<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2995" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial" text=#000000 bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><SPAN class=storyheading3><STRONG>Calif. beekeepers fear no-fly
zones</STRONG></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=storyheading3></SPAN><SPAN class=author>By JACOB ADELMAN
Associated Press Writer <BR></SPAN>© 2006 The Associated Press </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>
<DIV><FONT size=2>From Houston Chronicle; </FONT><FONT
size=2>12/6/06</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Full article at: <A
href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/business/4382542.html">http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/business/4382542.html</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>VISALIA, Calif. — In this patchwork of fruit and nut fields in California's
citrus belt, honey and oranges don't mix anymore.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Growers of clementines and other seedless oranges gaining popularity among
consumers say cross-pollination by bees is creating unwanted seeds in their
crops. They want to establish no-fly zones to end the apian invasions.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>But beekeepers aren't buzzing off. For decades, their bees were tolerated
in the sprawling orchards as they turned orange blossom nectar into dependable
honey crops. The beekeepers fear no-fly zones _ established by keeping hives
miles from orchards _ could put them out of business.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>"Half of my honey income is what I make in the oranges," David Bradshaw,
50, said at the honey-processing operation started by his father, Howard
Bradshaw, in the early 1970s. A couple miles away are newly planted clementine
orchards.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The conflict comes as growers try to cash in on the growing national hunger
for the convenience of seedless produce, and beekeepers struggle to recover from
years of erratic production caused by bad weather and mite-infested hives.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Watching nervously from the sidelines are growers of other crops who need
healthy bees to pollinate their plants.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>On Dec. 12, Central Valley beekeepers will meet with the trade group
California Citrus Mutual to hear the organization's proposal for bee-free
areas.</DIV></BODY></HTML>
<BR>
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1561" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial" text=#000000 bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT
size=1>______________________________________________________</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><STRONG>The Xerces Society for Invertebrate
Conservation</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=1>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=1>The Xerces Society is an international
nonprofit organization that </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=1>protects the diversity of life through
invertebrate conservation. </FONT></FONT><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=1>To
</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=1>join the Society, make a </FONT></FONT><FONT
size=1>contribution</FONT><FONT size=1>, </FONT><FONT size=1>or read about our
work, </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=1>please visit </FONT><FONT size=1><A
href="http://www.xerces.org/">www.xerces.org</A>.</FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=1></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=1>Matthew Shepherd</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=1>Director, Pollinator Conservation Program</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=1>4828 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland, OR 97215,
USA</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=1>Tel: 503-232 6639 Fax: 503-233 6794</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=1>Email: </FONT><A href="mailto:mdshepherd@xerces.org"><FONT
size=1>mdshepherd@xerces.org</FONT></A><FONT size=1> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><FONT
size=1>______________________________________________________</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=1></FONT> </DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>