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Offline the-ecohouse.com

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Beehives poisoned - South Coast NSW - Be aware!
« on: June 21, 2012, 05:06:46 am »
Beekeepers stung by poison
Christopher Knaus
June 19, 2012

Beekeepers on the south coast have lost up to a thousand hives in a series of poison attacks.

South coast beekeepers are reeling from the senseless destruction of hundreds of hives across the region yesterday.

A toxic poison was sprayed into over 740 honey producing hives in the Batemans Bay area, decimating the local industry.

Police say the attacks on the region's biggest producers caused  an estimated $150,000 damage, but local producers say the poison will continue to destroy hives over coming weeks.
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Bee keepers on the NSW south coast lost about 750 hives after bees were poisoned. Owner of Australian Rainforest Honey, Steve Roberts, lost about 230 hives, south of Pebbly Beach.

Beekeepers on the NSW south coast lost about 750 hives after bees were poisoned. Owner of Australian Rainforest Honey, Steve Roberts, lost about 230 hives, south of Pebbly Beach. Photo: Graham Tidy

One of the hardest hit was south coast producer Australian Rainforest Honey.

The company had 240 hives poisoned at its two sites on the south coast, causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage.

One of the company's directors, Stephen Roberts, was at his site just south of Pebbly Beach today, sifting through piles of dead bees and attempting to save those that hadn't been lost.

Mr Roberts says the poisoning was a senseless, inexplicable act, and is working with rural police and the NSW Department of Primary Industries to catch those responsible.

Mr Roberts bees are also used to pollinate almonds, and the attacks may have a secondary impact on that industry.

The attacks appear targeted, with the offenders poisoning a series of hidden, remote bushland sites, some up to 40km apart.

"It's not right, it's just not right," Mr Roberts said.

"We'll have to start up the hives from scratch again, and it'll be well over $100,000," he said.

Investigators from the Department of Primary Industries were at the hives today taking samples of the poison, but a spokeswoman said it would take a number of days to determine an exact cause of death.

The beekeeping business is highly competitive and has been described as  cutthroat, but there is no indication that any rival honey producer was responsible.

But while authorities try and track down the culprits, there's little left for Australian Rainforest Honey to do but mop up and start all over again.

"We're just lucky that we've got a few more loads of bees than others have," Mr Roberts said.

"We'll feel it, we'll definitely feel it, but what can you do?"

Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Read more: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/environment/beekeepers-stung-by-poison-20120619-20lns.html#ixzz1yPfM9MIY

Offline bernsad

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Re: Beehives poisoned - South Coast NSW - Be aware!
« Reply #1 on: June 21, 2012, 06:00:21 am »
That's bloody low that is!

Offline AllenF

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Re: Beehives poisoned - South Coast NSW - Be aware!
« Reply #2 on: June 21, 2012, 06:00:05 pm »
Did they spray the hives or spray something else that the bees were feeding on?

Offline bernsad

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Re: Beehives poisoned - South Coast NSW - Be aware!
« Reply #3 on: June 21, 2012, 09:37:08 pm »
I was wondering that myself. It wasn't clear from the news article, I would assume that they didn't know yet.

Offline Intheswamp

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Re: Beehives poisoned - South Coast NSW - Be aware!
« Reply #4 on: June 22, 2012, 01:49:53 am »
2nd sentence from the top of the article linked to says that the poison was sprayed "into" the hives.

Well, that just goes to prove it...we don't have a monopoly on low-lifes here in the USA.  :-x

Ed

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Offline bernsad

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Re: Beehives poisoned - South Coast NSW - Be aware!
« Reply #5 on: June 22, 2012, 03:02:00 am »
2nd sentence from the top of the article linked to says that the poison was sprayed "into" the hives.
Well, I should have read that a bit more carefully shouldn't I? :oops:

Offline the-ecohouse.com

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Re: Beehives poisoned - South Coast NSW - Be aware!
« Reply #6 on: June 22, 2012, 04:38:14 am »
yeah it look like someone sprayed insecticide into the hives, equipment to be written off

Offline Intheswamp

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Re: Beehives poisoned - South Coast NSW - Be aware!
« Reply #7 on: June 22, 2012, 08:57:17 am »
2nd sentence from the top of the article linked to says that the poison was sprayed "into" the hives.
Well, I should have read that a bit more carefully shouldn't I? :oops:
I do it all the time.  My bigger problem is I'll be writing something, know what I'm going to say, and then leave an entire word out.  :) 

It's bad that some people have no more feelings than this for wild creatures like honey bees, but there again normal people can't comprehend some of the terrible things that people do to other people.  There are sick people all around the world.  Hopefully the authorities will determine who sprayed these bees and they will see justice.

Ed
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American blood spilled to protect the freedom and peace of people all over the world.  320,000 USA casualties in WWI, 1,076,000 USA casualties in WWII, 128,000 USA casualties in the Korean War, 211,000 casualties in the Vietnam "conflict", 57,000 USA casualties in "War on Terror".  Benghazi, Libya, 13 USA casualties. These figures don't include 70,000 MIA.  But, the leaders of one political party of the United States of America continue to make the statement..."What difference does it make?".

"We can't expect the American People to jump from Capitalism to Communism, but we can assist their elected leaders in giving them small doses of Socialism, until they awaken one day to find that they have Communism."..."The press is our chief ideological weapon." - Nikita Khrushchev

"Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they wont come to yours." - Yogi Berra

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Re: Beehives poisoned - South Coast NSW - Be aware!
« Reply #8 on: June 22, 2012, 01:10:48 pm »
We had a large bee kill down in the south FL area recently. The barrels of honey feeders were poisoned. Recently found out that it turned out the the Mexican workers could not read english and used a 55 gallon that had had poison in to mix the honey with. They lost 1000s of hives and a neighboring beekeeper lost his bees when they robbed out the dead hives. Took a while before they figured it out.
Jim
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Offline hardwood

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Re: Beehives poisoned - South Coast NSW - Be aware!
« Reply #9 on: June 22, 2012, 01:30:56 pm »
That was right here in central FL Jim. The poison...fipronil.

Scott
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Offline Wonga

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Re: Beehives poisoned - South Coast NSW - Be aware!
« Reply #10 on: June 23, 2012, 03:11:20 am »
There are some people in Australia who are purists as far as National Parks go, and these hives, I believe were in National Parks, or immediately adjacent to them.

The NSW National parks Service does not allow any more new bee sites in National Parks - and only allow existing beekeeper sites to continue. (Not suggesting that they had anything at all to do with this act of eco violence.)

A lot of State Forests have been converted to National Parks in the last 15 years, so more and more areas are closed to beekeepers.

Some purists don't want honey bees in National Parks, as they are not native to Australia. I would suggest it is probable that is the reason that these bees were murdered and the hives contaminated by these idiots.

Offline the-ecohouse.com

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Re: Beehives poisoned - South Coast NSW - Be aware!
« Reply #11 on: June 25, 2012, 12:49:22 pm »
nothing would surprise me anymore wonga...

We have the same argument up here in the mallee.

green: oh the bees will interfere with the native wildlife etc etc etc?
me: really? how?
green:oh they will cross pollinate the gums.
me: ah yeah?
green: oh thats bad.
me: righto? so there no bees there now?
green: no. just native ones
me: mmmm

Offline Joe D

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Re: Beehives poisoned - South Coast NSW - Be aware!
« Reply #12 on: June 25, 2012, 03:31:14 pm »
Green seems like a really bright fellow, hope he wears a hat, so he would be using his head for something.  Since  he wasn't using it for thinking.



Joe

Offline Wonga

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Re: Beehives poisoned - South Coast NSW - Be aware!
« Reply #13 on: June 26, 2012, 10:03:45 am »
 Depressing isn't it eco - as if bees aren't under stress already overall

Offline the-ecohouse.com

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Re: Beehives poisoned - South Coast NSW - Be aware!
« Reply #14 on: June 26, 2012, 10:44:11 am »
yep it can get to ya

Offline Lone

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Re: Beehives poisoned - South Coast NSW - Be aware!
« Reply #15 on: June 28, 2012, 09:40:23 am »
What a terrible thing to do.  Here's a more current article.  Seems the poison was Permethrin.

http://www.townandcountrymagazine.com.au/news/local/news/general/huge-honey-bee-loss/2601119.aspx

Have you heard any more about a culprit, Eco?

Wonga, the rationales for keeping non native animals out of National Parks often do not make sense.  My dog (on a leash) was kicked out 3 times when we were on the road with various reasons given.  Even though an alternative road also went through a national park.  Were we meant to fly?  Anyway, the most interesting excuse was that dogs have worms.  I wonder if that ranger has ever seen the glorious strings of numerous worm species inside a kangaroo.  My dog ended up running 60km so we'd avoid a fine and another time we got lost for several hours when told to get out of an area I didn't know was national park.

Lone

Offline squidink

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Re: Beehives poisoned - South Coast NSW - Be aware!
« Reply #16 on: June 28, 2012, 08:17:32 pm »
Quote
The beekeeping business is highly competitive and has been described as  cutthroat, but there is no indication that any rival honey producer was responsible.

A very terrible act! maybe it was the competition! Thats not kids going to that length to poison hives..

Offline Wonga

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Re: Beehives poisoned - South Coast NSW - Be aware!
« Reply #17 on: June 29, 2012, 05:01:42 am »
I don't think kids . . . . . or competitors . . . .. .

and yes Lone, I know what you mean. Last year we drove into what had been State Forest for many years, a place we visit every couple of years, to find out that it was now National Park, we entered by a fire trail type road, and got threatened for a fine for having the dog in the car, not out on the ground!  - just while looking for a place to turn around and escape. Noticed that the swimming hole we were headed for, at the edge of a cliff, was now fenced  off to prevent access, on the grounds of "public safety" - complete with signs and warnings, and a new toilet block. People have swum there for thousands of years, but now its not safe - like hell.  The government out to help us all - not.

Offline Danpunch

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Re: Beehives poisoned - South Coast NSW - Be aware!
« Reply #18 on: June 29, 2012, 04:38:59 pm »
Interesting that Eco-purists would use permethrin, a man-made chemical (yes it was developed to replicate the chrysanthemum's natural pyrethrum, but it is still a synthetic and is an insecticide), to preserve their ecologically-pure parks.

Offline Lone

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Re: Beehives poisoned - South Coast NSW - Be aware!
« Reply #19 on: June 29, 2012, 09:12:18 pm »
Danpunch, we can't know the motive yet, but as they are not allowing any new beekeepers in National
Parks, it's hard to believe it is competition from a fellow beekeeper.  Maybe it is someone who has been or is afraid of being stung, or a mentally disturbed person who thinks they've seen little white spaceships.

Lone

 

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