"John Bachman" wrote in message
...
On 2 May 2007 11:06:47 -0700, "
wrote:

I have been hearing about how commerical bee people have lost a lot of
their hives. Many of these hives are transported for pollination. What
was I was wondering is if these dieoff affects "local native" bees
that are not part of commerical operations. I remember in my area a
number of years ago there was a problem with the death of large
numbers of bees, and I seemed to have fewer tomatoes, and it also
affected my neighbors.
Has anyone any thoughts about this?

My beekeeping friend tells me that there are no "native" bees. The
only ones in the wild are those who have swarmed and escaped from the
beekeepers.

The mite problem a few years ago wiped out all wild bees. Once
beekeepers started using resistant varieties those that escaped began
to re-establish "wild" colonies.

I suspect, but do not know for sure, that the escaped bees are also
subject to same problems as their sisters still in capitivity by the
beekeepers.

My friend's favorite theory is that it is a nutrition problem worsened
by the practices of putting colonies in the middle of acres and acres
of only one source of nutrition. That nutrition imbalance stresses
the colony and makes it more susceptible to all of the other problems
that bees have to contend with.


A couple of resources about "native" bees.

http://www.birdsamore.com/critters/bees.htm
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/nativebee.html

--
Travis in Shoreline Washington