Vanishing bees equal end of world?

[walangij]

I stumbled across a set of articles that I found fascinating as I was learning more about the country I am currently in on a foreigner forum. Apparently billions of honey bees have vanished across the globe leading to a decrease in crops. This has been called CCD or Colony Collapse Disorder. It's happened in the past, but not at such great rates in the records.

Researchers are scrambling to determine the reasons behind the disappearance of 25 percent of US honey bees – as well as colony crashes in Europe and South America, which may or may not be linked. Culprits could include viruses, funguses or pesticides. Honeybees are the principal pollinators of hundreds of crops and essential for fruits, vegetables, flowers and nuts – and the insect’s decline could devastate huge segments of the agriculture industry. Genetic and chemical testing is underway, as some in the US rely on bees from Australia. As long as the disappearance of bees remains a mystery, global attention will focus on all possible sources – from agrochemicals to development practices. – YaleGlobal

Apparently Albert Einstein is attributed with saying :

"If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would only have four years of life left..."

but recently the credibility of Einstein saying this has been disputed.

Links:
NY Times
Colony Collapse Disorder Wiki
BBC
LA Times
The Economist

 

[Abstract]

Yeah, that's pretty crazy.

And I have been photographing bees today than 6+ months ago (at the beginning of this situation). I definitely think there were less bees working, but that may be because it's winter where I live.

 

[72930]

Chicken Little was right, but the sky is falling slower than expected...

 

[iBlue]

I'm just annoyed that it's not wasps, hornets, yellow-jackets, etc, those mean little bastards. Honey Bees are ok. :-/

 

[Jaffa Cake]

"A recent suggestion that mobile phones may play a part has also been dismissed."

Good stuff – all those folk queuing up for iPhones needn't feel too guilty just yet...

 

[Abstract]

I'd love to know why this is happening.

I read the news often, but in case we miss the explanation, can someone post it when someone figures out why this is happening?


Anyway, here's a photo that I took today at noon, obviously healthy and active. I only took around 2 bee photos today, so I didn't have a lot to choose from.

 

[dmw007]

I'm just annoyed that it's not wasps, hornets, yellow-jackets, etc, those mean little bastards. Honey Bees are ok. :-/

I agree, why does it have to be the Honey Bees that are disappearing- there are better ones to go first.

 

[walangij]

I agree, why does it have to be the Honey Bees that are disappearing- there are better ones to go first.

I've always liked honey bees, they just pollinated and minded their own business. I think that the jury is still out on the reason why there's been the Colony Collapse Disorder. I read all the articles and more, they think it may be a parasite or something along those lines, but this is still not official because theres not much evidence to support it.

 

[furcalchick]

i try to stay away from bees. my dad is allergic (had a bad episode when i was growing up), and thankfully, i'm not (got stung twice in a strange incident of bee in my shirt a few years ago, but i still panicked). but i hope it's not the end of the bees...what would we run away from now?

 

[Tom B.]

but i hope it's not the end of the bees...what would we run away from now?

Wasps, hornets, disease carrying mosquitos... etc.

 

[MIDI_EVIL]

Wow your Bees are horrible.

This is a UK Bee.

Rich.

 

[0007776]

Wow your Bees are horrible.

This is a UK Bee.

Our bees are the same ones that you have over there, they were imported when your countries started to send colonists over here. or at least the ones that are dissapearing are ones that were imported.

 

[srf4real]

Wow. I thought this was only in the U.S. Didn't know it was world wide...
It's only hearsay but someone told me that agriculture fertilizers were playing a role somehow. I'll do a search for more facts now.

We really are screwed tho if our crops don't get pollenated.

interesting link.

 

[walangij]

Great article! I was pretty shocked to see CCD on a global level, there's always been regional troubles but global is just, well shocking. I sure hope that scientists make some headway. I don't want to end up paying $$$ on our crops b/c there is low supply (probably few years out if things don't change).

 

[Gymnut]

Interesting, we just had an article here in Hawaii that the honeybee populations were threatened by a blood sucking mite.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007707080363

Tiny little bastards are able to wipe out entire colonies.

 

[zim]

Interesting, we just had an article here in Hawaii that the honeybee populations were threatened by a blood sucking mite.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007707080363

Tiny little bastards are able to wipe out entire colonies.

Thanks, great article. Interesting that bees have only been on the island for 150 years. I do hope that they find a way to control the mites.

I still find it hard to believe that this topic has not made more press. I was shocked to learn, while at a cookout, that most people (the guest) didn't even know that there was an issue.

 

[ctango]

The point is that without bees, plants won't pollinate like they used to. It is a serious issue, and I am sad it hasn't gotten more press.

 

[srf4real]

We have oranges, lemons, key limes, grapefruit, avocado, mango and fig trees in our backyard - this spring I was hunting good 'bud shots' and came across this lone bee doing all the work... not even a honey bee! Our crop is diminished by 90 percent over last year, with the meyer lemon and one key lime that will have a good harvest. The grapefruit which yielded five bushels last year has about five fruits on it. No tangelos, only a few navels... I don't have to go far to see the implications this could have.

 

[zim]

We have oranges, lemons, key limes, grapefruit, avocado, mango and fig trees in our backyard - this spring I was hunting good 'bud shots' and came across this lone bee doing all the work... not even a honey bee! Our crop is diminished by 90 percent over last year, with the meyer lemon and one key lime that will have a good harvest. The grapefruit which yielded five bushels last year has about five fruits on it. No tangelos, only a few navels... I don't have to go far to see the implications this could have.

Nice photo, thank you for sharing. We have clovers in our back that seem to be visited regularly by honey bees, or at lest they look like honey bees.

 

[Keebler]

i've heard about this and have seen or haven't seen less bees around. it is weird. one has to wonder if it's a cyclical thing or if it's something bigger.

i think einstein was an ok smart guy , but maybe we have different techniques to help us out? time will tell.

 

[Gymnut]

Thanks, great article. Interesting that bees have only been on the island for 150 years. I do hope that they find a way to control the mites.

I still find it hard to believe that this topic has not made more press. I was shocked to learn, while at a cookout, that most people (the guest) didn't even know that there was an issue.

Yes well it seems that erradicating the mites from the island of O'ahu is not possible. Such a fragile process, so many things have to go right just for life to be sustainable.

 

[Earendil]

The point is that without bees, plants won't pollinate like they used to. It is a serious issue, and I am sad it hasn't gotten more press.

At first, I'm ashamed the media hasn't given it more attention as well.
However, there isn't any way of solving it. There aren't even plausible causes yet as to why. So all reporting it would do is scare people, which would cause them to panic and blame things that aren't causing it.

Those that care about honey bees know, or will know soon enough. Others probably haven't even seena honey bee or know how pollination works, but that won't stop them from blaming Bush or an alien invasion

Does it need media attention? Sure, and it has gotten it. Does it need to be the #1 story? I don't think so. Which is not to say I'm defending any of the stories that DO make the top 10. Most of them are useless repeated drab that may be sad/good news, but is extremely unimportant to the vast majority.

Take the top CNN story today. A small plane crashes into a house, and 5 people die. I don't mean to sound insensitive, but very few people care. This doesn't seem like anything that should be reported past local news.
People die in the US all the time, and they don't make national news. And what good has the story done? Perhaps inspired people to value their life and those they love a little more, but more likely it has caused an increase in misplaced and irrational paranoia about flying in planes, and planes hitting their house.

[/end rant]

~Tyler

 

[joepunk]

I've heard about this problem. Though I did not know it was such a world wide event. thought it might have just been north america/mexico what with our massive movement of honey bees by trucks across the country and not giving them their due bit of natural rest.

 

[commonpeople]

Snopes says that the Einstein quote is probably fabricated

http://www.snopes.com/quotes/einstein/bees.asp

 

[me_94501]

I have no scientific basis to go off of, but the bee population in my yard seems to be higher and more diverse than in previous years. That is a very small sample size, however.

I have known about this for the past few months, and I get angry every time I see the TV ad for Raid Yellow Jacket Traps.