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crunchy5

Gone But Not Forgotten
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Messages
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Einstein said no bees no food, check this out

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/print/0% ... %2C00.html

quote

Beloved by Britons, the humble honey bee is hailed as a reassuring symbol of summer. But disease has almost wiped out the wild population and threatens domestic swarms. Science Editor Robin McKie reveals why we should all be worried about the decline of this remarkable creature
Sunday April 30, 2006

Observer
When a fire hazard light flashed in the cockpit of a British Airways jumbo jet that was heading from Sydney to London two weeks ago, its pilot, Dave Meggs, knew he had only one course of action. He diverted his craft, and its complement of 350 passengers, to the nearest airport, a tiny landing strip at Uralsk in Kazakhstan.

His emergency touchdown was a flawless copybook affair. It was also, as it turned out, completely unnecessary. There was no fire in the hold of the plane despite sensors indicating this was the source of the raging flames. All that could be found was a package of disgruntled bees, en route from Australia to Britain, which investigators now believe was the most probable cause of the alarm and the ensuing aviation emergency.

In the end it took 20 hours to ferry passengers back to London in a flotilla of smaller craft (the airstrip was too short for the jumbo to take off with its passengers on board) and all thanks to a bunch of errant insects.

It is still unclear how bees managed to trigger the alarm in the hold, although this is certainly not the only question hanging over the incident. In particular, there is the issue of what these creatures were doing on Flight BA010 in the first place.

Bees - which have been loved by Britons ranging from William Shakespeare to Jill Archer - are the quintessence of Britishness. Yet it transpires we are importing them regularly. What is happening? The answer, say beekeepers, is a simple one: a malaise has been spreading through the nation's apiary industry with alarming implications. Thanks to foreign diseases and the spread of drug resistance among infectious agents, the buzzing bee, as sure a signal of summer's onset as traffic jams on the M5, is now at risk of being stifled
 
Then this

http://www.indybay.org/news/2006/05/1819327.php

quote

Effects of EMFs on Birds, Bees, Bat-Rays, Butterflies & Buzzards

Microwaves and Insects
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/1448681/

Effects of EMFs on Birds, Bees, Bat-Rays, Butterflies & Buzzards
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/1369852/

Mobile phones blamed for sparrow deaths
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/1370183/

Evidence of a conection between Sparrow decline and the introduction of
Phone mast GSM
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/1369577/

The sparrows of London
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/1368310/

Bird on a wire theory needs closer look in disease watch
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/1158189/

Where have all the sparrows gone?
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/1147135/

Pulsed microwave radiation and wildlife - Are Cell Phones Wiping Out
Sparrows?
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/926007/

Spanish paper on RF effects on birds
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/904106/

Birds suffer from biological effects of GSM, 3G (UMTS), DECT, WIFI, TETRA
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/900299/

Adverse Bioeffects on Animals near a New Zealand Radio Transmitter
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/432402/

Mobile phone mast blamed for vanishing pigeons
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/286416/



Teresa Binstock schrieb:

**Honey, our bees are vanishing**
 
Great posts - thanks for the links. Am checking them out now. :D
 
crunchy5 said:
Bees - which have been loved by Britons ranging from William Shakespeare to Jill Archer - are the quintessence of Britishness.
Let's hope they don't form the "Bee"NP.
:shock:
 
Ive heard from bird keepers they are experiencing a severe drop in fertility.

And there are more and more infertile humans....
 
IIrc last summer in the UK a charity asked drivers to check their number plates for squashed insects count them and note the time the journey took, I believe when the results were in the numbers were shockingly low. My next door neighbor saw his first butterfly y/day which puts him one up on me, we live down the road from a small park and I have a "meadow" garden .
 
More and more infertile humans, dead dolphins and whales in droves, less insects, more and more dead birds, swarms of giant jellyfish, more giant squid being beached...

What is all this but mass extinction?

What is it caused by?

DU blown around in the troposphere to be deposited everywhere?

Or more than one contributory factor?

How about DU, sonar, loss of habitat, carbon dust (soot) everywhere (it smothers all buildings in London with a black film) etc etc
 
If bees are going to die out, then...couldn't we genetically engineer wasps to replace them? After all, they are the daleks of the insect world, so it'd be no great loss.
 
This just in

http://tinyurl.com/y7rq8r

More detailed research has been done in Europe, where declines and even extinctions of pollinators have been documented.

The report pointed out that in order to bear fruit, three-quarters of all flowering plants — including most food crops and some that provide fiber, drugs, and fuel — rely on pollinators for fertilization.

Farmers often lease colonies of bees to ensure pollination.

Yet honeybees, which pollinate more than 90 commercially grown crops, are one of the most affected pollinators. Indeed, honeybees had to be imported from outside North America last year for the first time since 1922, the report said.

The report urged the Agriculture Department to increase research into pest management and bee breeding practices.

In addition, long-term studies must be done on the populations of wild bee species and some butterflies, bats and hummingbirds, it said.

The United States should collaborate with Canada and Mexico to form a network of long-term monitoring projects, the council recommended.

Landowners, meanwhile, can take simple steps to make habitats more "pollinator friendly," for instance by growing native plants, the report suggested.

The research was funded by the Department of Agriculture, U.S. Geological Survey, National Academies and the Research Council's Division on Earth and Life Studies.

The study was requested by The North American Pollinator Protection Campaign, representing agencies and organizations in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
 
As a kid growing up in the burbs, I saw honeybees EVERYWHERE. They were ubitiquitous.

In my frequent journeys home to the estate, I haven't seen ONE in 15 years. See bumblebees and hornets somewhat infrequently, but I haven't seen a damn honeybee in eons.

I'm sure it has nothing to do with all the pesticides everyone on the block loves to spray on their lawns. :roll:
 
This has been worrying me a lot for the last 2 years.

This summer just gone, I noticed that there weren't many insects about - not just bees. Without insects, the whole food chain will eventually break down.

We're all doomed. :(
 
ogopogo3 said:
As a kid growing up in the burbs, I saw honeybees EVERYWHERE. They were ubitiquitous.
Er, ubiquitous? :D
That was the favourite word of my geography teacher - he must have used it half a dozen times each lesson!

Not seen any bees recently, but I did see a real live hedgehog for the first time in many years, just a couple of nights ago. He was in the front garden of a house near here - at first I took him for an abandoned child's toy, until he scuttled away. Nice to see wildlife thriving in the 'burbs.

(I hope there were no pesticides on the the lawn to bother him.)
 
Mythopoeika said:
This has been worrying me a lot for the last 2 years.

This summer just gone, I noticed that there weren't many insects about - not just bees. Without insects, the whole food chain will eventually break down.

We're all doomed. :(

They've all moved here, I don't think I've ever seen as many insects as I did this year, our garden has been full of bugs of every description.
 
zoltan_g said:
Mythopoeika said:
This has been worrying me a lot for the last 2 years.

This summer just gone, I noticed that there weren't many insects about - not just bees. Without insects, the whole food chain will eventually break down.

We're all doomed. :(

They've all moved here, I don't think I've ever seen as many insects as I did this year, our garden has been full of bugs of every description.
The buddleia in my garden was host to thousands of insects this summer. Hundreds of butterflies, enough bees to start a hive, even a few oddities like the hummingbird hawk moth.
I let the bush grow to about eight feet instead of trimming it down, and even now in October there are still a few stragglers humming around it.
Another plant for attracting bees and flying critters seems to be the flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum). I have one next to my front door and every time I came in or out, I would have to run the gauntlet of bees.
 
Mystery Illness Wipes Out Bee Colonies
Honey Production, Crop Pollination May Be Affected
By GENARO C. ARMAS
AP

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (Feb. 11) - A mysterious illness is killing tens of thousands of honeybee colonies across the country, threatening honey production, the livelihood of beekeepers and possibly crops that need bees for pollination.


Lost Colonies

Researchers are scrambling to find the cause of the ailment, called Colony Collapse Disorder.

Reports of unusual colony deaths have come from at least 22 states. Some affected commercial beekeepers - who often keep thousands of colonies - have reported losing more than 50 percent of their bees. A colony can have roughly 20,000 bees in the winter, and up to 60,000 in the summer.

"We have seen a lot of things happen in 40 years, but this is the epitome of it all," Dave Hackenberg, of Lewisburg-based Hackenberg Apiaries, said by phone from Fort Meade, Fla., where he was working with his bees.

The country's bee population had already been shocked in recent years by a tiny, parasitic bug called the varroa mite, which has destroyed more than half of some beekeepers' hives and devastated most wild honeybee populations.

Along with being producers of honey, commercial bee colonies are important to agriculture as pollinators, along with some birds, bats and other insects. A recent report by the National Research Council noted that in order to bear fruit, three-quarters of all flowering plants - including most food crops and some that provide fiber, drugs and fuel - rely on pollinators for fertilization.

Hackenberg, 58, was first to report Colony Collapse Disorder to bee researchers at Penn State University. He notified them in November when he was down to about 1,000 colonies - after having started the fall with 2,900.

"We are going to take bees we got and make more bees ... but it's costly," he said. "We are talking about major bucks. You can only take so many blows so many times."

One beekeeper who traveled with two truckloads of bees to California to help pollinate almond trees found nearly all of his bees dead upon arrival, said Dennis vanEnglesdorp, acting state apiarist for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

"I would characterize it as serious," said Daniel Weaver, president of the American Beekeeping Federation. "Whether it threatens the apiculture industry in the United States or not, that's up in the air."

Scientists at Penn State, the University of Montana and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are among the quickly growing group of researchers and industry officials trying to solve the mystery.

Among the clues being assembled by researchers:

Although the bodies of dead bees often are littered around a hive, sometimes carried out of the hive by worker bees, no bee remains are typically found around colonies struck by the mystery ailment. Scientists assume these bees have flown away from the hive before dying.

From the outside, a stricken colony may appear normal, with bees leaving and entering. But when beekeepers look inside the hive box, they find few mature bees taking care of the younger, developing bees.

Normally, a weakened bee colony would be immediately overrun by bees from other colonies or by pests going after the hive's honey. That's not the case with the stricken colonies, which might not be touched for at least two weeks, said Diana Cox-Foster, a Penn State entomology professor investigating the problem.

"That is a real abnormality," Hackenberg said.

Cox-Foster said an analysis of dissected bees turned up an alarmingly high number of foreign fungi, bacteria and other organisms and weakened immune systems.

Researchers are also looking into the effect pesticides might be having on bees.

In the meantime, beekeepers are wondering if bee deaths over the last couple of years that had been blamed on mites or poor management might actually have resulted from the mystery ailment.

"Now people think that they may have had this three or four years," vanEnglesdorp said.
 
Possibly they will spring Back. I live in NYC's Borough of Brooklyn and I see Bees, Bumble Bees, Different Types of Butterflies, Colored Catipillars, Moles, Bunnies, Wasps, Dragonflies, Pheasants, Hawks and numerous other nice creatures I have never seen either at all or since I was a little one. Quite amazing really! We now even have wild doves!
 
I'm just reminded: last summer I only saw three wasps. Compared to how I remember English summers when they were everywhere - in the garden, the pub gardens, on the beach etc. - it's a bit freaky. It's not that I like wasps but the lack of them seems more worrying.
 
<nods>

This business of microwaves and insects...hasnt anyone done any experiments yet?
 
Kondoru said:
<nods>

This business of microwaves and insects...hasnt anyone done any experiments yet?

Nope- but I'd imagine they would go bang tho :twisted:
 
That reminds me that I've only seen a few wasps and they were all the type that live in brickwork, I wonder if the bricks afford more protection from whatever than the standard hive. I've also only seen 1 big spider in my house and none in my mates where I usually see loads.
 
Theres more about it here:

Mystery illness devastates honeybee colonies
12:31 14 February 2007

NewScientist.com news service
Roxanne Khamsi

A mysterious illness is devastating honeybee populations across the US from California to Florida, claiming up to 80% of colonies in some areas. The losses of honeybees could disrupt the pollination of food crops, researchers warn.

Beekeepers are finding once-healthy colonies abandoned just a few days later, says Jerry Bromenshank, at the University of Montana at Missoula and Bee Alert Technology, a company monitoring the problem: “In most cases the only one left is the queen, along with a few young bees.”

www.newscientist.com/article/dn11183-my ... onies.html
 
Mystery Bee Disappearances Sweeping U.S.
Stefan Lovgren in Los Angeles
for National Geographic News

February 23, 2007
Without a trace, something is causing bees to vanish by the thousands. But a new task force hopes to finger the culprit and save the valuable crops that rely on the insects.

Pennsylvania beekeeper Dave Hackenberg was the first beekeeper to report to bee researchers what's become known as colony collapse disorder (CCD).

In October Hackenberg had delivered honeybees to a Florida farm to pollinate crops. The bees typically return to their boxed hives when their work is done. But this time was different.

"I came to pick up 400 bee colonies and the bees had just flat-out disappeared," Hackenberg said. "There were no dead bees, no bees on the ground, just empty boxes."

"In almost 50 years as a beekeeper, I've never seen anything like it."

CCD has spread throughout 24 states and ruined hundreds of thousands of bee colonies.

Hackenberg has lost roughly 1,900 of his 2,900 hives. Other operators have lost up to 90 percent of their hives.

Researchers are scrambling to find answers to what is causing the commercially important honeybees to abandon their hives and disappear.

The epidemic could put a strain on fruit growers and other farmers who rely on the insects to pollinate their crops.

(Related: "Bee Decline May Spell End of Some Fruits, Vegetables" [October 5, 2004].)

An estimated 14 billion U.S. dollars in agricultural crops in the United States are dependent on bee pollination.

"A lot of people think honeybees are only important for the honey they produce," entomologist Maryann Frazier said. "But much, much more important are their pollination services."
The Pennsylvania State University professor is part of the 12-person task force looking into the crisis.

Large commercial beekeepers each keep up to 10,000 colonies. A typical colony has about 20,000 bees in the winter and up to 60,000 in the summer.

The colonies are moved around the country and used for pollinating agricultural crops, including seeded fruits such as apples, citrus crops, and almost anything that grows on a vine.

When a hive is afflicted by CCD, most adults abandon the hive and disappear.

They leave behind only the queen bee and some younger bees. Uncapped brood—young bees in the pupa stage that are still developing—are also abandoned.

No carcasses are found near the hive—the bees are just gone.

"It's a total mystery where they're going and why they're leaving," Frazier said.

Normally, honey-hungry pests or bees from other colonies would quickly overrun a failing bee colony. But when CCD attacks, the hives are left untouched.

Unknown Pathogen

Epidemics of disappearances like the current one have been documented as far back as 1896. But no cause has ever been established, scientists say.

The United States' bee population had already been hit in recent years by a tiny, parasitic bug called the varroa mite, which has destroyed more than half of some beekeepers' hives.

Some experts say bee deaths that have been blamed on mites or poor management may actually have resulted from the mystery disorder.

The CCD epidemic "may have started at least two or three years ago," said Jerry Bromenshenk, a University of Montana entomologist who leads a company called Bee Alert Technology, Inc.

In the meantime, viruses carried by mites may have become more virulent to the bees.

"There might be some new pathogen that has been introduced and we don't know it's there," said Frazier of Penn State.

She and other scientists are worried that the disorder could be a contagious disease. Using contaminated equipment or combining survivors of CCD outbreaks with healthy colonies might spread the supposed disease further, Frazier said.

Researchers are also looking into the effects that pesticides might be having on bees.

In Florida, beekeepers say citrus growers are compounding the problem by spraying pesticides to kill off a fruit-tree pest known as greening disease. The pesticides likely wipe out bees at the same time.

All Eyes on California

The task force is now conducting chemical and genetic analysis of hives hit by CCD.

"We have to find out where and when this has happened, how the bees were managed, and what difference, if any, there is between beekeepers with the problem and beekeepers who have not experienced the disorder," said Bromenshenk of Bee Alert Technology.

Researchers are closely watching what is happening to bee colonies currently pollinating California's 1.4-billion-dollar almond crop. Almonds are 100 percent dependent on bee pollination.

Already some beekeepers have reportedly seen their colonies in California collapse during the almond pollination.

Meanwhile, Pennsylvania beekeeper Hackenberg is working on replacing the bees he has lost. On Thursday night he was on his way to Miami, Florida, to receive a shipment of almost six million bees imported from Australia.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... ees_2.html
 
I think I know what's happening:
Fears for crops as bees vanish
By Catherine Elsworth in Los Angeles
Last Updated: 1:51am GMT 28/02/2007

Bees across the United States are disappearing, prompting fears of a national ecological crisis with damaging knock-on effects on crop production.

In 24 states beekeepers say their bees have vanished for no apparent reason. Researchers are calling it a "colony collapse disorder". The bees appear to be flying off in search of pollen and nectar and simply not returning to their hives.

Experts believe they could be dying from cold after becoming disoriented and exhausted far from home, although no trace of their bodies has been found.

Although beekeepers have fought regional crises before, this appears to be the first nationwide problem.

Troy Fore, the executive director of the American Beekeeping Federation, said: "It's like a farmer coming back to his field and finding all his cows are gone."
....................
http://tinyurl.com/2xpegf


The aliens are now abducting BEES! :D
 
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7006587883

huoma Ezeh - All Headline News

Visalia, CA (AHN) - Beekeepers are facing a career shock as 24 states throughout the country reporting bee disappearance at a startling rate.

The shocking loss highlights the critical importance of honeybees in the fruit and vegetable food chain.

David Bradshaw, a Californian beekeeper said he was stunned by the sudden disappearance of his bees.

"I have never seen anything like it. Box after box after box are just empty," Bradshaw told the New York Times.

A research at Cornell University estimated that honeybees yearly pollinate more than $14 billion worth of fruits, vegetables and nuts in the U.S.

Zac Browning, vice president of the American Beekeeping Federation said most seeds and crops are honeybee dependent.

"Every third bite we consume in our diet is dependent on a honeybee to pollinate that food," said Browning.

Researchers say the bees are apparently dying in the fields, perhaps becoming exhausted or simply disoriented and eventually falling victim to the cold.

"The real question is why they leave," Jerry Hayes, a bee expert for the Florida Department of Agriculture told the Orlando Sentinel newspaper.

This attack is the first national honeybee crisis ever. The losses are ranging from 30 to 60 percent on the West Coast and 70 percent in Texas.
 
There was something on Radio 4 this morning, saying that there are far fewer bees in the US than there used to be - this could be a disaster in the making, as so many crops rely on bees for pollination.
Because of the strange weather we've been having worldwide, it's confused the bees, and they've abandoned hives en masse.
Beekeepers all over the US are baffled - they don't know where all the bees have gone.

Edit: Ah, OK - I didn't see page 2 of this thread. Y'all beat me to it!
 
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