[Pollinator] FW: access to the listserve; honey bees on conservation land

[Sunny Boyd]

>From Daniel Weaver.

 


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Daniel Weaver <dbeeweaver at gmail.com>
To: Pollinator at lists.sonic.net
Cc: Zac Browning <z_browning at msn.com>
Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2012 20:45:39 -0500
Subject: access to the listserve; honey bees on conservation land
Hello All,

 

   Though I'm not sure this reply will post to the list, if it reaches
someone of authority with the means to allow me privileges to post I would
appreciate the favor of doing so - just provide appropriate instructions.
If this does post automatically, then I apologize for the diversion.

    I'll assume as a given that honey bees (Apis mellifera) are avid,
super-generalist pollinators of an amazing variety of plants, whether
native, merely introduced or invasive. Thus they may promote propagation of
a huge number of species, and will undoubtedly compete for nectar and pollen
resources.  Less certain is whether this competition will negatively impact
native pollinators in any particular time, place or environmental condition,
much less native pollinators generally.

    I will concede that ecosystems most likely to be affected by honey bee
populations will be those where honey bee populations are at the most
extreme in terms of density.  By the same token, the seasonal occurrence of
large concentrations of honey bees - in the central valley of California for
Almond pollination being one example - happen much earlier than most native
pollinators emerge or certainly before their populations reach peak levels.

 

    First, I think it important to discriminate among land tracts and the
purposes for which they are administered.  True "Wilderness areas" don't
merit managed honey bee populations and beekeeper traffice (though how are
you going to exclude feral colonies?) any more than they should be used for
any other intrusive activity.  But I do think that honey bees have a much
less negative impact on native habitat than grazing mammals, so if you can
graze or hay the land, then honey bees should be a no-brainer. 

    Second, many large tracts that are managed to promote conservation of
various biological features have long been occupied and used by beekeepers
and in some cases have been natural habitat for introduced honey bees even
longer.  The later category of land includes conservation reserve program
land, blm land, forested land and incidental tracts managed for reasons
other than merely preservation and conservation of endangered species or
native habitat alone.  

    In other words, if you want to keep honey bees off of wilderness areas
I'm sympathetic (but what about those pesky feral colonies that have been
part of the ecosystem for 300?? years).  On the other hand if you want to
propose excluding honey bees from any land tract that has any conservation
goal as an administrative or management aim, then I think you're ignoring
reality, and attempting to demonize the only agricultural industry that is
truly invested in (and will survive if and only if) we as a nation do more
to protect and preserve natural environments.  If you want political allies
to help preserve more land, and develop, ruin and plunder the environment
less, then we're the best you're likely to find.

     It we can't preserve the natural and mutually dependent alliance
between beekeepers and native pollinator enthusiasts, find some common
ground, and work on preserving more natural habitat for both honey bees and
native pollinators then were all well and truly ....... add your favorite
apocalyptic phrase here.

     

Cheers,

Dan Weaver

    


 

-- 

Daniel Weaver



Genformatic, LLC
6301 Highland Hills Drive

Austin, TX  78731

Direct: 512 565 4693 <tel:512%20565%204693> 

 <http://www.genformatic.com/> www.genformatic.com

 

 





 

-- 

Daniel Weaver



Genformatic, LLC
6301 Highland Hills Drive

Austin, TX  78731

Direct: 512 565 4693

 <http://www.genformatic.com/> www.genformatic.com

 

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