OT: Costco Connection Magazine - Bees in peril

[Stormin' Norman]

The Costco Connection magazine arrived in the mail yesterday. The cover story is about honey bees and their plight.

For anyone interested, here is a link.

[hubops]

Costco Connection online Canadian version - link below -

no mention of honey bees in the index.

John T.

[Terry Coombs]

The article is only half scare-tactic-bullshit . Yes , there are problems . No , honeybees (apis mellifera mellifera) are not in danger of extinction . The big problem with the almond pollinators is that hives come from all over the country . They then share everything , including varroa mites , nosema , and other diseases and pests . Which they then take home with them . Thankfully , there are only a couple of beekeepers in this area that take their hives to other places to pollinate . Even better , they live too far away to share with my apiary . My bees are bred for varroa resistance , I use NOTHING in my hives that the bees don't put there . From one colony purchased in 2013 I now have 7 , and could have more if I hadn't concentrated on honey production last year . This year I had the resources to make 3 new colonies and still harvest honey for sale . Next year , who knows !

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Snag

[Stormin' Norman]

What is your point?

[redzap78]

He knows more about bees than you do.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Right, but did you try the link above? Page 36 about bees.

[Stormin' Norman]

One of our neighbors has between 100 - 150 bee hives and has been shipping his hives off to growers of different crops for many years. I will ask his opinion of the article.

Every couple of years we end up with a large group or two of bees hanging in our avocado trees or from the outside of the barn. I give him a call and he comes over and does his thing to gather them and take them home. He never wears any kind of bee protection, he talks to them like a bee whisperer, it is very impressive.

[hubops]

Well - thanks for asking - I thought it was obvious - USA Costco Connection is fake news ... whereas .. Canuck Costco Connection is all lightnes and good . ps : there are no killer bees in Canada - Canadian snipers pick them off at the Mexico border. John T.

[Stormin' Norman]

I see you Canadians continue to distill powerful whiskey........