|
|
Article: U.S. Bee Business Loses Its Buzz: Foreign Competition Troubles Honey Trade.
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
- Article date:
- June 29, 2001
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
By Melanie Payne, The Sacramento Bee, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Jun. 29--It's a bad year for the bee business.
Foreign imports have driven the price of honey down. Parasitic mites resistant to chemicals are killing off bee colonies. And the market for renting hives is falling as crop and seed production falls.
California isn't as bad off as some other states, but beekeeper experts agree that America's 300-year-old honey trade is in trouble.
"The bee industry has seen healthier times," said Gene Brandi, the newly elected chairman of the National Honey Board and a commercial beekeeper in Merced County. "Those of us who ...