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Dan Rather report on bee shortage in Calif almonds

53K views 216 replies 41 participants last post by  Beeslave 
#1 ·
Hope you got a chance to see this report on CBS, from a commercial stand point, what did think positive or negitive?

http://youtu.be/oJ5riRX1_3w
 
#152 ·
No Ian. I thought since Keith is so intelligent....and I honestly mean that with no sarcasm.....that he would see what I'm discussing has to do with all pollinators. It's nothing about "anti everything".

What I've been arguing is defect in a regulatory agencies decision to allow something that previously was never used in the way it is used now.

Apparently Keith would be ok if I purchased land next to one of his large holding yards and knowingly did what I could to attract and kill as many of his hives as possible. After all....in a free market the more you can eliminate of the competition the better chance you have gaining his part of the market.
 
#154 ·
Just in case there's someone on Beesource I haven't irritated yet, I'll point out that there is a legal concept called "attractive nuisance." If, for example, you have a large beautiful swimming pool in your back yard filled with piranhas, a neighborhood kid who sneaks over your fence and get eaten will result in you getting sued out of your socks. If beekeepers weren't the redheaded stepchildren of agriculture, a case could be made that the farmer who failed to till in his clover prior to treating it with something that kills bees could be liable for damages for similar reasons.

I suppose if the affected beekeeper has pollination contracts, then not only has the farmer damaged the hives of that beekeeper, he has damaged the livelihood of the farmer who depends on those hives for pollination.
 
#160 · (Edited)
Because it's year after year. Not always the same area. Not all crop farmers operate the same. I am not the only Beekeeper to notice this in this area. I've reported it the last few years to a state inspector. He called me last spring to notify me he was seeing it in his hives when his neighbor no-tilled over an alfalfa field with dandelion in bloom. It's not easy to pinpoint where the source is when often these fields are hidden from view.

This is far from "Willy nilly speculation". It is proven that fugitive dust from treated seed can/will harm bees. It is proven that the affects myself and others see are the same effects on bees where studies using clothianidin are done. My field observations are over an extended period in various areas with the same common denominators again and again.

Keith stated "it's not about eliminating anyone, it's about freedom of choice to do on your land(with in the law) as you see fit to make living."...........this is exactly what I've been trying to get across......the procedure and materials being used are not working the way they were approved to to be used. That Is the flaw.
 
#163 ·
If you're in the cornbelt sooner or later you are going to have some sort of problems from what I have seen it is when the farmer uses an airplanter and conditions are right the dust settled onto Dandelion's in adjoining fields. The dust carries the talc used to lubricat the seed picks up seed treatment. Is the farmer wrong not in my opinion. Do we need to work to solve the problem yes
 
#164 ·
if the farmers are planting crops that depend on pollinators i would think they would be interested in working cooperatively with the beekeepers.

it shouldn't be that hard to locate what is being planted and when within a 2-3 mile radius of a beeyard.

i'm with keith and the others, the farmer has every right to use his land as he wishes within the law.

i'm with haraga and wildbranch, it looks like a good opportunity for meaningful investigation. find out what is being used, and see if it is showing up in your colonies. assuming the rules are being followed, this is the more likely path to get them modified.

with all those losses shannon, looks like you've got everything to gain and nothing to lose. what you need is diplomacy. if i were in a similar situation i would approach the farmers with respect and civility, and involve the state apiarist.

and, you just might end contributing valuable knowledge that will help all of us advance our understanding of what is causing some of our losses.
 
#166 ·
one interesting thing that I found when researching the coated seeds, due to this thread, that I need to get addressed b/4 planting season. Last year the farmer brought up a trailer truck full of seed, with I think an auger in it to offload the seeds into the planter, they parked it right in front of my hives for the duration. I had no problem but they left a pile of treated seeds in front of the hives. according to the label for treated seeds they are required to bury the seeds, so I have to go have a talk with them. the label instruction is to protect the birds and animals, but not burying them is a violation of the label.
 
#168 ·
If the seed was brought in bulk in a grain trailer, where did you find the label? I have only bought it by the bag and last year each bag was 650$. 1 bag did 10 acres. When I used to seed the old Polish variety it was moved from the bin to the truck and the seed was not treated.
Surely Ian most people know the difference between a blended fert and canola seed:). With the price of seed I don't know anyone that would leave it on the ground.
 
#167 ·
watch mike, typically the seeds that are treated (canola, corn , sunflowers soybeans )are not handled in that kind of bulk, typically they are bagged or handled in small enough volume that augers are not used.

This seed is worth a fortune, spills are very expensive and if spills happen, the seed usually will be swept up for use.

Crops that are handled in volume, like wheat or cereals are handled with augers, and typically are not treated with anything, sometimes will see wheat seed spillage

I would suspect you saw a fertilizer truck, which they were augering fertilizer into the air seeder, small piles of fertilizer typically happen with spillage.


Know what your complaining about before you complain otherwise . . .
 
#172 ·
watch mike, typically the seeds that are treated (canola, corn , sunflowers soybeans )are not handled in that kind of bulk, typically they are bagged or handled in small enough volume that augers are not used.

This seed is worth a fortune, spills are very expensive and if spills happen, the seed usually will be swept up for use.
looked like corn to me, it even tasseled at the end of the year. I was amazed that they left the corn just laying there also. Can't comment on the label on the bag as there were no bags, but the seeds were treated, they were also the same color as the ones planted at another farm where I looked at the bags(doesn't really mean much) but no one that I have seen plants untreated seed. they had two trucks one for the corn and one for the fertilizer, not sure about the auger as I really didn't pay all that much attention to them at the time, will now though. If its that expensive, maybe next year I'll sweep it up and sell it back to them.:) When I was up at the field the other day it actually looked like the planted something over the field after they harvested, and they don't use rye up here normally, really makes little difference, I'm moving the yard out this spring and replacing it with a nuc yard that won't go in until after corn is in.
 
#181 ·
We use air seeders, we use these seed treatments, I have my hives along side a lot of my fields during planting. I have never experienced a problem with bee die offs like the one mentioned in Ontario, we have seeded in all kind of conditions,
Now bee death to Furadan during planting, yes
 
#183 ·
I don't know what happened to this thread I thought it was about major bee losses. I know 5 big queen producers in northern CA that have lost around 50% of their bees not to mention a lot beekeepers and it was not from PPB, from not using Nutrabee, not getting their mite treatment on, and so on. Something is killing bees, causing then to dwindle or crash. I had a few loads go from 12-14 frames in Dec to 1-3 in Jan. I also had loads with less 5% loss to 2 loads that had 90% loss. In CA as in other states there is a lot of chemagation in tree fruit, citrus, melons, berries, any crop you can run a dripper line. The problem is you don't know when it's being applied, most are neonic's. long term exposure to sub-lethal doses are not known. They are also finding that viruses are taking on a life of their own. It would be nice to run up to the hills but in central CA the CA Buckeye will take your bees out and in a drought year it can be very bad. Back in the 70's I remember going out to the trucks in morning and the bee beards hanging off the truck touching the ground and they had some pretty nasty chems back then.
 
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