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Thread: Co-op Imports New Zealand Bees

  1. #21
    Senior Member Jon's Avatar
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    Hi J
    It sound like you are trying to get a grant from some Government business orientated body which does not understand the unique position you are in with regard to potentially being a supplier of pure native bees on a remote island site free from the possibility of cross matings. There is potentially a huge market there. I would try the co-op or some of the organizations which have current programmes to support beekeeping. Gavin recent got a large grant to establish an apiary in the east of Scotland and that included the purchase of bees and equipment.

    Have you sampled any of your colonies using wing morphometry? Kate Thompson would very keen to get a sample of your bees as she is mapping AMM over the uk and Ireland and comparing bee wings to DNA markers unique to AMM.

    I would not give up on the idea of a grant.

  2. #22

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    Here a link to the topic from the Beekeepers Forum linking to Biobees for an interview with Murray Mcgregor on the project, the importation of bees from NZ, the type of bee, health checks, and reasons for doing so
    http://biobees.libsyn.com/interview-...rray-mc-gregor

  3. #23

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    >I think some of the SBAi regulars may have contributed already. For my part it seems out of kilter with the aims of the SBA/BIBBA to be >introducing imported queens en-masse.

    >Should we not be pushing for local breeding initiatives which are linked to a national programme?

    Is it not ironic that the Co-op gives money to BIBBA to preserve native bees, then destroys that work by paying for imported NZ Italians?

    I personally will never shop at the Co-op again.

    Best wishes

    Peter
    Peter Edwards

  4. #24
    Senior Member Jon's Avatar
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    There was a thread about 1000 posts long on beekeeping forum at the time relating to the ethics of the co-op importing hundreds of Carnica colonies from NZ. Another factor is that the main site they were located on is only about 10 miles away from where Ron Hoskins was working to breed local bees which were able to deal with varroa mites. Stirring up the gene pool like that must have wrecked anything he was trying to achieve.

  5. #25

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    When I am in England, I never shop at the Co-op. I was outraged by their ill advised and ill informed support for a ban on fox hunting. They have no interest in supporting the English way of life or indeed of supporting anything English.
    Their meat pies and burgers definitely do not contain horsemeat, because the said meat pies and burgers do not contain any meat .
    Last edited by Dark Bee; 01-04-2013 at 11:22 AM.

  6. #26
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    I have heard whispers that moves are afoot to gain funding this spring for importing packages on a massive scale to restock winter losses.
    Seems a shame when there seems a will to help the bee situation generally that the paths chosen are the quick fix, arguably causing more long term problems, rather than the harder but potentially more rewarding path :
    >Should we not be pushing for local breeding initiatives which are linked to a national programme?

  7. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dark Bee View Post
    When I am in England, I never shop at the Co-op. I was outraged by their ill advised and ill informed ban on fox hunting. They have no interest in supporting the English way of life or indeed of supporting anything English.
    Their meat pies and burgers definitely do not contain horsemeat, because the said meat pies and burgers do not contain any meat .
    Despite its failings, the Co-op is much better than the other big choices in terms of their commitment to the environment, sustainability and fair trade. Doesnt say much I know, but for me they should be the last on the list of the big supermarket chains to boycott.

  8. #28
    Senior Member Jon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mbc View Post
    Despite its failings, the Co-op is much better than the other big choices in terms of their commitment to the environment, sustainability and fair trade. Doesnt say much I know, but for me they should be the last on the list of the big supermarket chains to boycott.
    I agree with you MBC and we do our weekly shop at the Coop, but they are all over the place with regard to the native bee issue as funding imports of a different sub species is just about the most unhelpful thing they could possibly do for those of us interested in breeding native bees.

  9. #29
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    I think their "Plan bee" is about as good as it gets for a big corporation to support native pollinators from laypeople, and as to the misguided importation, they were led by the best advice available to them by Murray Mcgregor, who, fair play to him, made a very convincing argument as to the reasoning behind the imports - on that thread you mentioned on the beekeepingforum when he came on with the amusing username of "Into the lions den". We may not agree with what went on, but his reasoning made a very strong defence of why they went about it that way.

  10. #30
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    I suspect that native UK queen breeders are likely to have fewer queens to sell and much later than normal - due to the weather.

    I also suspect demand for new queens is going to be high.

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