Fears for crops as shock figures from America show scale of bee catastrophe

[defendandprotect]

Fears for crops as shock figures from America show scale of bee catastrophe

The world may be on the brink of biological disaster after news that a third of US bee colonies did not survive the winter

Alison Benjamin The Observer, Sunday 2 May 2010 Article history

excerpt only ---

US scientists have found 121 different pesticides in samples of bees, wax and pollen, lending credence to the notion that pesticides are a key problem. "We believe that some subtle interactions between nutrition, pesticide exposure and other stressors are converging to kill colonies," said Jeffery Pettis, of the ARS's bee research laboratory.

A global review of honeybee deaths by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) reported last week that there was no one single cause, but pointed the finger at the "irresponsible use" of pesticides that may damage bee health and make them more susceptible to diseases. Bernard Vallat, the OIE's director-general, warned: "Bees contribute to global food security, and their extinction would represent a terrible biological disaster."

Dave Hackenberg of Hackenberg Apiaries, the Pennsylvania-based commercial beekeeper who first raised the alarm about CCD, said that last year had been the worst yet for bee losses, with 62% of his 2,600 hives dying between May 2009 and April 2010. "It's getting worse," he said. "The AIA survey doesn't give you the full picture because it is only measuring losses through the winter. In the summer the bees are exposed to lots of pesticides. Farmers mix them together and no one has any idea what the effects might be."

Pettis agreed that losses in some commercial operations are running at 50% or greater. "Continued losses of this magnitude are not economically sustainable for commercial beekeepers," he said, adding that a solution may be years away. "Look at Aids, they have billions in research dollars and a causative agent and still no cure. Research takes time and beehives are complex organisms."


http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/may/02/food-fear-mystery-beehives-collapse

[Wilms]

1. k&r n/t

[slay]

2. I'll K&R this one too - a topic that gets too little attention IMO

[lonestarnot]

3. More fucked.

[mike_c]

4. this is fear-mongering tripe, folks....

Look, I'm an entomologist. There is very little concern among professionals in this field about any imminent catastrophic collapse of pollination services. One-third colony mortality over-wintering is not extreme, and is in line with normal winter colony losses.

Further, just for perspective, the cereal crops that are worldwide food staples are all WIND POLLINATED, not insect pollinated. There are plenty of native pollinators that can be utilized to a far greater degree than we use them at present.

Let's be clear-- the greatest present danger to society in all of this is the economic danger to the bee-keeping industry and the potential economic stress upon agriculture that currently depends upon them for pollination, e.g. the almond industry in California, tomato production, etc. There is also the possibility that even if honeybee pollination services collapse, they might collapse to sustainable levels-- again, the main danger there is economic, not biological or social.

This is just yellow-journalistic garbage.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

8. My god.

Somebody who thinks the moon landings are faked would post a disingenuous article?

I'm shocked and appalled.

[defendandprotect]

9. "Don't worry, be happy" . . . ??

As long as our economic system is based on capitalism it is a system which exploits

and destroys nature.

We are part of nature --

Capitalism is a suicidal concept --

"Manifest Destiny" and "Man's Dominion Over Nature," as well --




"Americans are really smart about really stupid things" --

That was the observation of a woman from the Bikini Islands after we

used her homeland as a nuclear testing site!

[mike_c]

11. look, all that might be true, but this year's latest crop of fear mongering articles...

...about thirty percent honey bee colony losses in the U.S. over winter are simply a bunch of tripe. Thirty percent colony loss is NORMAL. That isn't to say that there aren't abundant environmental threats to the bee-keeping industry-- and the primary threats really are to the industry, not to Apis melifera-- but that's another issue. This current one is a non-issue.

[defendandprotect]

18. There has been a problem with bees for decades . . .

in fact, many countries were trying to increase bee keepers and were offering

citizens ways to start up --

May be "normal" to you -- but not for nature.

Additionally, as I understand it the bees are as exploited as any other "commodity"

-- like cows -- they are hauled around and rented out!

Evidently, it is organic bees which are thriving --

Bless the bees - and the work they do -- they not only provide flowers/food --

but medicine.

[snooper2]

34. Bees are nothing, you should get on the firefly epidemic

There used to be many

Then not so many

Then only a few as Bushco promoted

That kids take the fireflies, put them in a jar, and SHAKE IT to make them Light up!



Bless the firefly for they are the givers of light! Evil Bushco should be in prison for this!

[WeDidIt]

29. I use mason bees for my backyard dwarf orchard

They're about a thousand times more efficient than honey bees, take up far less space than honey bee hives, and are not considered as nuisances under city ordinances, unlike honey bees.

The only difference is, no honey or wax.

[William Z. Foster]

37. correct

Thank you for introducing some sanity into the discussion.

[LiberalEsto]

5. I haven't seen a single honey bee this year

and only a handful of bumblebees and mason bees.

My completely organic, pesticide-free yard is blooming with bee-attracting plants like salvias, catmint, lavender and thyme, so I would expect to see some bee activity.

We've been seeing fewer and fewer honeybees for the past 4 or 5 years. Last year a few honeybees showed up in August, but we had plenty of overfed bumblers around.

This is really scary. If chemicals in the environment are killing off bees, frogs, fish and other creatures, we're being exposed as well.

Goddess help the bees and the entire web of life on Earth.

[SwampG8r]

6. bee populations worldwide are disappearing

very scary

[zbiker]

7. mike_c is correct on this one

i too raise honeybees and records dating back to the late 1800's can show that between 23% to 30% losses can be the norm depending on over winter conditions.
why do they keep repeating the same article that was put out over 3 years ago and then discredited. yellow journalism at it's finest. i guess no one thought to ask the beekeeper what HE did to his hives to realize 50 and 60 percent losses when everyone else is seeing the usual over winter losses of 28 to 30 percent

liberalesto : please try to remember that honey bees work in the most economic way they know how, if you are not seeing them in your yard their is probably two reasons

1) it's still very early in the year and everything is blooming, not just your yard, if you were a bunch of honey bees would you travel a mile to collect pollen and nectar if a really good source was right outside your front door ?? probably not, would you drive 15 miles out of your way to get groceries it they were available right across the street for a less price ??? please don't equate not seeing bees as to their not being around.

2) simply having blooms in your yard (al thou a great start) does not guarantee a bee will be attracted. consider the types of flowers you have and when they are actually in their nectar providing stage, as well as when the blooms arrive in the season. you may do better to plant late blooming , high nectar producing flowers that bees can resource after the main nectar flow is over. right now the bees ( which forage in groups not singularly) are most concerned with building their numbers so they can swarm. this is their way of propagating the species. it is their only driving force right now and coming out of winter their hive numbers are low. if they are provided a nectar source after the cast 2 or 3 swarms things will settle down and start foraging further from the hive which means they will visit your yard.

if folks are interested in bees and would like to know what the bee world is really all about, consider starting a small hive, they are relatively low maintenance, fun to watch and inexpensive to raise if done with a top bar hive. ( you don't haft to even collect the honey if you don't want to :))

check here to learn the truth about honey bees, not these panic articles that pop up here on DU so often.

http://www.beesource.com/forums/index.php
or here
http://www.biobees.com/

[defendandprotect]

10. I'm sure the bees are thriving on the chemical soups we're creating . .. aren't we all?

[zbiker]

19. before being so quick

to post such a statement, please go investigate the links i provided, also please reread mike_c post as well as mine

thanks

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

20. There are no chemicals.

It's a Hollywood hoax.

[zbiker]

31. more realistically

seen as a cross section nation wide

View Poll Results: Have you experienced CCD?
I run 5 or less hives, and HAVE experienced CCD. 1 2.94%
I run 5 or less hives, and HAVE NOT experienced CCD. 8 23.53%
I run 6-20 hives, and HAVE experienced CCD. 1 2.94%
I run 6-20 hives, and HAVE NOT experienced CCD. 9 26.47%
I run 21-99 hives, and HAVE experienced CCD. 2 5.88%
I run 21-99 hives, and HAVE NOT experienced CCD. 5 14.71%
I run 100-499 hives, and HAVE experienced CCD. 1 2.94%
I run 100-499 hives, and HAVE NOT experienced CCD. 4 11.76%
I run 500+ hives, and HAVE experienced CCD. 1 2.94%
I run 500+ hives, and HAVE NOT experienced CCD. 2 5.88%
Voters: 34. You have already voted on this poll

instead of just taking a stand and spouting off concerning something you have no real knowledge about other than what you have been spoon fed by panic mode reporters, do some research....

talk to some beekeepers, those of us in the field can tell you what we are really seeing here at this site

http://www.beesource.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=241

[Vinnie From Indy]

12. I would bet the farm that Roundup and massive overuse of pesticides is killing the bees

While I have zero evidence, I suspect strongly that this is a major reason. The massive overuse is a natural progression from the mass marketing to farmers to use these products.

[timo]

13. ???

roundup is a herbicide....won't do much to bees

[Vinnie From Indy]

14. Like I offered - I have zero evidence

Just a wild, unsubstantiated thought. Cheers!

[Union Yes]

35. Try drinking some then if you feel it's safe for non-plant life consumption.

Don't blame me for whatever the results are.

[timo]

38. i will pass

I am smart enough to know that drinking it is unhealthy, but i would choose to drink roundup before i would drink any other herbicide, glyphosate is by far easier on the environment than alot of other herbicides that are used, when your usuing a gallon of roundup dilluted into 100 gallons of water, your not going to kill any bugs!!

[NCarolinawoman]

15. It is really disheartening to see how much herbicides and pesticides are used in suburbia.

A few days ago I finally, FINALLY, saw a bumble bee approach the flowers in my garden-- the first pollinator I have seen this spring. Then I realized it was acting strangely. It seemed to not know what to do with the flower, and started stumbling around on the ground. It had obviously gotten into some kind of poison. My only choice was to step on it to put it out of its misery.:(.

I am so sick of monochromatic toxic green yards where not even clover is allowed to bloom. :grr:

[timo]

17. hmm

alot of folks bash Texas, but I am glad I live here, we have a great bee population in my area, and we have a usda honey bee research program here as well, my garden is jamming and the tree farm is looking good, and we use a roundup knock off called mikaze to keep the unwanted weeds in check, as well as pre emergent herbicides like surflan, and we are surrounded by larger tracts of farm ground.

[marions ghost]

16. This was a good article...

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/03/24/tech/main6328765.shtml

MERCED, Calif., March 24, 2010
Bad Winter Deepens Disappearing Bee Crisis
Survey Indicates Heavy Bee Die-Off while Study Shows Honeybees' Pollen and Hives Laden with Pesticides
----------------------

(AP) The mysterious 4-year-old crisis of disappearing honeybees is deepening. A quick federal survey indicates a heavy bee die-off this winter, while a new study shows honeybees' pollen and hives laden with pesticides.

Two federal agencies along with regulators in California and Canada are scrambling to figure out what is behind this relatively recent threat, ordering new research on pesticides used in fields and orchards. Federal courts are even weighing in this month, ruling that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency overlooked a requirement when allowing a pesticide on the market.

And on Thursday, chemists at a scientific conference in San Francisco will tackle the issue of chemicals and dwindling bees in response to the new study.

Scientists are concerned because of the vital role bees play in our food supply. About one-third of the human diet is from plants that require pollination from honeybees, which means everything from apples to zucchini.

Bees have been declining over decades from various causes. But in 2006 a new concern, "colony collapse disorder," was blamed for large, inexplicable die-offs. The disorder, which causes adult bees to abandon their hives and fly off to die, is likely a combination of many causes, including parasites, viruses, bacteria, poor nutrition and pesticides, experts say.

"It's just gotten so much worse in the past four years," said Jeff Pettis, research leader of the Department of Agriculture's Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, Md. "We're just not keeping bees alive that long." (snip)

[aikoaiko]

21. I just picked up a bunch of honey from local small producers in south Georgia

very yummy.

[Liberal_in_LA]

22. excellent article, thanks for sharing

[WinkyDink]

23. Days like this I'm thankful I chose not to reproduce. Humans are on their way out.

[Coco2]

24. This is not new news...this has been happening fro several years now. BUT

You don't see our stalwart leaders past and especially present doing anything about it. To get control of the problem would require having to throttle back the likes of Monsanto, Ortho and their ilk. This president has no stomach for taking on any big corporations!

MAkes you sick, and each year it will reduce your food intake because the prices will keep rising except on bio-engineered crap from Cargill/Monsanto/Northrup King. But what do we care, our hero is in charge now!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

25. The study in the OP was conducted by the Agricultural Research Service.

An in house agency for the United States Department of Agriculture.

In the Obama Administration.

But don't let facts get in the way of good conspiracy theories and character assassination.

[Coco2]

26. If you will do a little search you will FIND that...

Colony Decline Disease has been a serious problem for several years now. The USDA/ARS/CoopExtensionService have just paid lip service to the problem so far. So get your head out of your nether regions and do some research. This is a very serious problem, and another 'finding' or report or study by our government is only a way of delaying and avoiding having to challenge big ag.

I repeat, Obama has shown NO stomach fro taking on ANY big business cartel...and BigAg is in the top 3 WalSt/Energy/Ag.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

27. If you do a little research...

You'll find that it's "Colony Collapse Disorder."

Not "Colony Decline Disease."

Christ, if you really thought it was such a big problem you'd have at least done a little research on your own before digging yourself into that hole.

[Coco2]

28. ...and that supports your claim, HOW? it doesn't its a red herring!

and you know it. Which makes you disingenuous.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

30. Cat's out of the bag, buddy.

[zbiker]

32. lol, wow , and here i thought

we all had a big secret we were keeping, whewwww, I'm glad that is over. thank god we have you to keep the record straight for us corn, god forbid you should actually go to a forum that has a beekeepers business as it's basis. guess we can just take your uninformed information to the bank now and start sleeping better at night:spank:

for those of us who might have the audacity to question your integrity and base of knowledge concerning this issue try here for a dose of reality

http://www.beesource.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=241

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

33. Coco? Is that you?

:rofl:

[William Z. Foster]

36. fear mongering

Deciduous fruit is most dependent upon European honey bees, and while there are concerns it is not the crisis that is being portrayed in these scare campaigns. Among the hundreds of growers I talk to on a regular basis, no one is suffering fruit loss because of any bee calamity. Climate change on the other hand is a serious problem. So is the collapse of the public agricultural infrastructure and the privatization of the public Land Grant colleges, and the lack of funding for research, safety and health inspections and extension services and the various agricultural departments.

The working group at Penn State is doing some good work, and of course they are looking at pesticides. They would be remiss to do otherwise. All of the land Grant colleges are continually looking at this in all phases of agriculture. Unlike suburban environments, farming is highly regulated - people ignorant about farming have no idea how much this is true. That is probably why you are at vastly greater risk from toxic chemicals in your suburban neighborhood than you ever are from food. Every office building, every school, every grocery store and supermarket, every restaurant routinely uses pesticides, administered by untrained employees and with no regulation or oversight or controls. Many products that would never be used by farmers are for sale as consumer products, or are approved for "organic" because they are "natural" - "natural" being a meaningless term that supports an anti-science view of food safety and toxicology.

Food security is seriously threatened by "free trade" and globalization and by the destruction of local sustainable and cooperative communities by US corporations, by the deregulation of investors in the food industry, by concentration of control over the food supply in the handful of a few multinational corporations, by plantation style corporate farming - encouraged and supported by the demand from upscale yuppies in the US and northern Europe, and their desire for "natural" and "organic" foodie items and their support for and promotion of various "free market" and "consumer choice" ideas to replace robust public food policies and ag infrastructure. Family farmers and farm communities are threatened by all of this, they are not the perpetrators of this, as all of these scare campaigns are leading people to believe.

Small farmers and farm communities are in the way of the corporations, are a barrier to the total exploitation of farm land and mineral resources, are a barrier to the privatization of the food system and the destruction of the public agricultural infrastructure.

I think the bee scares, and many other food-related scare campaigns are for the purpose of distracting the public from the real problems, and many of them originate with right wing pro-corporate think tanks and are then distributed by gullible liberals and liberal organizations.

The entire food production and distribution system is under horrific pressure. There is an ongoing campaign going on attacking small family farming globally, and liberals contribute to it when they buy into the propaganda and spread it around. In the last few days we have seen false accusations of child labor law violations, the usually strawberry scare campaign (the USDA statistical services has extensive records on actually pesticide residues, or lack of same actually - the greatest danger is from imports including much imported food labeled "organic"), calls for arresting anyone who hires brown people, and now we have the bee scare again.