Orcadian pesticide discussions

[Stromnessbees]

This discussion started here and was moved to this area the following morning.

Winter bees are not raised on maize pollen. Maize produces pollen late July or early august and there is an abundance of other pollens available at those times.

Excuse me please, Jon, when it comes to bees I am a good observer.

I watched my bees and their pollen supply carefully, and there was very little else about where I lived during the flowering period of maize.

And the bees did very well on it, high protein content isn't everything it seems.

Doris you are determined to blame pesticides for bee problems at asll costs irrespective of easily available evidence. Bad science. Wooly thinking.

No, I am determined to find the reason for these colony losses, I promised my Austrian friend who lost all his colonies to look into it.

Bad science? I haven't quoted any science yet. I am trying to observe and to listen to as many beekeepers as possible and to use common sense.

If lots of beekeepers tell me it's the pesticides then I will not just dismiss it.

[Jon]

During the pollen producing period of maize, which as a wind pollinated plant is a minor source for the honeybee, we also have pollen from blackberry, himalayan balsam, rosebay willowherb, the tail end of the white clover, ling heather ie all major sources of pollen. There are also many other lesser sources available such as birds foot trefoil and then of course the ivy in the autumn. The idea that maize is a principal source of pollen for bees is incorrect. It might happen in the mid west of the US where there is basically nothing else.

If lots of beekeepers tell me it's the pesticides then I will not just dismiss it.

If they provide real evidence rather than anecdotal evidence, fine.

[Neils]

I'm well versed in the notion that not agreeing with the neonicotinoid ban makes you in the employ of Bayer (can I work for Monsanto though they've got extra, extra evil!), but I'm somewhat at a loss to understand the link between capybaras and pesticides, less so the link to rafael nadal.

Maybe I should add shill services to the company website, give myself a stern talking to and revoke this years bonus.

[Jon]

Monsanto give you a jetpack and an invisibility cloak when you point out 100 of borderbeeman's factual inexactitudes.

but I'm somewhat at a loss to understand the link between capybaras and pesticides, less so the link to rafael nadal.

You like otters. I like capybaras. We have to keep our waterways clean.

[Jon]

This is becoming surreal. Doris has cut and pasted every post on this thread onto the US bee forum Beesource claiming some kind of a massive conspiracy theory. Anyone interested in going round in circles for ever, fell free to click this link.

[Neils]

Do I need to make a tin foil hat first?

I know not blindly accepting Neonics need banning makes you an employee of Bayer (they could at least have the decency to pay me money if I'm apparently their spokesman) but this is somewhat surreal.

[Jon]

Do I need to make a tin foil hat first?

Better safe than sorry. There are a lot of dangerous chemicals out there which are deflected by tinfoil.

[lindsay s]

Hello
Apart from an occasional look it’s been a few months since I was last active on this forum. Last Friday, when I decided to catch up, I soon found that Doris had caused the **** to hit the fan! This is one argument I wish to stay out of but I do think it’s wrong to use the term Orcadian. Doris isn’t a native of Orkney and neither does she speak for all of Orkney’s beekeepers.
Signed by an embarrassed Orkney beekeeper.

[gavin]

Sorry about that Lindsay - I should have thought a little longer about the title of the thread. There is quite a community of well-mannered beekeepers in Orkney and you can reach their discussion group by appropriate clicking in the 'Local Associations' area.