Post by AnimalAvenger on Sept 4, 2009 1:47:29 GMT -5
Do you think it's alright to eat honey? If so, read this:
www.vrg.org/journal/vj96nov/bee.htm
A tiny bit of what that page says:
www.vrg.org/journal/vj96nov/bee.htm
A tiny bit of what that page says:
Treatment of the Hive
Beekeepers burn a hive when the bees are infected with American Foulbrood, a fatal and highly contagious bacterial disease in bees. No known treatment eliminates this bacteria, which easily transfers from one hive to the next through either honey or equipment contamination.(4) Burning the infected hive may prevent the spread of the disease.
Recently, the practice of fumigation has become available in a few states. This method eliminates the need to burn the hive, as the infected bees are poisoned with calcium cyanide. Beekeepers may also purposely kill bees when an overly aggressive colony could be harmful to the public. Introducing a gentle queen to the colony is a more typical way to deal with this situation.(4)
Beekeepers use smoke puffs to reduce their chances of being stung when opening the colony. A puff of smoke is applied for about 30 seconds to mask an alarm pheromone which the bees normally spread throughout the colony when they are disturbed.
Large-scale beekeepers are more likely to use caustic chemicals to repel bees when removing honey from the hive. The chemicals are sprinkled on acid boards and do not directly contact the bees. These fumes drive the bees away from the honey. A convenient, non-chemical alternative to both smoke and chemicals is the bee escape, a one-way exit trap, in which bees are separated from the part of the man-made hives containing honey. The bee blower, similar to a modified leaf blower, is another popular method of quickly removing the bees.(5)
Beekeepers obtain bees from either catching stray swarms, taking bees from a tree, buying an established colony, or purchasing packaged bees. Entire colonies or single queens may be bought. Packaged queen bees can be selectively bred for characteristics such as honey production, color, size, pollination ability, and gentleness. Genetic engineering has not been done on bees.
Beekeepers burn a hive when the bees are infected with American Foulbrood, a fatal and highly contagious bacterial disease in bees. No known treatment eliminates this bacteria, which easily transfers from one hive to the next through either honey or equipment contamination.(4) Burning the infected hive may prevent the spread of the disease.
Recently, the practice of fumigation has become available in a few states. This method eliminates the need to burn the hive, as the infected bees are poisoned with calcium cyanide. Beekeepers may also purposely kill bees when an overly aggressive colony could be harmful to the public. Introducing a gentle queen to the colony is a more typical way to deal with this situation.(4)
Beekeepers use smoke puffs to reduce their chances of being stung when opening the colony. A puff of smoke is applied for about 30 seconds to mask an alarm pheromone which the bees normally spread throughout the colony when they are disturbed.
Large-scale beekeepers are more likely to use caustic chemicals to repel bees when removing honey from the hive. The chemicals are sprinkled on acid boards and do not directly contact the bees. These fumes drive the bees away from the honey. A convenient, non-chemical alternative to both smoke and chemicals is the bee escape, a one-way exit trap, in which bees are separated from the part of the man-made hives containing honey. The bee blower, similar to a modified leaf blower, is another popular method of quickly removing the bees.(5)
Beekeepers obtain bees from either catching stray swarms, taking bees from a tree, buying an established colony, or purchasing packaged bees. Entire colonies or single queens may be bought. Packaged queen bees can be selectively bred for characteristics such as honey production, color, size, pollination ability, and gentleness. Genetic engineering has not been done on bees.