Large scale imports of bees into Scotland
That's called trolling DR! And at this time of year they're unlikely to have the time to defend themselves. Maybe I should.
1. Significant UK honey sales of traditional Scottish product, esp heather honey. What, 100 tons? 200 in a semi-decent year? Wild guess. Might be way out.
2. Previous significant export market for quality product, eg heather honey to Germany. Need better summers and in some cases better beekeeping to make it happen.
3. Some types of sale contribute to the tourist experience. Another important Scottish earner.
4. Pollination services to soft fruit growers. Also wild plants.
5. Employment extends to retail, packing and the like. Not all direct beekeeping employees are from outside Scotland. Some of the East Europeans are permanent residents and those I've met are lovely folk. I greatly welcome their presence and I'm sure most people do.
6. There is potential for expansion, for quality schemes, for pressure to shift away from the less sustainable approaches to the more, essentially to shift commercial beekeeping more towards an industry that Scotland can be proud of.
7. Potential to blur the boundaries between large-scale and craft-scale. Upgrading and sharing extraction facilities, discounted consumables.
8. What about a (near-native, selected, productive, gentle) queen raising industry in collaboration with or run by commercial beekeepers.
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