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

[Liane Colwell]

Hi Gang

I have only just rejoined and my contribution is tangential.

Landline have done 2 stories on this subject Beesting on 3/6/07 and Bee Line
[date?]. 

CCD is Colony Collapse Disorder or Collapsed Hive Syndrome in the USA [but I
have not been following this discussion closely so...]

My contrib is a strong recommendation to read ³The Hive-the Story of the
Honeybee and Us² by Bee Wilson, published by John Murray in 2004.

Rollicking great read by a specialist food writer and academic. Really has
one in absolute awe of bees, their mythology, biology etc. I adored it.

Liane Colwell, gastronomer, chef.


On 8/8/07 3:42 PM, "Meadows, Joel" <JMeadows at portphillip.vic.gov.au> wrote:

> 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#transcri
> pt> 1987155.htm#transcript
> [copy and paste the whole address into your browser if it has gone to 2
> lines]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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