Amy Robinson

The Great Bay Discovery Center's Bay Views program is all about bees and beekeeping on Wednesday, July 9 at 7 p.m. Free program will feature Amy Robinson, president of the Seacoast Beekeeper Association and member of the NH Beekeepers Association.

The Great Bay Discovery Center's Bay Views program is all about bees and beekeeping on July 9 at 7 p.m. Free program features Amy Robinson, president of the Seacoast Beekeeper Association and member of the NH Beekeepers Association.

This free program will feature Amy Robinson, President of the Seacoast Beekeeper Association and member of the NH Beekeepers Association.

This free program will feature Amy Robinson, president of the Seacoast Beekeeper Association and member of the N.H. Beekeepers Association.

Amy Robinson, president of the Seacoast Beekeepers' Association, says her group is already worried about the disorder."The entire beekeeping industry is at stake," she said.Opinion is divided over the cause of the bees' disappearance.Nottingham beekeeper Chamberlain, who users her bees to pollinate farmers' crops and make honey, suspects genetic weakness.

Amy Robinson, president of the Seacoast Beekeepers Association, said the potential causes of vanishing bees are numerous.

"There are a lot of possibilities," she said, "poor nutrition, migratory beekeeping, poor foraging, a lessening habitat, indiscriminant pesticide use.
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The problem is exacerbated, explained Robinson, by the fact that there are few if any dead bees found to be studied.Those bees that have been studied have shown signs of kidney failure and fungi present in the body not normally present in a healthy honey bee.

"There is a serious breakdown in the immune system," said Robinson.
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"So much of our food supply is dependent upon honey bee pollination," said Robinson.

Robinson said the problem of declining bee populations extends well beyond the borders of the state or even the country.

"This is worldwide, not just here in the US," she said.

Regions of the east coast and Texas have seen drops in bee population as high as 70 percent.Areas of California have seen declines in its bees between 30 and 60 percent.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, bees have been disappearing in 22 states.But the reason remains a mystery.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania are currently conducting a study to determine to cause of the bees' disappearance.

Robinson said her group will continue to look at all available information in order to protect their bees.

"We are keeping as up to date as we can," she said.

As with any environmental problem, Robinson said there can be a feeling of helplessness for the average person.That need not be.She said just minimizing their use of pesticides and educating themselves can help.

"There are several things," she said, "that just the average person can do."

"Sixty percent of what we eat is pollinated by insects," said Amy Robinson, vice president of the Seacoast Beekeepers' Association.

President: Amy Robinson amyrobinso@gmail.com

Treasurer: Amy Robinson (603) 642-3526

Updated 11/28/04

Beekeeper and farmer Amy Robinson displays the honeybees she cares for at her Brentwood farm.
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"Sixty percent of what we eat is pollinated by insects," said Amy Robinson, vice president of the Seacoast Beekeepers' Association.
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"It just wiped out the honeybee population," Robinson said.
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Beekeeper and farmer Amy Robinson displays the A honeybee rests on Robinson's hand.
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"The only time the honeybees sting is if you're taking their honey," Robinson said.

She is among an estimated 40 beekeepers in the Seacoast.Many sell honey and wax candles at farmers markets and natural food stores.

The natural honey costs more than the grocery store brands, but is better in its raw form, Robinson said.The inexpensive, mass-produced honey is heated to a high temperature to stop it from crystallizing, which takes out the nutrients.

"Eating honey from the grocery store is like eating corn syrup," she said.

The hives used in mass production may also have been sprayed with pesticides, something Robinson and most local beekeepers don't do.

Honeybees were brought over from Europe in the 1600s.Their hives are a complex mix of different bees doing separate jobs.In a hive, there's one queen, about 800 drones and 60,000 worker bees.The only job of the male drones is to impregnate the queen.When their job is done, they're kicked out of the hive by the female workers.

Robinson has seen this process, in which two worker bees bring a drone to the edge of the hive and force it out.
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Most local beekeepers have another source of income, Robinson said.

Despite the environmental and economic pressures of beekeeping, Robinson wants to continue what she considers a lost art.

As a beekeeper, she must be aware of the weather, the types of trees and vegetables in the area pollinated by the bees, and the operations of the hive.

Robinson, who started beekeeping six years ago, will soon be expanding her four hives to 12 and start marketing the honey.

"It's an art worth preserving," she said.