Don Fraser, VP of Alamo Area Beekeepers Association, presents statistics on the importance of pollinators to our human food supply, and steps we can take to ensure health for all.
Call Girls Jejuri Call Me 7737669865 Budget Friendly No Advance Booking
ย
Beekeeping Advocacy
1. Beekeeping Advocacy
Think Science - TPR
Don Fraser, VP Alamo Area Beekeepers Association
texmanbees@gmail.com
www.texmanbees.wordpress.com
Copyright - All Rights Reserved- Dr Don Fraser (2018)
2. Topics
โข Why Are Pollinators Important?
โข Points of View and Practices & Trends
โข Commercial Beekeepers
โข Consumers
โข Hobbyist Beekeeper
โข Generational Changes โ Beekeeping
โข Fuzzy Nation
โข Top 10 โ Things We Can Do to Help
โข Question & Answers
Copyright - All Rights Reserved- Dr Don Fraser (2018)
3. This Is What Your (Whole Foods) Grocery
Store Looks Like Without Bees
โข Bees, beetles, butterflies and their pollinating brethren are
essential in the production of our food supply
โข In 2013 Whole Foods Market removed all of the fruits and
vegetables dependent on pollinators from its produce section to
create a striking visual of what oursupermarkets would look like
without pollinators Share The Buzz campaign. The store ditched
237 items (52 percent) of the normal product mix
Copyright - All Rights Reserved- Dr Don Fraser (2018)
4. This Is What Your (Whole Foods) Grocery Store
Looks Like With Bees
Copyright - All Rights Reserved- Dr Don Fraser (2018)
5. This Is What Your (Whole Foods) Grocery
Store Looks Like Without Bees
Copyright - All Rights Reserved- Dr Don Fraser (2018)
6. This Is What Your (Whole Foods) Grocery
Store Looks Like With Bees
Copyright - All Rights Reserved- Dr Don Fraser (2018)
7. This Is What Your (Whole Foods) Grocery
Store Looks Like Without Bees
Copyright - All Rights Reserved- Dr Don Fraser (2018)
8. Fact Check
โข If the problem persists, our food supply could be in serious
jeopardy. Bees, both the native and non-native, pollinate seventy
out of the top 100 human food crops, which supply nearly 90
percent of the worldโs meals. In fact, the Apis mellifera (aka the
Western honeybee) is responsible for 1 in every 3 mouthfuls we
eat (Huffington Post 2017)
โข List of crop plants pollinated by bees (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_crop_plants_pollinated_by_
bees
Copyright - All Rights Reserved- Dr Don Fraser (2018)
9. Point of View: Commercial Beekeepers
โข Challenges:
โข Keeping bees alive โ Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)
โข Impact of varroa mites, tracheal mites, hive beetles, viruses, fire ants,
wax moths, crazy ants
โข Pollination โ exposure to chemicals (insecticides and herbicides) and
mono-culture crops
โข Commercial โ foreign competition; adulterated honey
โข Cost of Production โ input costs โ food, medicines, equipment,
transport, theft
โข Quality of bees โ e.g. queen viability
โข Politics โ incidental exposure to insecticides
Copyright - All Rights Reserved- Dr Don Fraser (2018)
10. Point of View: Consumers
โข Current Trend (general):
โข Consumer Desire โ year round access to ANY food
โข Organic e.g. pasture-raised, free-range, chemical free _______
โข Gluten Free _______
โข Cost Sensitive โ Cost/Quality โ Health (Genes/Epigenetics)
โข Life Skills โ Going Back in Time
โข Social Media โ Advantage: speed; public input and reach; Disadvantage โ
variability in quality of content
โข Organic? USDA proposes changes to โNational Listโ for organic
producers. Food Safety News. January 19, 2018
Copyright - All Rights Reserved- Dr Don Fraser (2018)
11. Point of View: Newbie/Hobbyist Beekeeper
โข Positives
โข Consumer Support โ buy โLocalโ
โข Texas โ โSpecial Valuation for Beekeepingโ โ think โAg Exemptโ
(2012)
โข Honey Exemption โ TX Senate Bill 1766 (2015)
โข Back to Nature โ pollination for backyard fruit trees, gardens
โข Educational Resources: books, internet, local bee clubs and experts
โข Bee Suppliers and Vendors โ quality and competition
โข Culture Change: Focus on protecting and preserving bees โ
recognition of the benefits (consumers and political)
โข Educational Resources: books, internet, local bee clubs and experts
Copyright - All Rights Reserved- Dr Don Fraser (2018)
12. โ
โ
Personal Beekeeping Philosophy. A lot of decisions
on equipment or methods, depend on your
personal philosophy of life and your personal
philosophy of beekeeping.Some people have more
faith in Nature or the Creator to work things out.
Some are more interested in keeping their bees
healthy with chemicals and treatments ...
Personal Beekeeping Philosophy, Bush Bees, natural beekeeping
www.bushfarms.com/beesphilosophy.htm
Beekeeping is like a good house. Build a good foundation first. Learn what and how to ask, gain
expertise (through self-study and mentorship (multiple). The result โ a mixture of the โbestโ
practices and willingness to adapt with personal experience and research. Learning should never be
static. Don Fraser โ [โHoney Iโve Got the Beesโ www.texmanbees.wordpress.com]
Copyright - All Rights Reserved- Dr Don Fraser (2018)
13. Top 10 Things We Can Do to Help
โข Social media and competing commercial interests can create confusion.
Take the time to understand the issues โ ask questions โ find quality
information โ variety of sources and points of view
โข Support local beekeepers โ economic and political
โข Extreme limitation โ insecticides and herbicides & encourage others to
do the same
โข Grow Texas Natives โ consult w/ local NPSOT (Native Plant Society of
Texas) chapter and local beekeepers โ nectar and pollen sources
โข Buy LOCAL honey โ read the labels
โข โIf you cannot find โlocal honeyโ become a beekeeper
Copyright - All Rights Reserved- Dr Don Fraser (2018)
14. Top 10 Things We Can Do to Help
โข Support backyard gardeners and community gardens
โข Buy โOrganic Foodsโ
โข Educate โ spread the word
โข Become an Advocate โ Use Your Influence
โข Become a hobbyist beekeeper
Copyright - All Rights Reserved- Dr Don Fraser (2018)
15. References
โข USDA. Attractiveness of Agricultural Crops to Pollinating Bees for the Collection
of Nectar and/or Pollen
https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/OPMP/Attractiveness%20of%20Agriculture%20Crops
%20to%20Pollinating%20Bees%20Report-FINAL_Web%20Version_Jan%203_2018.pdf
โข Canadian Farm Organic. Six meals we would never enjoy the same way again if
bees disappeared. Huffington Post. Sept 9, 2014 (updated December 6, 2017)
โข Flynn D. USDA proposes changes to โNational Listโ for organic producers. Food
Safety News. January 19, 2018
โข Visser N. This is what your grocery store looks like without bees. Huffington
Post. June 17, 2014 (updated December 6, 2017)
โข Wikipedia. List of plants pollinated by bees.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_crop_plants_pollinated_by_bees
Copyright - All Rights Reserved- Dr Don Fraser (2018)
17. Homework
โข Read the book โ โMissing Microbes: How the Overuse of Antibiotics
is Fueling Our Modern Plaguesโ by Martin J Blaser MD
โข Search Google - Microbiome and Human Disease(s)
โข Search Google - Microbiome and Honeybees
โข Search Google โ Bee Microbiome Project โ Dr Nancy Moran (UT
Austin)
โข Search Google โ Monsanto and glyphosate and antibiotic
โข Assessment โ What is the impact of glyphosate on honeybees and
our food supply?
Copyright - All Rights Reserved- Dr Don Fraser (2018)
18. Weed-killing Chemical Linked to Cancer Found in
Childrenโs Breakfast Foods - CBS News (August 15,
2018)
โข Environmental Working Group
(EWG) โ trace amounts of
glyphosate (RoundUp) found in
oats, granolas and snack bars
โข 31 of 45 products tested + for
glyphosate (including Quaker Old
Fashioned Oats, Cheerios, Back to
Nature Classic Granola.
โข WHO โ glyphosate is a โprobable
carcinogen.โ
โข Quaker Oats - โwe proudly stand
by the safety and quality of our
Quaker products. Any levels of
glyphosate that may remain are
significantly below any limits of
the safety standards by the EPA
and European Commision as safe
for human consumption.โ
โข General Mills โ โOur products are
safe and meet regulatory safety
levels. EPA has researched this
issue and sets the rules that we
follow.โ
Copyright - All Rights Reserved- Dr Don Fraser (2018)
19. Glyphosate Use on Ag Land-USA (2015)
(USGS โ National Water Quality Assessment Project)
Copyright - All Rights Reserved- Dr Don Fraser (2018)
20. Glyphosate Use on Ag Land-USA (2015)
(USGS โ National Water Quality Assessment Project)
Copyright - All Rights Reserved- Dr Don Fraser (2018)
Editor's Notes
Honey Exemption Bill (SB 1766) was spear-headed by Montgomery County Beekeepers Association Past President Leesa Hyder (Texas Beekeepers Association Director- Area 4). She saw a need for a Honey Exemption for small-scale/hobby beekeepers. Before Senate Bill 1766, a small-scale honey producer was required to obtain and maintain a Food Manufacturers license in Texas.
Effective September 1st 2015 if you produce less than 2500 pounds of honey; sell or distribute the honey or honeycomb that you produce either personally or with the help of a family member; and are located in Texas you fall under the Honey Exemption Bill (SB 1766). This apiary must be owned and managed by the beekeeper and the honey must be โpure honeyโ as defined by Section 131.001, Agriculture Code. (Raw and not blended with any other product or otherwise adulterated).
ย
The Texas Honey Exemption Bill (SB 1766) also requires that you sell directly to the consumer at your home, farmerโs market, a municipal county or non-profit fair, festival or event.Under the Texas Honey Exemption Bill (SB 1766) labeling requirements have been clearly defined. You must include:
Net weight in both avoirdupois (standard) and metric
Beekeepers name and address
The statement: โBottled or packaged in a facility not inspected by the Texas Department of State Health Servicesโ