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A discussion of Neonics, Bee health and media
Posted: January 15th, 2018, 1:50 pm
by BDT123
This was posted to Bee-L today.
https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2018 ... get-wrong/
Agree or disagree, still worth a read. Points to ponder.
Brian
Re: A discussion of Neonics, Bee health and media
Posted: January 15th, 2018, 3:08 pm
by Allen Dick
It's the bald truth. I'm not sure there ever was CCD, BTW. I was on the ground when all this started. I talked to Tony before Dave's bees died in FLA and started the whole wild goose chase. At the time, bees were falling off the budgets and bee research defunded.
When Dave's bees died (as expected from a huge varroa load), Dave, (a well-connected former AFB pres) called wolf and that changed everything. From there on out, everyone made out like bandits. Researchers were funded again and there were new hires, beekeepers got indemnity pmts and a credible explanation for the banks, media had a simple sob story...
I knew both Dennis and Medhat back into the 90's and both interviewed for the Alberta position. Medhat got it. Dennis did well, too.
Anyhow, this article is the truth, not that anyone wants to hear it. Too simple and ordinary, and there is no money in it for anyone.
Actually, somewhere around 2002, I wrote a series of studies showing that economics were the cause of the hardship US beekeepers were suffering. In the US, due to the high US dollar at the time, and the low price of honey, many could not afford varroa controls. In Canada, with our low dollar, we did not feel it the same and that even helped overcome the headwinds of the bee embargo.