Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => REPRINT ARTICLE ARCHIVES => Topic started by: Understudy on February 20, 2007, 04:08:47 am

Title: CCD meeting
Post by: Understudy on February 20, 2007, 04:08:47 am
Okay, a little more information on CCD and a small rant from me.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/business/content/business/epaper/2007/02/20/a12b_bees_0220.html (http://www.palmbeachpost.com/business/content/business/epaper/2007/02/20/a12b_bees_0220.html)


The meeting basically said they are still guessing.

engage rant mode
I sent an email to Jerry Hayes at the beginning of Feburary asking for information about this meeting.
......
Also if Dennis is going to do that lecture on Colony Collapse disorder
in Stuart and you have more information on it. Please let me know.


Sincerely,
Brendhan


I find myself really ticked that one of the biggest meetings on CCD takes place in my backyard and I received squat about it. Outside of being a beekeeper, I am also vice president of the Palm Beach County Beekeepers association. We are part of the cooperative extension of the University of Florida and the State of Florida Beekeepers association. Out of the $20 a year we charge for members they get $15. Maybe they can't afford the email. I have been reading more than I care to on CCD and research and I had some questions I would have liked to ask. At my next meeting I am going to question why we are listed as cooperative if there is no cooperation. I find this very disappointing. I have sent out a letter on the PBCbeekeepers mailing list asking the same thing. I am not going to make a lot of friends this way. But then again I think this information on this issue is important and I don't do politics well.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

Title: Re: CCD meeting
Post by: Understudy on February 20, 2007, 07:07:07 pm
I received a response from Jerry but I still feel we got thrown under the bus.

Brendhan. This meeting was organized by the Foundation fo the Preservation of Honey Bees a non-profit arm of the ABF. It was by invitation. Sorry you missed it but it was not an open meeting as such.  Take Care.   Jerry

Meanwhile who did they invite to the meeting scientists and beekeepers. I understand it not being an open meeting but at least let the PBCbeekepers send a rep.

I am still rather ticked about this.

Sincerely,
Brendhan
Title: Re: CCD meeting
Post by: buzzbee on February 20, 2007, 09:55:04 pm
Brendan,
It's too bad they forget about the members who pay the dues.Sometimes the hierarchy forgets who pays  the way many times and don't understand why the membership gets mad. I hope they have the decency to forward any info divulged at the meeting.
Keep the heat on!! :evil:
Title: Re: CCD meeting
Post by: Kirk-o on February 20, 2007, 10:49:07 pm
Hey Understudy
I've noticed experts don't really what everyone to understand. if everyone understood some of this stuff we wouldn't need experts.What do you think the Chemical companies would do if the experts discovered that all the chemicals ,miteicides,anti-biotics ,medicines,and artifical feeds that were being given to the honey be was bad.

a-Hide the facts
b-Alter the facts
C-Come up with another chemical
D-blame it on the wild bees
E-Or have another study

We are lucky that Ed and Dee Lusby just observed the obvious Same goes for Charles Martin Simmon and Michael Bush

The survival of the Honey Bee just might depend on people like you and me and the Individuals I just mentioned if we depend on the ABF or alike organizations were DOOMED
kirk-o
Title: Re: CCD meeting
Post by: Understudy on February 20, 2007, 11:12:29 pm
I don't think they want to hide or alter the facts here. The reason I am ticked is because I asked for information on this meeting and received none. If I had been told it was invitation only, I would have followed proper channels to get an invitation. I don't think they want to bury this. What I think is that they don't have any real answers yet. I understand that. However I would like to know what studies they are doing. How many real cases they have discovered. Are there any studies involving feral bees. How does this compare to older diseases such as burnsides. And many more. Some of these questions may be highly relevant some may not be. But what I want to do with this is learn to ask better questions. Because I understand they don't have answers yet. But I couldn't even ask the questions.

I do not believe that they want to cover up the issue with CCD because it is a serious issue. The industry is in enough trouble without trying to bury this. The way to get answers is to gather as much information as possible.


Sincerely,
Brendhan
Title: Re: CCD meeting
Post by: jfischer on February 26, 2007, 02:24:08 pm
I don't think it is fair to expect either an invitation to a meeting of that sort
or a prompt copy of the "minutes" of that meeting when one is not working
on the problem.  They want to exchange information between those working
on the problem, not spend hours answering hundreds of beekeeper questions
with "we don't know yet".

How many times would you like them to say "we don't know yet"?
How many different ways?

They have done a decent job of getting the word out through the MAAREC
website, what with reports, podcasts, and such.  There are also posts on
Bee-L ( http://listserv.albany.edu:8080/archives/bee-l.html (http://listserv.albany.edu:8080/archives/bee-l.html) ),
mostly from Jerry B, and still merely listing what they have ruled out
so far.

I think that the cynicism and suspicion voiced in this very thread is yet
another good reason why the meeting was not open to all and
sundry.  These guys had no budget to do this work, they are stealing both
time and money from other projects to work on this, and the travel budget
alone is going to put them in hot water with their masters.  The last thing
they need right now is paranoia from beekeepers of the sort expressed in
some of the posts above.

Don't bite the hands that will hand you the answer to the problem, OK?





Title: Re: CCD meeting
Post by: Jerrymac on February 26, 2007, 06:51:47 pm
So can you answer my question? Has anyone tested any of the hives or is it just bees they are looking at?
Title: Re: CCD meeting
Post by: Understudy on February 26, 2007, 07:57:26 pm
I don't think it is fair to expect either an invitation to a meeting of that sort
or a prompt copy of the "minutes" of that meeting when one is not working
on the problem.  They want to exchange information between those working
on the problem, not spend hours answering hundreds of beekeeper questions
with "we don't know yet".

How many times would you like them to say "we don't know yet"?
How many different ways?
You have no idea as to what questions I wanted to ask. And whenI did finally speak to Troy. None of my questions ended up wth I don't know yet. the unfortunate aspect of the questions I asked is despite pouring over a bunch of reports, preliminary studies and a mountain of FUD from the normal media.

Quote
They have done a decent job of getting the word out through the MAAREC
website, what with reports, podcasts, and such.  There are also posts on
Bee-L ( http://listserv.albany.edu:8080/archives/bee-l.html (http://listserv.albany.edu:8080/archives/bee-l.html) ),
mostly from Jerry B, and still merely listing what they have ruled out
so far.
I agree MAAREC has done a great job. And I understand how much pressure they are under right now. I had no idea that Jerry B was at the meetings or posting anything about it. That information is very helpful. Thank You.

Quote
I think that the cynicism and suspicion voiced in this very thread is yet
another good reason why the meeting was not open to all and
sundry.  These guys had no budget to do this work, they are stealing both
time and money from other projects to work on this, and the travel budget
alone is going to put them in hot water with their masters.  The last thing
they need right now is paranoia from beekeepers of the sort expressed in
some of the posts above.

Don't bite the hands that will hand you the answer to the problem, OK?
I understand very well why the meeting was not open. The problem I had when I requested information on the meeting over a month before hand. From the proper channels I am suppose to go through to get answers and didn't get any. Do not misintruppret my frustration with "cynicism and suspicion." I do not intend to bite the hand that feeds me. But I will bite the one that takes my money and doesn't feed me. My frustration with the Uof F and the Florida State beekeepers is a bigger issue than this. This was just a straw that broke the camels back.

First and foremost let me clarify if something has been misunderstood. I am grateful for Troy and his efforts to get the conference going. I understand very well that there were going to be no answers at this meeting. However the oppurtunity to have the main players in one room and ask some of the questions that I have been asked and some I have from reading all the research was a golden oppurtunity. I would have gladly given the questions to Mark McCoy, Jerry Hayes, or a representative if I had been given information on the meeting explaining dates and that it was invitation only. The ABF and Troy again did a great job. I am grateful that they managed to pull off what they did.

Also let me again thank you for the links on Jerry B information I am going to read through those.

I am not old and bitter. I am well aged and skeptical.

Sincerely,
Brendhan