Holy bad beekeeper batman

[simplyhoney]

The past few years we have had a number of large California beekeeping operation set bees all over our country, mostly with no regard to our locations. In that time we have entertaint a number of calls from land owners complaining about the bees on their property. We explain that they are not our bees, that they are from California, and that the land owner should get in contact with the owner of the bees. The Land owner usually tells us that the beekeeper didn't leave a name of number and that they assumed that the bees were ours.
At any rate, we have been getting quite tired of being "sat on" by these guys but really haven't had any legal recoarse as our state has no apiary registry ect. But charma is so entertaining.
I got a call from our Local P.D. yesterday asking for assistance in a "situation". Not sure what these guys were thinking. The flatbed was a 2ton style truck with about 100 colonies on it.
http://www.alamosanews.com/V2_news_a...=13673&page=72

[Tom G. Laury]

With more & more people going in to bees this is just going to get worse.
Squatting on private property is generally trespassing. Encroaching on territory is unenforceable, it used to be a matter of mutual discretion and benefit.
Some of these guys are masters at it: "The hired man put them in the wrong place, what's it going to take to stay?" What easier way is there to find owner of remote property? These sound like places with no fences or locks.

You know, after they put up bob war fences all over the country, the free ranger cowboys went in to bees. Don't have to cut the fence any more to get through.

Just think what it's like out here in California after almonds.

[alpha6]

We are lucky in that here the commercial beek community is pretty small and we all work together to keep from overlapping on yards. There is the occasional new guy that violates these unwritten rules but they usually are not around long.

I bet it is a pain out there especially if people are showing up with no contracts and moving like gypsies from one location to the other without regard to the local beeks. However, in this case it sounds like it was one of your own who was doing the ugly and not some out of state guy.

[Bud Dingler]

this is a temporary problem

migratory beekeeping is a relic of the past and present when cheap oil was the norm. once diesel hits $8 a gallon which should occur in the next decade things like Walmart (60% product imported from OUS) and migratory beekeeping will become extinct. like in the EU where migratory beekeeping is minimal no one will drive across country with bees. the almond boom is also oil dependent and mostly exported over seas so that demand will also wane.

this rush to the pot of gold rainbow will not last.....

[JohnK and Sheri]

We have good cooperation amongst WI beeks in our area too but there are always some who ignore the "rules". In your case Brent, it is nice to see the "bad guys" get their commupance and nice to see the good guys save the day. Nice article.

Bud your "gold" analogy is an apt one, but seems to be leaving the consumer out, and the prices they are willing to pay for a desired commodity. Sticking with gold, there are few items more expensive to mine or more expensive to ship, yet the demand and hence the price is high.
Who knows what the end consumer is willing to pay for almonds. Certainly they have shown in the recent past they will pay much more than the current price, which still supports good pollination fees.

As for international trade going away, I seriously doubt that will happen. Of course, as shipping prices rise, more local production is encouraged but regional specialties will always find an international market, as they have for eons prior to oil being the transport fuel of choice. As of today, oil is still the 'cheapest' form of transport. When that changes, world trade will adapt.
Sheri

[Trevor Mansell]

this is a temporary problem

migratory beekeeping is a relic of the past and present when cheap oil was the norm. once diesel hits $8 a gallon which should occur in the next decade things like Walmart (60% product imported from OUS) and migratory beekeeping will become extinct. like in the EU where migratory beekeeping is minimal no one will drive across country with bees. the almond boom is also oil dependent and mostly exported over seas so that demand will also wane.

this rush to the pot of gold rainbow will not last.....

Until the population of the world starts to go down or we find away to not need food ,there will be migratory beekeeping. Local beekeepers could never supply enough bees to poillinate the large crops .

[fish_stix]

Walmart executives are not dummies and neither are most beekeepers. They will adapt to whatever conditions happen to be at the time and keep on trucking.

[Tom G. Laury]

When I reread the article in the OP, it makes me wonder if Lopatkiew isn't a local bee operator share cropping with Bouye the owner from Calif.

Abandoned in the parking lot. Wouldn't be the first time with a bee truck.

[Bob Nelson]

You should get paid for your time and reimbursed for any associated expenses.

Most of us are willing and happy to help our community. You may see this just as good public relations and not that big of deal BUT...............

1. Your time and expertise is valuable whether you want to get paid or not. That tow truck driver will be getting paid.

2. This guy screwed up big time and the fine he pays probably will not go far to penalize him for the pain and inconvenience inflicted on the public, public safety providers and you.

3. Whether payment for your services will contribute to penalizing him or not he is responsible for the event (unless there are untold circumstances which I doubt there are).

4. There are laws in most states for cost recovery associated by these sort of events, specifically hazardous materials incidents.

Talk to your police department. They should have experience with requisitioning resources and the associated expenses of doing so. Usually they will pay you and go after the responsible party.

[rainesridgefarm]

South of me a guy out of florida dropped 20 pallets and left. The farmer went and torched them all. When they came back he called the sherrifs Dept and got fined for trespassing on top of it. He put them smack dap in the driveway to the hayfield.

[Keith Jarrett]

The main problem here is the Canoila grower shopped for the cheapest bees, he had, at one time couple different keepers then this Calif guy got his panties in a jam because other beekeepers were getting more per hive, From there it all went down hill. If you want to rent bees in that toxic valley for $55 bee my guest.

[Ian]

I dont quite understand why the beekeeper had left the truck in the parking lot?
Did he loose his beeyard?
And even if he did, why didnt he keep them moving?

[Barry Digman]

Say what?

Early Thursday after the situation was reported, photographs were made of the scene by Valley Courier staff writer Julia Wilson, clearly show the doors on the hives located on the truck were open. Rick Perry, a bystander and former bee keeper from Las Vegas, Nev., said in his experience the doors on the individual hives should have been closed during the transportation of the bees from one location to another.

[beeman]

Can one buy doors for hives at the local hardware store?

[Ian]

>>Alamosa Police Lt. Duane Oaks said Thursday the flatbed truck was left overnight in the parking lot and when the bees began their morning routine the situation was reported to police. The truck, operated by John Lopatkiew of Blanca was removed by South Side Towing shortly after 12-noon on Thursday and was picked up by Lopatkiew later in the afternoon. But all the bees did not make the trip to the tow yard.

So the truck was abandoned full of bees?

>>said in his experience the doors on the individual hives should have been closed during the transportation of the bees from one location to another.

I know of guys netting thier trailers, not shutting the hives up.

[jean-marc]

It's funny how the media quotes some former beekeeper and makes him sound like a person whose opinion we should respect. The important thing to remember about Rick Perry is that he used to own bees. He probably cooked them after he forgot to open the doors after transpotation. Lesson number 1 in moving bees is never ever shut them in, cause you never know what will happen during transport. You need to be able to take nets off if it's too hot, find a nice parking lot etc...

Nobody here knows the circumstances that led to the fellow deciding to leave his truck parked where he did. I'm pretty sure, although I don't know, that this was not in the original plan. This was plan B. Why he did not get them first thing in the morning, well that's plan C. I don't think we need to be too harsh on the fellow. It's events such as these which will make him reconsider his paln A, B and C. He will unlikely return unless of course he is a slow learner.

Jean-Marc

[Ian]

Thanks Jean-Marc,

either the fellow beekeepers contributing to this topic know more than I do, and more than what the article mentioned, or they are jumping on wet mule.

Call this guy a bad beekeeper?

No, something here went terribly wrong,

So, what went wrong?

[loggermike]

So, what went wrong?
Im guessing a woman had something to do with it(), but then I do have a wicked imagination
I have had a truck break down on occasion. We move at night(doors open) and common sense is you do whatever it takes to get the hives away from a public area before sun up. Having some backup is helpful ,though not always possible.