Honeybees, Pollinator study.

Kenneth k.preteroti@verizon.net
Fri, 14 Nov 2014 11:55:30 PST
TO, I put little faith in speculation. Beekeepers are businessmen. They do not place managed hives in locations where there is limited forage, at least not intentionally. I cannot say I have ever seen a flower devoid of pollen due to honey bees over foraging. Now take Canada for example and their production of canola oil (rape seed), honey bees produce vast amounts of surplus honey. The problem for native pollinators is not the honey bee but it is due to monoculture of the Brassica species. Their habitat is gone. The only case I am aware of where managed bees are a concern is the bumblebee. Bumblebees can be used in greenhouses while honeybees cannot. Non native bumble bees queens escaped and they put pressure on the native bumblebees. I believe now that purchased bumblebees are queenless. This would eliminate that concern. I am not aware of tracheal or varroa mites infecting native bees. Nor have I heard of brood diseases that affect honeybees affect native bees. Possible th
 ough. 

Ken 
Old Bridge, NJ

Zone 6b



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