disease, which was an extreme problem back in the 19th century. It has been controlled, but never stopped.

We don’t have nearly as many professional beekeepers as we had 30 years ago. That doesn’t kill bees, but it does reduce the volume. The honeybee industry is going through change, but it’ll survive.

That’s Agri View for today. I’m Everett Griner