And the hits just keep on coming. More on our pollenating friend.

Hard winter for honeybees
Local beekeepers attribute unusual loss of hives to strange disorder,
many other factors

http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/articl...23/1033/NEWS01
--

Billy

Bush, Cheney & Pelosi, Behind Bars
http://rachelcorriefoundation.org/site/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movemen...George_W._Bush

In article wildbilly-77E0F9.09144423022008@c-61-68-245-
199.per.connect.net.au, says...
And the hits just keep on coming. More on our pollenating friend.

Hard winter for honeybees
Local beekeepers attribute unusual loss of hives to strange disorder,
many other factors

http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/articl...23/1033/NEWS01


http://www.redicecreations.com/article.php?id=974

http://bushfarms.com/bees.htm

-Thought you'd be interested.

In article ,
phorbin wrote:

In article wildbilly-77E0F9.09144423022008@c-61-68-245-
199.per.connect.net.au, says...
And the hits just keep on coming. More on our pollenating friend.

Hard winter for honeybees
Local beekeepers attribute unusual loss of hives to strange disorder,
many other factors

http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/articl...23/1033/NEWS01


http://www.redicecreations.com/article.php?id=974

http://bushfarms.com/bees.htm

-Thought you'd be interested.

I am. Thanks. When I'm out, orchestrating my garden, I know that I have
very little idea as to what is actually going on.

When I see bees in the garden, I start to relax because I know mother
nature will take it from there.

So it appears that bee keepers don't have just Colony Collapse Disorder
to worry about but a myriad of other nagging problems as well. Problems
that are possible but not predictable.

I am curious, though, in producing organic honey, how do you get a bee
to go just to organic flowers?
--

Billy

Bush, Cheney & Pelosi, Behind Bars
http://rachelcorriefoundation.org/site/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movemen...George_W._Bush

Billy expounded:

I am curious, though, in producing organic honey, how do you get a bee
to go just to organic flowers?

You can manage your bees organically, but you really can't claim to
provide organic honey. Unless you're in the middle of 8,000 square
acres.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

In article ,
Ann wrote:

Billy expounded:

I am curious, though, in producing organic honey, how do you get a bee
to go just to organic flowers?

You can manage your bees organically, but you really can't claim to
provide organic honey. Unless you're in the middle of 8,000 square
acres.

What then does organic bee keeping mean, if the product isn't organic?
Is 8,000 acres a legal definition or hyperbole?
--

Billy

Bush, Cheney & Pelosi, Behind Bars
http://rachelcorriefoundation.org/site/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movemen...George_W._Bush

In article wildbilly-DF7F20.17515223022008@c-61-68-245-
199.per.connect.net.au, says...
In article ,
Ann wrote:

Billy expounded:

I am curious, though, in producing organic honey, how do you get a bee
to go just to organic flowers?

You can manage your bees organically, but you really can't claim to
provide organic honey. Unless you're in the middle of 8,000 square
acres.

What then does organic bee keeping mean, if the product isn't organic?

It starts with not forcing the bees to grow unnaturally large. The rest
amounts to philosophy of maintenance and the substances used for
maintenance.


Is 8,000 acres a legal definition or hyperbole?


It's not hyperbole. Bees will travel substantial distances.

Billy expounded:

What then does organic bee keeping mean, if the product isn't organic?
Is 8,000 acres a legal definition or hyperbole?

No, it's not hyperbole, Billy. That's the radius a honeybee will
forage within.

Organic beekeeping means putting nothing in the hive but the honeybee
and comb and managing all of the pests/problems organically.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

phorbin expounded:

http://bushfarms.com/bees.htm

Michael Bush has forgotten more about bees than most people ever know.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

In article ,
says...
phorbin expounded:

http://bushfarms.com/bees.htm

Michael Bush has forgotten more about bees than most people ever know.


That was my thought.

My wife (organic gardener and activist) was, if I recall correctly
pointed to the site by the Canadian Green Party Agriculture Critic, who
is an organic beekeeper.

Do you keep bees?

phorbin expounded:

In article ,
says...
phorbin expounded:

http://bushfarms.com/bees.htm

Michael Bush has forgotten more about bees than most people ever know.


That was my thought.

My wife (organic gardener and activist) was, if I recall correctly
pointed to the site by the Canadian Green Party Agriculture Critic, who
is an organic beekeeper.

Do you keep bees?

Yes, we do. We have three apiaries and right now have ten hives, but
that will grow this season. We're 'backyard beekeepers', we do it for
the enjoyment of it, we do sell honey, but it isn't a major portion of
our income - heck, it'll take us years to pay back the investment in
equipment! But it's lots of fun, and the learning is amazing.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

On Sat, 23 Feb 2008 09:14:44 -0800, Billy
wrote:

And the hits just keep on coming. More on our pollenating friend.

Hard winter for honeybees
Local beekeepers attribute unusual loss of hives to strange disorder,
many other factors

http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/articl...23/1033/NEWS01


This sounds very serious to gardeners and farmers. I've already
talked with two beekeepers. Will plant some extra flowers to help
draw in the bees to my garden this year.

In article ,
Phisherman wrote:

On Sat, 23 Feb 2008 09:14:44 -0800, Billy
wrote:

And the hits just keep on coming. More on our pollenating friend.

Hard winter for honeybees
Local beekeepers attribute unusual loss of hives to strange disorder,
many other factors

http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/articl...23/1033/NEWS01


This sounds very serious to gardeners and farmers. I've already
talked with two beekeepers. Will plant some extra flowers to help
draw in the bees to my garden this year.

Last year I got completely engrossed in watching a bee work an echinacea
bloom and packing the pollen into its' saddle bags. Then there's
watching the first couple of zuchs fizzle and then everything getting
back on track when the bees show up.
--

Billy

Bush, Cheney & Pelosi, Behind Bars
http://rachelcorriefoundation.org/site/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movemen...George_W._Bush