Are GM Crops Killing Bees?

[DKRC]

Are GM Crops Killing Bees?

By Gunther Latsch



****snip****

Albert Einstein said, "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."

Mysterious events in recent months have suddenly made Einstein's apocalyptic vision seem all the more topical. For unknown reasons, bee populations throughout Germany are disappearing -- something that is so far only harming beekeepers. But the situation is different in the United States, where bees are dying in such dramatic numbers that the economic consequences could soon be dire. No one knows what is causing the bees to perish, but some experts believe that the large-scale use of genetically modified plants in the US could be a factor.

****snip****

Walter Haefeker, the German beekeeping official, speculates that "besides a number of other factors," the fact that genetically modified, insect-resistant plants are now used in 40 percent of cornfields in the United States could be playing a role. The figure is much lower in Germany -- only 0.06 percent -- and most of that occurs in the eastern states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg.



http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,473166,00.html


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Emphasis added is mine.


This just stuns me.

[Dogmudgeon]

1. The answer seems to be "no"

The bees are also disappearing in Germany, which has very little GM crop production.

None the less, we have to find out what is happening. Loss of the bees would put us in a very bad situation, to say the least.

--p!

[rosesaylavee]

5. Being a new beekeeper this spring,

I have been following this story as closely as I can.

There are a number of theories:

GM Crops (bees don't do corn pollen)
New pesticides that don't disintegrate as readily (personal fav)
Cell phone use (huh?)
New virus or mite not identified as yet (but why do they die in the fields?)

The gentleman teaching me how to do this has been a bee inspector for 30 years and keeps 125 hives. Two years ago here in Illinois he lost half his hives for no apparent reason. He thinks this has been going on for a while but its deeply effecting the larger commercial operations this year.

[Dogmudgeon]

6. Genomic weakness?

Commercial honeybees have been inbred for literally thousands of years. The "killer bee" scare came from an absconded colony of African/Caucasian hybrids, part of a South American project to breed in more vigor. But this is only half an answer, because the weakness manifests itself in such things as decreased resistance to mites (like varroa), bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites, etc. If they're dying in the fields, I would look for a new parasite on the flowers, or worse, the development of a species-wide allergy to certain proteins. A fast-moving prion disease should likewise not be ruled out.

I have also heard that multiple-queen (A. mellifera) hives have been seen a lot more frequently. As you probably know, this is exceedingly rare in nature, or commercially without specially-designed supers. Perhaps the honeybees are developing species-wide mutations. That is a sobering thought.

And there are at least two species of wasps from different genera that have been observed to have built "superhives" of over a million insects. In my own area, a new species of wasp has taken over, a big one with bright yellow markings, possibly from Europe. Yellow facial markings are taken by wasps as a sign of "superiority", so it makes sense that they would drive the other insects off. It looks like a huge yellowjacket, and it's very curious, finding its way indoors easily. Fortunately, it's not very aggressive, but I'm allergic to many types of wasps, and we're coming into queen mating season, so spring has become less pleasant for me in recent years.

Not just the honeybees, then, but hymenopterans in general are experiencing changes.

This might be a good time to start a Bee Genome Project. We deeply underestimate how dependent we are on honeybees. Well, not me, and not you, but most people don't give bees a second thought.

--p!

[rosesaylavee]

7. Interesting theory that

and I think more valid than the ones I have listed above.

Hopefully they will figure this out soon - the bees are dying rather quickly this year.

BTW, I get two packages w/queens delivered on Monday for my first two hives. :)

[Dogmudgeon]

8. Here's a good article

With a tip of the hat to CGowen who posted on the other active CCD thread --

http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/1087?page=3

Also read some of the letters. One letter writer proposes that increased atmospheric CO2 may be a factor.

Good luck with your hives. Odds are that you'll lose one of them to CCD, but keep your fingers crossed ...

--p!

[BadgerKid]

9. Honeybee genome published last year

26 October 2006
Honeybee Genome

The complete genome sequence of the honeybee Apis mellifera is published this week by the Honeybee Genome Sequencing Consortium. The insect is essential to global ecology through pollination, and is a key model for social behaviour. The genome contains fewer genes for innate immunity, cuticle-forming proteins and gustatory receptors than do other insects. But it has more for odorant receptors, and novel genes for nectar and pollen utilization. Population genetics provide insights into whether Africanized bees spread through the New World via hybridization or displacement. In an accompanying News & Views piece, E. O. Wilson considers how the profound biological changes that "lofted the honeybee to an advanced state of social organization" are reflected in the genome. On the cover, a honeybee on a trout lily (Carrol W. Perkins/photolibrary.com).

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v443/n7114/edsumm/e061026-01.html

[medeak]

2. friend has 100 hives

posted before...he's school teacher and spends weekends moving his hives...never before has he been in such demand. Each hive has over 100,000 bees.

Moved from my state to CA...as in so much demand for orchards. Gawd bless him

[Erika]

3. Einstein said as the bee goes, so does human life

Per Paul Harvey.

W says "be happy, don't worry". But he's said that forever. But his bushbots so totally believe him.

[silverlib]

4. Or another possibility

and combinations thereof.

Here's a link to a DU conversation about bees and cell phone use.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=228x29511