A number of people have been asking me how we are getting on with our bees – so I thought that it might be time for an update. Seen here is Kerry carrying out his first inspection of the hive – testing a frame to see how the hive is coming along – and finally the outcome of it all – our first jar of honey 🙂
What I can tell you as a result of this inspection is that we do have the Varroa mite – however there seems to be a suggestion that over time some hives are learning how to manage the mite – so time will tell in the case of our hive.
On a more serious matter – the following article appeared on CNN yesterday – regarding the plight of the bee industry in the UK. In the UK – bee keepers are demanding more money for research following a drop in numbers by nearly a third in the last year. The situation is even worse in the US where Colony Collapse Disorder is giving rise to dramatic loses of between 30% – 90%. Possible explanations include pesticides, a new parasite or pathogen, or a combination of immune-suppressing stresses.
It is time to start to pay attention to the effect that money and corporate values are having on the environment and to start looking towards people, health and environmental values before it is too late!
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Honey exporters, corporate pollinators, bee breeders, research scientists, multinational company’s, market requirements and bureaucracy are helping lead bees into extinction with the jury still out on satellite transmissions being part of the deadly cocktail.
Kerry McCurdy
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