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Steve you probably have cranberry growers near you that is why. An expert told me many years ago that there are no wild honeybees anywhere, anymore. Been whipped out by virus's and mites. Yes CCD. In a nutshell they said the bees are disappearing, not dying. virus's and mites have long been a problem with bees and antibiotics are applied in their feed to keep those problems in check. They think the disappearance problem is more from the new pesticides that we use nowadays for lawns and golf courses and such.There seems to be a chemical in them that effects the memory of the bees so they leave the hive and can't find their way back. Something that bees are famous for, their navigational skills. This pesticide makes insects forget to eat and thus they die. They seem to think the bees are forgetting also where they live. French bee keepers got the chemical all but banned in France. The beekeeper on the show raises like 80 million bees and trucks them from Calif. to Maine year round. He has lost half of his bees for the last 2 years in a row and had to borrow 1000's to re stock. Says he will be out of buisness if it happens again. Said he makes $100,000 a year doing it. The major crop producing CEO's of blueberries, almonds, oranges, pumpkins, etc... are calling him to see how things are going because with out his help they will not be able to supply the market place
Swimmer I too have a Cox orange pippin and have yet to eat one. The
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