Country File / Neonicotinoids

Hi all
I’ve been off this forum for a few months so I’ve a lot of catching up to do.
Country File on BBC1 tonight reported on neonicotinoids. I thought it was pretty balanced, anyone got any comments.

There was also some very balanced stuff on Gardeners' Question Time this afternoon. In particular, when asked if folk should start getting bees, the London chappie said, 'definitely not' and went on to explain that there were so many colonies in the area there might not be sufficient forage so it could do more harm than good.

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Originally Posted by lindsay s

I’ve been off this forum for a few months so I’ve a lot of catching up to do.

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Nice to see you back Lindsay. The main news: Doris was banned. John L was banned, made three additional attempts to come back on and 'correct' us on certain issues, and was removed each time. Apart from that, we're talking about beekeeping and related blether again.

I thought I'd watched Countryfile but managed to miss the neonics thing. Or maybe my brain just shut down when they started on it.

This from their website isn't so promising, but then again just about any spokesperson is telling us the bees are (still) dying so it must be true.

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Originally Posted by BBC Countryfile

Also on the programme, Britain's bees are disappearing fast and in the last few years a pesticide, vital to many farmers, has been getting the blame. Now Europe wants it banned. Tom Heap investigates if this is a sensible scientific move.

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It isn't up yet on iPlayer so that mental gap will persist for now.

Hello Gavin
I met Doris at our association meeting last Wednesday and she told me she had been banned. She also brought along Graham White who gave us his point view on the pesticide debate. He also talked to the local Field Club later in the week.

Spot the odd one out:

Roger Patterson
Rosemary Mason
Graham White

Orkney sounds to be an interesting place.

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No, got me. Any clues?

You could easily find a reason for any of them being the odd one out, but in my mind when I wrote that was the progression from a predominant interest in beekeeping to one focussed on campaigning, and campaigning not based in beekeeping reality at that.

Anyway, Doris appears to have passed the secretaryship of the Orkney beekeepers to someone else, and that is good for the health of the association I believe.

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Originally Posted by gavin

You could easily find a reason for any of them being the odd one out

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...or not.

can't say I'd personally be rushing to learn beekeeping from any of them to be honest.

edit: mind, I could say the same for a lot of the internet bee gurus whether they're on the pesticide trail or not.