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Honey Bee Collapse Now Worse on West Coast

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Although nature is withdrawing more and more ressources, still, people don't have the intelligence anymore to see the actual cause, Godlessness.

 

 

 

Honey Bee Collapse Now Worse on West Coast

 

 

© 2008 by Linda Moulton Howe

 

 

http://www.earthfiles.com/news.php?ID=1416&category=Environment

“It's worse than last year, and last year was worse

than the year before. So, it's bad. And there are a lot of good,

big beekeepers that are having a lot of problems. I think we're coming

in for a big train wreck.” - Gilly Sherman, Beekeeper

 

 

HoneyBeePurpleAsterLo.jpg

Western honey bee, or European honey bee (Apis mellifera),

gathering pollen from purple aster. 34% of American honey bees in

commercial hives have disappeared this spring of 2008, in a

persistent mystery known as “colony collapse disorder.”

 

April 10, 2008 Gainesville, Florida - On April 5, 2008, England's BBC News carried a report entitled, “U. S. Fears Over Honey Bee Collapse.” A California beekeeper, Gilly Sherman, was interviewed and he said sobering words: “It's worse than last year, and last yar was worse than the year before. So, it's bad. And there are a lot of good, big beekeepers that are having a lot of problems. I think we're coming in for a big train wreck.”

I took that quote to Jerry Hayes, Chief, Apiary Section, Florida Department of Agriculture, and President of the Apiary Inspectors of America in Gainesville, Florida and asked for his comment.

<hr> Interview:

Jerry Hayes, Chief, Apiary Section, Florida Department of Agriculture, and President of the Apiary Inspectors of America in Gainesville, Florida: “Certainly West Coast beekeepers were more dramatically affected this year than perhaps East Coast beekeepers. Last year, East Coast beekeepers had the first and dramatic events happening to their bee colonies. Sometimes, the West Coast beekeepers said, ‘Well, it’s not happening to us. You must just be bad beekeepers.’ So, now the shoe is on the other foot and they are suffering as badly as anybody has been. Everybody is on an even playing field right now.

Bees are not healthy. Bees have not been healthy for a few years and they are becoming more unhealthy. The beekeepers, the industry that uses them as a tool, is in a precarious situation.

SO WOULD YOU AGREE WITH THE BEEKEEPER QUOTED BY THE BBC NEWS, ‘I THINK WE’RE COMING IN FOR A BIG TRAIN WRECK’?

We’ll never know these things until after the train wreck. It certainly does not look good. I’ve been reading some reports about whole populations of bats dying and disappearing in the Northeast. The quail population in the southeast has virtually disappeared. I don’t know if any of these things have parallels and links, but it certainly is interesting that something in the environment is impacting these other animals.

WHAT IS THE CURRENT STATE OF COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA?

34% Bee Loss in U. S. by Spring 2008

The Apiary Inspectors of America (AIA), of which I am a part – we just completed a survey of 327 beekeepers and we came up with about a 34% loss rate over this past 2007 to 2008 winter season.

THAT’S EVEN MORE THAN LAST YEAR?

Yes, a little bit. [ 2007 estimated American loss was 25%.]

GOING INTO THIS SPRING OF 2008, WHAT ARE YOUR GREATEST WORRIES?

Beekeepers cannot continue to take these kinds of losses and rebound in any kind of way.

Cause of Colony Collapse Disorder?

 

“Unfortunately, we still don’t have a clear picture of why this is happening.”

 

THE LAST TIIME WE TALKED, IT WAS THE ISRAELI VIRUS UNDER SUSPICION OF COMING INTO THE UNITED STATES THROUGH AUSTRALIAN BEES THAT HAD BEEN BROUGHT IN BECAUSE THE NORTH AMERICAN BEE POPULATION HAD BEEN WEAKENED. IS THERE EVIDENCE THAT THE ISRAELI ACUTE PARALYSIS VIRUS IS STILL CAUSING THE MORTALITY? OR IS THERE STILL SOMETHING TO BE FOUND? WHAT IS CAUSING ONE-THIRD OF ALL THE BEES IN THE UNITED STATES TO DISAPPEAR IN THE WINTER OF 2007 TO SPRING OF 2008?

 

[
Editor’s Note
: See
Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) September 2007 journal,
Science.
]

 

Boy, if I knew that, I’d probably have a statue some place, Linda. Obviously it’s all the issues that are still on the table right now. Viruses – whether it’s the Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus, or other viruses that are known and impact honeybees? There again, pesticides, poor nutrition, stress whatever that is from moving bees back and forth, a shallow genetic pool in our managed bee colonies. Some how, all these things are interacting. Basically, we need more funds in order to hire smart people and expensive equipment to figure what is going on. Research is never quick.

DID YOU EXPECT AN INCREASE IN THE DISAPPEARANCE OF BEES IN NORTH AMERICA?

I was personally interested to find out if it was going to continue and to find out what was going to happen to our West Coast beekeepers that seemed to have dodged a bit of the bullet last year. I was hoping that it would not, but I knew that something like this just generally does not go away on its own.

BUT ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT THE WEST COAST BEEKEEPERS ARE BEING HIT HARD NOW IN 2008?

No, not really. You know how things spread – if this is a pathogen or something in which all populations are not hit equally. So, it was unfortunately their turn.

HAS THE ISRAELI ACUTE PARALYSIS VIRUS BEEN FOUND IN THE WEST COAST HONEYBEES?

Yes, it’s there, but not at any dramatic levels. In fact, there’s kind of an East Coast variant and a West Coast variant of the Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus. There’s also the Kashmir bee virus that has shown up in quite large numbers. Then you add in all the other things we talked about that could cause the immune system collapse. All those things are interacting.

SO, IN APRIL 2008, YOU CAN’T SAY EVEN NOW THAT IT IS THE ISRAELI VIRUS THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MOST OF COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER?

No, because in the CCD, the Israeli acute paralysis virus was found in most of the samples and at the moment is considered just a marker. It was not present in tremendously high numbers. And we can’t say it’s the varroa mite because in CCD, varroa and trachea mites are in very low levels. The Nosema protozoan was found in less than 50% of the colonies. Unfortunately, we still don’t have a clear picture of why this is happening.

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Although nature is withdrawing more and more ressources, still, people don't have the intelligence anymore to see the actual cause, Godlessness.

Exactly!

 

There are two ways to approach any endeavor. 1. As a servant of the Lord. 2.As an exploiter.

 

As regards to the resources of the world we can approach them in the spirit of Sri Isopanishad or as caretakers of our Masters earthly estate and maintain things according to His will or we can grab as much as possible as fast possible for our immediate sense gratification & the future be damned.

 

As your article above shows that damned future is arriving now.

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If we realize that everything belonged to Krishna then we would not exploit His resources, we would use them sparingly and with much care. We would not just throw out whatever we don't need at the moment, but we would save them for later or distribute the thing to needy people.

Unfortunately in Kali yuga it is so hard to get this type of a vision. I myself don't have it.

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Not really Theist prabhuji, but I used to be even worse when I was younger. Whenever I would mess up in a drawing I used to throw the whole paper away. Now I have the sense to use an eraser. :rolleyes:

 

:)

 

Did you know that in the sixties it used to be a practice for surplus grain to be dumped in the ocean rather than given to the poor or put onto the market because excess grain would cause the price to fall.

 

Similarly in India when there were food shortages in the 70's some rice distributors held onto the rice to cause to shortage to become even greater which caused the price to rise. Srila Prabhupada mention that Indira Gandhi, then Prime Minister, should publicly hang some of those men and confiscate their rice and distribute it free to the poor. This would be a lesson to remaining distributors who would then stop such a demonic practice. The monkey on a stick principle.

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seems the reason are not the bees but the flowers and why flowers are losing their scent, chemical cocktails applied by rascals who can't get enough ...

Why flowers have lost their scent

 

<!--proximic_content_on-->http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/why-flowers-have-lost-their-scent-812168.html

Pollution is stifling the fragrance of plants and preventing bees from pollinating them – endangering one of the most essential cycles of nature, writes Environment Editor Geoffrey Lean<!--proximic_content_off-->

IN3785010A_single_re_24797t.jpg

AP

<!-- Create a list of all articles, collections and links which are "from the archives" --> <!-- Create a list of all articles, collections and links which are "from the archives" --><!-- DEBUG CODE IN DOAD.JSP sec.getUniqueName()=envnat pub.getName()=independentLondon dartServer=http://ad.uk.doubleclick.net dartSitepublication=environment.independent --><!--proximic_exclude_off--> Researchers say that pollution is dramatically cutting the distance travelled by the scent of flowers

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</form>

Sunday, 20 April 2008

<!--proximic_content_on-->

Pollution is dulling the scent of flowers and impeding some of the most basic processes of nature, disrupting insect life and imperilling food supplies, a new study suggests.

<!--proximic_content_off--> <!--proximic_content_on--> The potentially hugely significant research – funded by the blue-chip US National Science Foundation – has found that gases mainly formed from the emissions of car exhausts prevent flowers from attracting bees and other insects in order to pollinate them. And the scientists who have conducted the study fear that insects' ability to repel enemies and attract mates may also be impeded.

The researchers – at the University of Virginia – say that pollution is dramatically cutting the distance travelled by the scent of flowers. Professor Jose Fuentes, who led the study, said: "Scent molecules produced by flowers in a less polluted environment could travel for roughly 1,000 to 1,200 metres. But today they may travel only 200 to 300 metres. This makes it increasingly difficult for bees and other insects to locate the flowers."

The researchers – who worked on the scent given off by snapdragons – found that the molecules are volatile, and quickly bond with pollutants such as ozone and nitrate radicals, mainly formed from vehicle emissions. This chemically alters the molecules so that they no longer smell like flowers. A vicious cycle is therefore set up where insects struggle to get enough food and the plants do not get pollinated enough to proliferate.

Already bees – which pollinate most of the world's crops – are in unprecedented decline in Britain and across much of the globe. At least a quarter of America's 2.5 million honey bee colonies have been mysteriously wiped out by colony collapse disorder (CCD), where hives are found suddenly deserted.

The crisis has now spread to Europe. Politicians insist that CCD has not yet been found in Britain, but the insects have been declining here too, and the agriculture minister Lord Rooker has warned that "the honey bee population could be wiped out in 10 years".

The researchers do not believe that they have found the cause of CCD, but say that pollution is making life more difficult for bees and other insects in many ways."

To have your say on this or any other issue visit www.independent.co.uk/IoSblogs

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That makes sense.

 

It is frightening how things have deteriorated just in my lifetime of 56 years.

 

Flowers have no scent, vegetables have no flavor, millions of people have never once seen a star filled night free from the glare of city lights. `When I was a child I remember butterflies everywhere. Just now I can't remember the last one I saw.

 

One needn't be a professional reader of omens to read these signs.

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SB 1.14.1 - Sri Suta Gosvami said: Arjuna went to Dvaraka to see Lord Sri Krishna and other friends and also to learn from the Lord of His next activities.

 

SB 1.14.2 - A few months passed, and Arjuna did not return. Maharaja Yudhishthira then began to observe some inauspicious omens, which were fearful in themselves.

 

SB 1.14.3 - He saw that the direction of eternal time had changed, and this was very fearful. There were disruptions in the seasonal regularities. The people in general had become very greedy, angry and deceitful. And he saw that they were adopting foul means of livelihood.

 

SB 1.14.4 - All ordinary transactions and dealings became polluted with cheating, even between friends. And in familial affairs, there was always misunderstanding between fathers, mothers and sons, between well-wishers, and between brothers. Even between husband and wife there was always strain and quarrel.

 

SB 1.14.5 - In course of time it came to pass that people in general became accustomed to greed, anger, pride, etc. Maharaja Yudhishthira, observing all these omens, spoke to his younger brother.

 

SB 1.14.6 - Maharaja Yudhishthira said to his younger brother Bhimasena, I sent Arjuna to Dvaraka to meet his friends and to learn from the Personality of Godhead Krishna of His program of work.

 

SB 1.14.7 - Since he departed, seven months have passed, yet he has not returned. I do not know factually how things are going there.

 

SB 1.14.8 - Is He going to quit His earthly pastimes, as Devarshi Narada indicated? Has that time already arrived?

 

SB 1.14.9 - From Him only, all our kingly opulence, good wives, lives, progeny, control over our subjects, victory over our enemies, and future accommodations in higher planets have become possible. All this is due to His causeless mercy upon us.

 

SB 1.14.10 - Just see, O man with a tiger's strength, how many miseries due to celestial influences, earthly reactions and bodily pains-all very dangerous in themselves-are foreboding danger in the near future by deluding our intelligence.

 

SB 1.14.11 - The left side of my body, my thighs, arms and eyes are all quivering again and again. I am having heart palpitations due to fear. All this indicates undesirable happenings.

 

SB 1.14.12 - Just see, O Bhima, how the she jackal cries at the rising sun and vomits fire, and how the dog barks at me fearlessly.

 

SB 1.14.13 - O Bhimasena, tiger amongst men, now useful animals like cows are passing me on my left side, and lower animals like the asses are circumambulating me. My horses appear to weep upon seeing me.

 

SB 1.14.14 - Just see! This pigeon is like a messenger of death. The shrieks of the owls and their rival crows make my heart tremble. It appears that they want to make a void of the whole universe.

 

SB 1.14.15 - Just see how the smoke encircles the sky. It appears that the earth and mountains are throbbing. Just hear the cloudless thunder and see the bolts from the blue.

 

SB 1.14.16 - The wind blows violently, blasting dust everywhere and creating darkness. Clouds are raining everywhere with bloody disasters.

 

SB 1.14.17 - The rays of the sun are declining, and the stars appear to be fighting amongst themselves. Confused living entities appear to be ablaze and weeping.

 

SB 1.14.18 - Rivers, tributaries, ponds, reservoirs and the mind are all perturbed. Butter no longer ignites fire. What is this extraordinary time? What is going to happen?

 

SB 1.14.19 - The calves do not suck the teats of the cows, nor do the cows give milk. They are standing, crying, tears in their eyes, and the bulls take no pleasure in the pasturing grounds.

 

SB 1.14.20 - The Deities seem to be crying in the temple, lamenting and perspiring. They seem about to leave. All the cities, villages, towns, gardens, mines and hermitages are now devoid of beauty and bereft of all happiness. I do not know what sort of calamities are now awaiting us.

 

SB 1.14.21 - I think that all these earthly disturbances indicate some greater loss to the good fortune of the world. The world was fortunate to have been marked with the footprints of the lotus feet of the Lord. These signs indicate that this will no longer be.

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:)

 

Did you know that in the sixties it used to be a practice for surplus grain to be dumped in the ocean rather than given to the poor or put onto the market because excess grain would cause the price to fall.

 

Similarly in India when there were food shortages in the 70's some rice distributors held onto the rice to cause to shortage to become even greater which caused the price to rise. Srila Prabhupada mention that Indira Gandhi, then Prime Minister, should publicly hang some of those men and confiscate their rice and distribute it free to the poor. This would be a lesson to remaining distributors who would then stop such a demonic practice. The monkey on a stick principle.

 

I like Srila Prabhupada's idea.

People are such wasters. Of course I am too.

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Yes, hopefully Suchandra prabhuji. It would be sad if people were talking about Brahmar Gita or something, and a rebellious person stands up and says, "I can't believe in this because bees are not real!"

Thanks Indulekhadasi, your devotional service actually uplifts the whole forum and makes clear that we're all parts and parcels of Krishna. Meanwhile I'm sure that our Western governments will solve that bee problem, may be it takes some time but finally they succeed. To solve the puzzle how to turn planet Earth into a Krishna-centered Vaikuntha society - this can only happen by Krishna's mercy. Since this mercy was already given we just have to be patient and chant Hare Krishna. Yes, since the Vaishnavas couldn't yet install a perfect global network of cooperation we still have to send our kids to karmi schools. This should be changed as soon as possible. The Vaishnava leaders have to become more sincere and turn this world in a nice place where Vaishnavas are welcomed.

This should be our only request.

 

5.3.2008 4:10PM

 

1.1 Million Bee Colonies Dead This Year ...

 

Analysis: What We've Learned to Date About Colony Collapse Disorder

 

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By Kim Flottum

 

<table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" width="110"> <tbody><tr><td>

</td> <td>

</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

The information provided here was generated by a survey conducted by the Apiary Inspectors of America. They took the survey in January and February this year, and in the process, gathered information from 18% of the colonies in the U.S.

The survey found that about 35% of all the colonies in the U.S. died last winter. Of those that died, 71% died of natural causes, 29% from symptoms that are suspect colony collapse disorder. Doing the math that comes to at least 10% of all the bees in the U.S. last year died of Colony Collapse Disorder. I believe that is a significant number of colonies.

Unfortunately, the survey had to be conducted early on to get numbers to congress and the surveyers weren’t able to count the bees still under snow banks in the north. Now that the snow has mostly melted, the losses there have been found to be staggering, but it’s not known yet what proportion, if any, died of CCD. In any event, the losses now are estimated, by my survey this week anyway, to be, instead of 35%, closer to 44% of all the U.S. bees died last winter. Again, doing the math, that comes to 1.1 million colonies, just shy of what’s needed for almond pollination next spring. Hmmmm....

This survey, conducted by the Apiary Inspectors of America (AIA) in collaboration with the USDA-ARS Beltsville Bee Lab was done to not only count dead beehives, but to help determine the distribution of various bee parasites and pathogens. Preliminary results from this survey reveal:

  1. Nosema (a gastrointestinal disease) levels tended to be higher in colonies collected from CCD-suspect apiaries
  2. Average varroa mite-infestation levels over all sampled colonies were approaching critical levels (9.5 mites/100 bees), but levels did not differ between colonies in CCD-suspect and non-CCD suspect apiaries.
  3. Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) was found in 9 of the 11 states sampled, and in 47% of all sampled colonies.
    The last of these finding begs the question, "What should beekeepers do who are or suspect their colonies are infected with IAPV?" To answer this question a review of both published and the most current data from multiple research efforts is in order.
What do we know about IAPV as of May, 2008?
  1. What is IAPV's linkage to CCD?
    • As published in September 2007 (Cox-Foster et al, Science, 2007)
    • Among pathogens, IAPV is the most consistent indicator of CCD
    • Kasmir Bee Virus (KBV), Nosema apis, and Nosema ceranae are also indicators of CCD
    • Additional "stress" factors may be needed to activate IAPV
    • No cause and effect between IAPV and CCD was demonstrated

    [*]How many strains of IAPV exist in the US?

    • At least two strains, or "families", of IAPV are present in the United States (Journal of Virology, in Press)
    • One lineage is most prevalent in apiaries from the eastern and northwestern U.S. and probably was present before importation of Australian bees into the US in 2005.
    • The second strain is more frequent in sampled colonies from the western U.S. This strain matches more closely to several isolates sequenced to date from Australian package bees.
    • The strain of IAPV found in Israel that defined this newly described species, is distinct from those in the US and Australia.
    • Extensive variation in the genetic sequence of the virus suggests that the virus is rapidly changing in the U.S. or has been present as multiple lineages for some time.

    [*]What happens to IAPV infected colonies?

    • On-going research in Israel and the U.S. supports the assertion that IAPV can impact adult bee health and result in rapid mortality of infected bees.
    • Not all colonies with IAPV are in poor health
    • Some colonies that have IAPV can "clear" their infection to below detectable levels over time; this is perhaps due to resistance in these colonies to either varroa and/or viruses

    [*]How can IAPV be transmitted?

    • IAPV can move from uninfected to infected colonies within an apiary
    • While not demonstrated for IAPV, other bee viruses (DWV, SBV, BQCV) can be brought to colonies on forger pollen loads, suggesting an outside reservoir for some bee viruses (Singh, et al, poster at Eastern Branch ESA, 2008, from PSU)
    • IAPV has been detected in non-apis bees in the vicinity of IAPV positive colonies in 2007. (Singh, et al, poster at Eastern Branch ESA, 2008, from PSU)

    [*]How widespread is IAPV in the US?

    • As of Fall, 2007, IAPV was found in at least 19 states; and thus, the virus is widespread.
    • IAPV has been present in the US since at least 2002 (Chen and Evans, 2007).
    • IAPV seemed to have a more limited distribution in 2004 than at present (Cox-Foster et al 2007).

Considering all these factors, undue concern over IAPV detection is not warranted. While IAPV's role in colony losses remains a priority in ongoing research, we do know that high levels of other common bee viruses, such as KBV, DWV, and ABPV, have also been linked with certain incidences of high colony mortality or decline in worker numbers. We also know that nearly all bee colonies are infected with at least one type of virus and that all these viruses are potentially pathogenic.

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pix.gif

<!-- vstory begin --> Persistent loss of bees having sour effect on economy

Web Posted: 05/17/2008 11:47 PM CDT

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA051808.8B.BusinessBees.38986d3.html

Express-News David Roy Park began finding empty hives where his bees should have been in the winter of 2006. In a matter of months, he went from 4,000 hives to 1,600.

“You go to the bee yard and open the hive and there's just no bees in it,” said Park, a fourth-generation beekeeper who runs Cold River Apiaries in Moore, in Frio County. “We started losing bees left and right for no reason that we could figure out; they just disappeared.”

Park's situation is not unique. Bee colonies surveyed across the country experienced an average 31 percent loss from September through March, and the total loss nationwide was 36 percent, according to a survey released this month that was commissioned by the Apiary Inspectors of America.

“That's an amazingly high number,” said Dennis vanEngelsdorp, president of AIA. “If you can imagine one-third of all the cows or chickens dying, that would raise a lot of eyebrows.”

South Texas has thousands of the 2.44 million colonies in the country, and the disappearance of hives has had a substantive economic impact.

The AIA survey was the second one the organization commissioned to gauge bee losses. It documented a trend some call Colony Collapse Disorder that has begun to alarm scientists, beekeepers and farmers across the country in recent years. Theories abound, but van-Engelsdorp believes the bulk of the loss is the result of parasitic mites that pass viruses from colony to colony.

Whatever the reason, bee population loss raises several serious concerns, he said. Bees are important to the food supply because they are primary pollinators for most agricultural crops. If it becomes too expensive to replace dead bees, van-Engelsdorp worries, too many commercial pollinators may get out of the business — and their specialized set of skills, combining beekeeping, carpentry and long-haul trucking, isn't easily replaced.

Park, the Moore beekeeper, said pesticides and drought are affecting the bees. Jack Fowler of Fowler Honey Farm in La Vernia agrees that chemicals, combined with the stress of constant movement from farm to farm, are killing the bees.

“It's the most devastating thing we ever went through,” said Park, whose operation produces honey but makes most of its profit as a crop pollinator, ranging from almonds in California to cantaloupes in West Texas and cucumbers in South Texas.

Park charges farmers around $150 per hive for pollination services, so losing 1,000 hives is a big deal, translating to a $150,000 loss in revenue at every farm he works each year.

Park's operation is back up to 3,000 since 2006 but still short of the 5,000 he considers normal. As soon as the honey season is over this summer, he'll be devoting all his resources to replace the missing bees. It's an expensive endeavor, he explained, costing about $50 per hive in labor and equipment — that includes $16 for a queen bee — not to mention lost revenue.

“It's probably cost me between a quarter of a million and three-quarters of a million dollars a year the past few years,” he said.

The disappearance of bees has also affected honey production, shooting prices up precisely because it's become harder to find.

“At present across the U.S., there is almost no honey to be had,” said Fowler, of Fowler Honey Farm in La Vernia, which sells raw honey to South Texas retailers. Fowler makes his own, but also buys honey from producers throughout South Texas.

Park said the disappearance of bees has varied geographically. His hives were hit in the winter of 2006, while his father, David Park of Devine, began to find empty hives at the end of 2007. The timing may be different, Park said, but the result is the same.

“I hope the researchers get this thing figured out because we really need some help,” Park said. “Everywhere I go now people ask how the bees are doing.”

News researcher Kevin Frazzini contributed to this report.

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buzz. My beeze seem to be okay in rural Olympic Peninsula. I heard that it (the problem) is vision, that sunspot activity has caused a bit of changes in ultravioplet rays, basically blinding the bees. They go out, cant find their flowers, cant find their way home. My hives were lost a couple of years ago because the bees starved, and they were in the middle of clover, salal, massive pollen heaven, but they were dead at their doorstep.

 

But this year, so far so good. We let the dandilions grow profusely because of the great use of such a wonderful plant, from herbal tonics to a saki-type spirit that we arent supposed to be interested in (I take it as medicine). Maybe the beeze will get a buzz and not stress out so much just because the sun has blinded them.

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buzz. My beeze seem to be okay in rural Olympic Peninsula. I heard that it (the problem) is vision, that sunspot activity has caused a bit of changes in ultravioplet rays, basically blinding the bees. They go out, cant find their flowers, cant find their way home. My hives were lost a couple of years ago because the bees starved, and they were in the middle of clover, salal, massive pollen heaven, but they were dead at their doorstep.

 

But this year, so far so good. We let the dandilions grow profusely because of the great use of such a wonderful plant, from herbal tonics to a saki-type spirit that we arent supposed to be interested in (I take it as medicine). Maybe the beeze will get a buzz and not stress out so much just because the sun has blinded them.

 

Thanks Mahak, whatever a great man does - common men will follow.

Yes, this planet should be transformed into a gardening culture with fruit trees, flower fields, vegetable plantations and beautiful ponds. However, before this can happen they have to drop the bombs to clear the path for a new living on this planet.

 

Pesticides: Germany bans chemicals linked to honeybee devastation

 

honeycomb-reso-rex460.jpg Bees gather around a honeycomb. Photograph: Reso/Rex Features

Germany has banned a family of pesticides that are blamed for the deaths of millions of honeybees. The German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) has suspended the registration for eight pesticide seed treatment products used in rapeseed oil and sweetcorn.

The move follows reports from German beekeepers in the Baden-Württemberg region that two thirds of their bees died earlier this month following the application of a pesticide called clothianidin.

"It's a real bee emergency," said Manfred Hederer, president of the German Professional Beekeepers' Association. "50-60% of the bees have died on average and some beekeepers have lost all their hives."

Tests on dead bees showed that 99% of those examined had a build-up of clothianidin. The chemical, produced by Bayer CropScience, a subsidiary of the German chemical giant Bayer, is sold in Europe under the trade name Poncho. It was applied to the seeds of sweetcorn planted along the Rhine this spring. The seeds are treated in advance of being planted or are sprayed while in the field.

 

The company says an application error by the seed company which failed to use the glue-like substance that sticks the pesticide to the seed, led to the chemical getting into the air.

Bayer spokesman Dr Julian Little told the BBC's Farming Today that misapplication is highly unusual. "It is an extremely rare event and has not been seen anywhere else in Europe," he said.

 

Clothianidin, like the other neonicotinoid pesticides that have been temporarily suspended in Germany, is a systemic chemical that works its way through a plant and attacks the nervous system of any insect it comes into contact with. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency it is "highly toxic" to honeybees.

This is not the first time that Bayer, one of the world's leading pesticide manufacturers with sales of €5.8bn (£4.6bn) in 2007, has been blamed for killing honeybees.

In the United States, a group of beekeepers from North Dakota is taking the company to court after losing thousands of honeybee colonies in 1995, during a period when oilseed rape in the area was treated with imidacloprid. A third of honeybees were killed by what has since been dubbed colony collapse disorder.

Bayer's best selling pesticide, imidacloprid, sold under the name Gaucho in France, has been banned as a seed dressing for sunflowers in that country since 1999, after a third of French honeybees died following its widespread use. Five years later it was also banned as a sweetcorn treatment in France. A few months ago, the company's application for clothianidin was rejected by French authorities.

Bayer has always maintained that imidacloprid is safe for bees if correctly applied. "Extensive internal and international scientific studies have confirmed that Gaucho does not present a hazard to bees," said Utz Klages, a spokesman for Bayer CropScience.

Last year, Germany's Green MEP, Hiltrud Breyer, tabled an emergency motion calling for this family of pesticides to be banned across Europe while their role in killing honeybees were thoroughly investigated. Her action follows calls for a ban from beekeeping associations and environmental organisations across Europe.

Philipp Mimkes, spokesman for the German-based Coalition Against Bayer Dangers, said: "We have been pointing out the risks of neonicotinoids for almost 10 years now. This proves without a doubt that the chemicals can come into contact with bees and kill them. These pesticides shouldn't be on the market."

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"Greenhouse" bees spread disease to wild bees

 

Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:02am EDT

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN2232266420080723?sp=true

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By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Disease spread to wild bees from commercially bred bees used for pollination in agriculture greenhouses may be playing a role in the mysterious decline in North American bee populations, researchers said on Tuesday.

Bees pollinate numerous crops, and scientists have been expressing alarm over their falling numbers in recent years in North America. Experts warn the bee disappearance eventually could harm agriculture and the food supply.

Scientists have been struggling to understand the recent decline in various bee populations in North America. For example, a virus brought from Australia has been implicated in massive honeybee deaths last year.

Canadian researchers studied another type of bee, the bumblebee, near two large greenhouse operations in southern Ontario where commercially reared pollination bees are used in the growing of crops such as tomatoes, bell peppers and cucumbers.

The researchers first observed that the commercial bumblebees regularly flew in and out of vents in the sides of the greenhouses, escaping from the facilities.

The researchers then devised a mathematical model to predict how disease might spread from this "spillover" of runaway commercial bees to their wild cousins.

The model predicted a relatively slow build-up of infection in nearby wild bumblebee populations over weeks or months culminating in a burst of transmission generating an epidemic wave that could affect nearly all of wild bees exposed.

The model also predicted a drop-off in infection rates as you get further from the greenhouses.

GREENHOUSE BUMBLEBEE PARASITES

The researchers then sampled wild bumblebee populations around the greenhouses, catching bees in butterfly nets, holding them in vials and taking them back to a laboratory to screen for pathogens, including testing their feces.

The patterns that had been predicted by their mathematical model were borne out by studying the wild bees, they said.

Most of the parasites in the wild bumblebees were found to be at normal levels except for one intestinal parasite known as Crithidia bombi that is common in commercial bee colonies but typically absent in wild bumblebees.

The researchers found that up to half of wild bumblebees near the greenhouses were infected with this parasite.

"All of the different species of bumblebees that we sampled around greenhouses showed the same pattern: really high levels of infection near greenhouses and then declining levels of infection as you moved out," said Michael Otterstatter of the University of Toronto, one of the researchers.

"It was quite obvious that this was coming from the greenhouses and it was a general adverse effect on the bumblebees," Otterstatter added in a telephone interview.

He said the parasite weakens and often kills bees. The "spillover" of disease from commercial colonies may be a factor in the decline of bee populations in North America, he added.

The study, published in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS ONE, can be read here

(Editing by Maggie Fox and Sandra Maler

© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved

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