The bees aren't going anywhere... at least I can say MINE AREN'T. Simply because I REFUSE to allow some student to decide what kind of bees they want me to raise this year... The greatest threat to the survival of the bees is the one that is never really mentioned... but you just pointed out... the over eager acts of those assuming that the bees of the US are "weak because they die when you introduce parasites and diseases that they would never have encountered at such expansive rates in a natural state... the importation of fruits, vegetables, etc.. has always and will continue to bring new and deadly threats into our country... the government puts regulations on the experts to keep them from importing important maternal lines into the country to stop inbreeding, yet the government itself keeps bringing in pests and diseases then selling the "silver bullets" that THEY import from other countries... only to add insult to injury by adding lines that are hundreds of years away from becoming acclimated to our climates... these "overnight cures" may address one problem temporarily, but soon add a whole new list of issues for our industry to suffer through... this is why I keep pushing for people to think first, and take the long road to success instead of the "silver bullets" or letting their bees die off, taking entire maternal lines with them... the bees are not the problem, they never have been... the "fix" is the problem...
The discussion that we were having is simply for the benefit of those that make their living from keeping healthy, productive bees... honey production WILL decrease... that is inevitable... but whether it drops quickly and destroys those companies that depend on it, or decreases gradually and allows the price to rise as the production lowers is up to us...
If those that are accustomed to getting 1.50 per pound suddenly only produce half as many pounds, they will go out of business and their bees will likely die either from excessive splitting for salvage or from the next threat that comes along...
But if that same producer sees a slow decrease in production, they will have a chance to slowly raise their prices and thus the market will adjust to the production levels of the bees.... then the producer stays in business, the bees stay in the hives, and when the next big threat comes along, they will have the resources to do whatever is necessary to protect the bees from it.
Again... the bees are not dying because they are weak... they are dying because people are weak... keep this in mind next time you see melons, peaches, and strawberries at the grocery store in winter... we HAVE to start letting Americans feed America and the leaders of the industry that truly care (and have the most to LOSE) provide for the bees.
Please keep in mind that the commercial bee keeper has more to lose than any usda lab, hobbiest, or retailer if the bees were to die off... for the vast majority of the commercial bee keepers, their job is not just about making honey, but more so about keeping bees... to make honey, they must first make bees... if they were not interested in having healthy, thriving bees, they would not be in business for long at all.
Commercial beekeepers are those that have been taking care of bees full time, usually all of their lives, and in most cases they are the grand children and great grandchildren and great, great grandchildren of the people that were caring for bees all of Their lives... the founders of the industry are commercial beekeepers, they know bees... usually better than they know humans... keep an open mind and don't fall victim to the "hype" and falsehoods that you hear... that is all just intended to split the industry to boost certain markets... we are ALL bee keepers, we ALL care about the bees, and I assure you that the commercial beekeepers will gladly help you and anyone else that shows interest in bees... I also encourage you to tour a real commercial operation... you would be surprised at just how great their bees are and how much they know and do for ALL honey bees everyday.