NEEPS

Diana · Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 9:50 am Post subject:

I was at my local Beekeeping Association meeting last night and we had a guy over from the S.A.C in Auchincruive. Th talk was about Verroa and associated disease. Very interesting and goes some way to explaining major loss of bees that's been seen in the states and other places in recent years.

He wasn't pushing any particular product and was quite happy to discuss ALL the options - including those not yet licensed in the UK but frequently used due to Verroa's increased resistance to the most common treatment.

Interestingly, his "answer" if you like, was a combination of the more natural husbandry (mesh floors, good hygiene and "organic" acids like oxalic) alongside the branded treatments (if necessary) on rotation - i.e. don't use the same one 2 years running and they're less likely to become resistant.
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Martin · Neepster Joined: 16 Sep 2007 Posts: 675

I too was very pleasantly surprised by the bee inspector, considering he was a ministry man, he was actually highly scathing of the chemical treatments for Varroa made by the likes of Bayer. If your local association is affiliated to BBKA, it is probably unwittingly helping support Bayer - from what I can gather, many members of excellent small local associations don't have a clue what goes on in their name at "head office", I only found out by trying to learn more on the net

I came across this in my travels http://www.bayer-kills-bees.com/
-and this too http://vimeo.com/1158245
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Diana · Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:21 am Post subject:

Thanks for the info Martin.

Beekeeping is one of the few situations where the majority are hobbyists affiliated to the association, which in many ways is good (diversity, ideas, locations, help, GOOD advice etc), but as "amateurs", don't necessarily have any interest in the power behind the throne.
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Martin · Neepster Joined: 16 Sep 2007 Posts: 675

To be honest, it put me in a bit of a dilemma - I feel very strongly about the damage being done by agrochemicals anyway, and felt that I really couldn't continue with the excellent local association as I wasn't prepared to lend my support to something so blatantly wrong, but having chatted to several people have decided there's no point "chucking the baby out with the bathwater", but will do my utmost to make people aware of what's going on, and try to exert pressure from within to make them clean up their act!

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