Post by: xboxbox451 on April 23, 2007, 06:30:00 PM
The debate is carrying on as to why Honeybees are disappearing at an alarming rate in the USA.
I hate to sound like an alarmist, though this certainly has farmers worried, who are partially dependent on Bees for crop pollination. Hopefully this is just a temporary phenomenon.
QUOTE(NY Times 2.23.07)
David Bradshaw has endured countless stings during his life as a beekeeper, but he got the shock of his career when he opened his boxes last month and found half of his 100 million bees missing.
I have never seen anything like it, Mr. Bradshaw, 50, said from an almond orchard here beginning to bloom. Box after box after box are just empty. Theres nobody home.
ARTICLEI have never seen anything like it, Mr. Bradshaw, 50, said from an almond orchard here beginning to bloom. Box after box after box are just empty. Theres nobody home.
QUOTE(Yahoo News 4.6.07)
Bee numbers on parts of the east coast and in Texas have fallen by more than 70 percent, while California has seen colonies drop by 30 to 60 percent.
The phenomenon now being witnessed across the United States has been dubbed "colony collapse disorder," or CCD, by scientists as they seek to explain what is causing the bees to literally disappear in droves.
The usual suspects to which bees are known to be vulnerable such as the varroa mite, an external parasite which attacks honey bees and which can wipe out a hive, appear not to be the main cause.
ARTICLEThe phenomenon now being witnessed across the United States has been dubbed "colony collapse disorder," or CCD, by scientists as they seek to explain what is causing the bees to literally disappear in droves.
The usual suspects to which bees are known to be vulnerable such as the varroa mite, an external parasite which attacks honey bees and which can wipe out a hive, appear not to be the main cause.
QUOTE(Scientific American 4.22.07)
Since about one-third of the U.S. diet depends on pollination and most of that is performed by honeybees, this constitutes a serious problem, according to Jeff Pettis of the U.S. Agricultural Research Service.
ARTICLE
Post by: throwingks on April 23, 2007, 06:39:00 PM
Here's a little reading for fun.
http://www.snopes.co...nstein/bees.asp
Post by: xboxbox451 on April 23, 2007, 06:47:00 PM
QUOTE(throwingks @ Apr 23 2007, 08:46 PM) 
I've been trying to keep up with this. My family thinks I am wack-o for caring about bees. But, this is more serious than global warming in my opinion.
Totally agree. I've been following this for the past few weeks, but never really payed it much attention, though it seems to be picking up momentum.
There are other pollinators in decline such as wasps, bats, etc., but bees work the hardest and are domesticated to work in our favor.
Godspeed Busy Bees.
Post by: damam on April 25, 2007, 04:39:00 PM
QUOTE(throwingks @ Apr 23 2007, 01:46 PM)
I've been trying to keep up with this. My family thinks I am wack-o for caring about bees. But, this is more serious than global warming in my opinion.
could not agree more. I have tried to have talks with my friends about keystone and indicator species, and they just zone out. I first read about this in 1999 and kind of thought it was interesting, but I thought the species would bounce as part of a newly recognized cycle. But the worst it gets the more I worry.
Post by: gronned on April 26, 2007, 06:27:00 AM
Post by: damam on April 26, 2007, 08:49:00 AM
QUOTE(gronned @ Apr 26 2007, 01:34 AM)
Well, even though not as outspoken as the cellphone-theory, global warming has been mentioned as one of the possible causes for the decrease in bees, which then would be quite ironic if you're more worried about the disappeared bees than global warming
except for the fact that if it were caused by global warming you would simply expect migration of bees to other locations . . . not a total collapse of the species
I did read not too long ago that there is a mite that is causing this problem.
here is a link that talks about it
http://www.scienceda...50517110843.htm
interestingly enough, bee keepers are able to treat their colonies for this mite and thereby keep there colonies going.
Post by: gronned on April 26, 2007, 09:08:00 AM
QUOTE(damam @ Apr 26 2007, 04:56 PM)
except for the fact that if it were caused by global warming you would simply expect migration of bees to other locations . . . not a total collapse of the species
I did read not too long ago that there is a mite that is causing this problem.
here is a link that talks about it
http://www.scienceda...50517110843.htm
interestingly enough, bee keepers are able to treat their colonies for this mite and thereby keep there colonies going.
Actually I don't believe it to necessary be the reason, but there's no point in ruling it out. I just thought it was funny as it's been suggested. How can you be completely sure the effect would only be that they'd migrate? It seems logical, but a lot of things are not.
Post by: damam on May 03, 2007, 08:44:00 AM
QUOTE(gronned @ Apr 26 2007, 04:44 AM)
Actually I don't believe it to necessary be the reason, but there's no point in ruling it out. I just thought it was funny as it's been suggested. How can you be completely sure the effect would only be that they'd migrate? It seems logical, but a lot of things are not.
bees are a cline-like species they tend to migrate in and out of pockets as the enviroment dictates.
Interestingly enough, there was a report on bees last night on the news. Apparently bees in my area are back up to normal levels. This type of cycling could be evidence of a prey/predator cycle, but i am not positive on that.
Post by: damam on September 06, 2007, 01:58:00 PM
CNN story
apparently a virus has been discovered that could be the cause of colony colapse disorder.
Post by: Blackbolt on September 14, 2007, 04:15:00 AM
Post by: buttface96 on September 26, 2007, 08:42:00 PM
Post by: throwingks on September 26, 2007, 08:53:00 PM
