Jump to content

Honeybees Dying Off in US and Parts of Europe


Recommended Posts

This is quite unnerving; I'm very surprised that I hadn't heard anything about it until this morning:

http://money.cnn.com/2007/03/29/news/honey...dex.htm?cnn=yes

More here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_Collapse_Disorder

This has wide-ranging ramifications beyond just honey production. Besides the fact that honeybees are really cool animals, we need them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From the first CNN article...

And the impact goes far beyond direct bee products like honey and wax. Three-quarters of the world's 250,000 flowering plants - including many fruits and vegetables - require pollination to reproduce.

:blink: / :unsure:

Time for a rewrite, which we may need sooner than we we think...

...and that's why birds do it,

bees [used to] do it [back when there still were bees],

Even educated fleas do it.

Let's do it, let's fall in love.

:(

Edited by Rooster_Ties
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A friend told me about this a few weeks ago, as she had been following it closely. Little reported such as the story of "world's oceans almost fished out" that tell of a far more profound devesatation of the environment than is reported.

There are other interesting elements to the story. The reference to "managed bee populations?" Most bees used for pollinating are owned by bee keepers who are hired to go from farm to farm with their bees to do pollination. Bees have been largely under man's control in the United States for quite some time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

so that weirdo chap with his tongue out on that photo

The quote from that man einstein.jpg was:

“If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hadn't heard about this. Interesting, because I clearly recall an odd experience I had a few months ago. I took a walk in the local residential area, and when I left the house, I noticed a couple of dead bees on the driveway and the sidewalk in front of our house. I walked about two miles, and on almost every street there was at least one dead bee on the sidewalk. I've gone for many walks before and since, but as I recall, it was only on that one day that I saw this oddity.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A friend told me about this a few weeks ago, as she had been following it closely. Little reported such as the story of "world's oceans almost fished out" that tell of a far more profound devesatation of the environment than is reported.

And just today there's a story about how the decline of large sharks in the Atlantic (all for shark fin soup :angry:) is leading to an increase in rays, which then feast on scallops and oysters off the eastern US coast. Life out of imbalance indeed.

There are other interesting elements to the story. The reference to "managed bee populations?" Most bees used for pollinating are owned by bee keepers who are hired to go from farm to farm with their bees to do pollination. Bees have been largely under man's control in the United States for quite some time.

Honeybees were introduced to the US in 1622. Escaped bees spread on west. Some natives called them "the white man's fly" if I remember right. It's one of the few introduced species that's "done good" in the US.

Mites have been decimating honeybees for years, so hives are already weakened. Almonds are especially dependent upon honey bees, so if you're an addict you're probably going to be paying more for them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another possible cause.

http://www.celsias.com/blog/2007/03/29/eur...ing-a-nosedive/

:(

Looks like the likes of Monsanto have more than a hand in this, directly or indirectly...

I looked into this a little in my spare time, and it seems that there is little convincing evidence that this is the case (one major reason for doubt is that bees apparently are not very fond of corn). However, I wouldn't dismiss it out of hand... just saying that so far people who I believe have looked at the issue objectively have not found a convincing link.

Just a quick edit to add that it seems that some researchers are becoming convinced that recently introduced nicotine-based insecticides may be to blame, at least in part.

Edited by J Larsen
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...