[Pil-pc-oceania] The buzz on CCD in bees

[Meadows, Joel]

Dear Robyn,

Thanks for the link (I missed this Background Briefing when it went to air). I think one of the worrying things from this report is the accepted loss of wild bees from any country that has varroa mite (destructor is just too loaded a name to give any living thing). Although we might not realise it many of the plants in the back-yards and small gardens of Australia are pollinated (for free) by the services of wild bees.

 

If Varroa comes to Australia, and it seems from this report that it is a case of when not if, then we can expect to have almost no wild bees in a short space of time. This might well be fine and manageable for the large agricultural sector that will be able to afford to keep 'importing' pollination hives from the industrial apiary industry for at least a while, but could be devastating for the backyard and small gardens of this country. Even small scale bee keepers like my self might find it hard to keep one or two hives going when nearly 50% of hives are collapsing each season. 

 

As for your comment that the cause is a "no-brainer", I'm not sue that I understand what you mean. Having read the report I feel more than ever that CCD is the result of a combination of factors (extreme migratory practices, monocultural farming - and the lack of access to weeds and other plants that that entails, pesticide use, antibiotics use, artificial feeding of bees and all this set against a back drop of a parasitic mite and the pathogens is creates pathways for).

 

Our 1 hive of bees in our backyard produces 30 - 60 kg of honey a season, provides pollination services for all our fruit, nut and vege crops, provides wax for candles and other products and propolis for throat infections. They are an important part of our Permaculture system.

 

Joel Meadows

 

Link to article that Robyn sent.

 

<http://www.abc.net.au/rn/backgroundbriefing/stories/2007/> http://www.abc.net.au/rn/backgroundbriefing/stories/2007/ <http://www.abc.net.au/rn/backgroundbriefing/stories/2007/1987155.htm#transcript> 1987155.htm#transcript
[copy and paste the whole address into your browser if it has gone to 2 
lines]





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