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<DIV>Forwarded by Hilda Diaz-Soltero/WO/USDAFS on 06/06/2008 12:24
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To <BR> 06/05/2008
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Subject <BR>
From Greenwire -- BEES: Beekeepers <BR>
hope to rebuild hives
destroyed by <BR>
colony collapse disorder
<BR>
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<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>This
Greenwire story was sent to you by: hdiazsoltero@fs.fed.us<BR><BR><BR>Personal
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<BR>(Embedded image moved to file:
pic28624.jpg)Greenwire
<BR>
An E&E
Publishing Service <BR>BEES: Beekeepers hope to rebuild hives destroyed by
colony <BR>collapse disorder (Monday,
June 2, 2008)
<BR>After colony collapse disorder decimated hives
during the past two <BR>summers, beekeepers are hoping to stage a rebound this
year. <BR>Some are raising queen bees to sell to other
keepers, who will try <BR>to use them to replace destroyed homes. Among them is
Clint <BR>Walker, a Texas beekeeper who was hurt by
colony collapse disorder <BR>in 2006. "I can't raise enough queens; I turn down
orders every <BR>day," he said.
<BR>The causes of the disorder remain mysterious. "We don't have one
<BR>thing we can point to; we're looking at a lot of combinations,"
<BR>said Jeff Pettis, a researcher for the U.S. Department of
<BR>Agriculture. "It's a combination of some primary stress
on the <BR>colony that could include low-level pesticide
exposure, poor <BR>nutrition, Varroa mites -- or
something else -- that allow <BR>visitors to
take advantage of a weakened host. Then we're seeing a <BR>secondary invader
actually kill the colony."
<BR>While Texas beekeeping is recovering from
epidemics in 2006 and <BR>2007, the problem is spreading
nationally.
<BR>"Any beekeeper that tells you they've got the situation
figured <BR>out, they're lying to you. When you can't keep a hive
healthy, <BR>you've got problems," Walker said. "Everyone in
the industry -- <BR>we're all wringing our hands -- because the
researchers can't <BR>definitely give us an answer as to
what's causing the problem." <BR>Many keepers carry their colonies
from one field to the next over <BR>the course of the season. This year,
Walker declined to do so, <BR>hoping the time off would
expedite their recovery.
<BR>Bees play an important role in pollinating crops, adding
an <BR>estimated $15 billion in value to nut, fruit
and vegetable <BR>production (Bill Hanna,
Contra Costa Times, May 31). -- PR <BR>Want to
read more stories like this?
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<BR>About Greenwire
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Greenwire publishes daily <BR>at
Noon. <BR>
<BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 face="Gill Sans MT" size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10">Laurie Davies Adams<BR>Executive Director<BR><B>Pollinator
Partnership </B><BR>423 Washington Street, 5th floor<BR>San Francisco, CA
94111<BR>415-362-1137</FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"><BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0 face="Gill Sans MT"
color=#0000ff size=4 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="14"><B><A
href="http://www.pollinator.org/">www.pollinator.org</A></B></FONT><FONT lang=0
face="Gill Sans MT" color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"></B><BR><A
href="http://www.nappc.org/">www.nappc.org</A><BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0
face="Gill Sans MT" color=#000000 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="12"><B><I>National Pollinator Week is June 22-28, 2008. <BR>Beecome
involved at <A
href="http://www.pollinator.org/">www.pollinator.org</A></I></FONT></B></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">Get trade secrets for amazing burgers. <A title="http://food.aol.com/tyler-florence?video=4?&NCID=aolfod00030000000002" href="http://food.aol.com/tyler-florence?video=4?&NCID=aolfod00030000000002" target="_blank">Watch "Cooking with Tyler Florence" on AOL Food</A>.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>