Wild Bees Disapearing

[ka4dpo]

I have noticed that last few years that there are no honey bees around anywhere. It's kind of spooky that they seem to be gone and we don't know why. There are lot's of theories, like pesticides but hell, we have been using pesticides since the 1930's and I know DDT and Diazanon were a lot worse than what is used today. The disappearance really started to become noticeable around 2003 when my wife and I both noticed the flowers in our deck planters that had always been covered with bees seemed to be almost deserted.
The problem has continued to grow and this year I have not seen one single bee. So unless commercial bee keepers can maintain healthy hives we will lose our food supply. This is really serious and no one seems to have an answer.

I found this article that sounds like a smoking gun but then goes on to point out a lot of maybe's, and ifs. Evidently feeding east coast bee pollen to west coast bees makes them sick. Whoop de doo. Like that's going to happen in nature. Then they go back to the pesticide issue. I'm the first one to say that I don't like pesticides but the truth is that farmers use less today than years ago and by law they are not as broad spectrum or as potent. So what is really killing the bees?

[HUGH]

We bought some "wild flower" honey in California last spring to take home as a gift for the family who were keeping an eye on our house, closer examination of the label revealed that some of the contents came from Argentina.

One theory relates to the frequent moving of commercial hives to new territories to take advantage of the crops available. This has been carried out for many years but if you combine that with the apparent disorientation produced by some pesticides it could be that many bees simply get lost and die.

My honey bees produce so much honey that I can't easily lift the boxes and the wild bees this year are prolific with about 12 different types, some solitary, some tiny colonies. There are also other insects about, notably several species of "hover fly" which also make good pollinators.

[ka4dpo]

Well Hugh I don't know about the gypsy hives and bees getting lost but I live in an area that is predominantly rural. There have been, or at least there were, wild bees all over the area in years past. Not much of that land has been disturbed and much of it is federal reserve land that will never be disturbed and yet the bees have simply vanished from this area with no good explanation.

[HUGH]

Puzzling. Did you ever find out what, or where, the bees actually lived? Considering they're not supposed to normally forage more than 3 miles, pesticides or earthworks or change of crops can't be the explanation then.
One other variable is the climate, or weather, changing to provide less water or something else that plants and bees require.

[N8YX]

Bee mites have wiped out a large percentage of the area's honey bee population. There is a shit ton of clover bloom in my back yard and nary a bee to be found. Contrast that with years past when they were everywhere amongst the flowers.

ETA:

Did a walkaround of the front, side and back yards. Thousands of clover and wildflower blooms. No bees at all. Of any species.

[kb2vxa]

Veroa mites and brown hive beetles wiped out a lot of hives around New Jersey about 10 years ago. I haven't heard anything recently because I haven't been in touch with any beekeepers since then. That however can't be attributed to the widespread mass disappearance, it remains a mystery despite all attempts to find a cause. I haven't seen a bee in years, I have to look at a picture to remind me what they look like.

"Contrast that with years past when they were everywhere amongst the flowers."
You have clover, when I was a kid the huge back yard was a field of clover loaded with bees. I got stung too many times so I decided it wasn't a good idea to go barefoot. That reminds me, Barefoot In The Park was filmed at a time sane people wouldn't dare, not just the bees but doggie mines too. (;->)

[N8YX]

Did a 42mi bike ride this afternoon along towpath trails which are bordered by grasslands and meadows everywhere.

Saw one (1) honey bee about 13mi south of our trailhead, near the canal lock at Lock 4 Park in Canal Fulton. None anywhere else.

[ka4dpo]

The Virginia Beef company owns about 400 acres across the street from us. They grow feed corn and soybeans about every other year. Talking to one of the guys who runs the farming operation he said he is worried about the corn crop not getting pollinated. I didn't realize corn needed to be pollinated but I guess he knows what he's talking about. I'm wondering what's going to happen with vegetable and fruit yields if the bees continue to disappear, that could cause a serious problem. Anyway I still have not spotted a single bee.

[n2ize]

I have noticed that last few years that there are no honey bees around anywhere. It's kind of spooky that they seem to be gone and we don't know why. There are lot's of theories, like pesticides but hell, we have been using pesticides since the 1930's and I know DDT and Diazanon were a lot worse than what is used today. The disappearance really started to become noticeable around 2003 when my wife and I both noticed the flowers in our deck planters that had always been covered with bees seemed to be almost deserted.
The problem has continued to grow and this year I have not seen one single bee. So unless commercial bee keepers can maintain healthy hives we will lose our food supply. This is really serious and no one seems to have an answer.

I found this article that sounds like a smoking gun but then goes on to point out a lot of maybe's, and ifs. Evidently feeding east coast bee pollen to west coast bees makes them sick. Whoop de doo. Like that's going to happen in nature. Then they go back to the pesticide issue. I'm the first one to say that I don't like pesticides but the truth is that farmers use less today than years ago and by law they are not as broad spectrum or as potent. So what is really killing the bees?

Many scientists, i.e.,entomologists feel that it is a combinations of parasitic infection, i.e. mites and perhaps a virus. A lot of radicals are claiming is glyphosate pesticides but scientific research doesn't bear that out.

[W5BRM]

Monsanto.
GMO's
case solved.

[n2ize]

Monsanto.
GMO's
case solved.

You forgot "chemtrails"...:lol:

[ad4mg]

Monsanto.
GMO's
case solved.
You forgot Obama. Just saying... :)

[HUGH]

We do have all the usual mites and diseases (varroa is easily eliminated organically) but what we don't have is a preponderance of GM crops, except in limited experimental areas. What are not used either are systemic insecticides and, with the absence of GM crops, plants which seem to have a systemic effect on bees and similar insects. Decline in some years is largely due to weather conditions and the lack of crop variation (or rotation if you prefer) with intensive farming so that there is a shortage of sustenance during certain periods. Luckily there is no gap in food availablity in this area, including in the garden.

The pollen in GM crops is bound to differ if it is infertile but some reading is needed to follow research on this theory. Is big business going to starve the world then in order to line their own pockets?

[NQ6U]

You forgot Obama. Just saying... :)

Yeah. Thanks, Obama.

[N7YA]

14088

[N8YX]

Just saw one working the back yard clover blossoms before mowing day tomorrow. Definitely need more but it's better than seeing none at all.

[ka4dpo]

I finally saw a single honey bee yesterday afternoon. I saw one poor little bee working his (it's) butt off on the purple flower thing out in front of the house. I'm not good with plant names. I hope he brings some friends.

[N8YX]

I finally saw a single honey bee yesterday afternoon. I saw one poor little bee working his (it's) butt off on the purple flower thing out in front of the house. I'm not good with plant names. I hope he brings some friends.

Kelli and Janet are going to kick your arse. Everyone knows the workers are female...

[ka4dpo]

I don't care as long as they bring friends.

[n2ize]

Overall, the population of honeybees has been increasing world wide. CCD is mainly a localized problem. Some have equated it with neonicotinoids but the declines in bee populations (i.e. increases in CCD) don't correlate with neonicotinoid usage. So there seems to be an inconsitency with Bt toxin, neonicotinoids and localized CCD.

See the following link but, it will cost you a few shekels.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs13592-012-0123-3

[WØTKX]

Bumblebees are missing. (http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/climate-change-is-killing-off-bumblebees-study-1.3145014)


Bumblebees can't move north to cope with warmer temperatures, and climate change is wiping them out in many areas where they lived several decades ago, a Canadian-led study suggests.

[ka4dpo]

Bumblebees are missing. (http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/climate-change-is-killing-off-bumblebees-study-1.3145014)

Bumblebees can't move north to cope with warmer temperatures, and climate change is wiping them out in many areas where they lived several decades ago, a Canadian-led study suggests.


The Canadian study is full of beeswax. It's no warmer or colder here that it has been since I've been living. The other bugs seem unaffected and I frankly don't think that bees are so dainty that a tenth of a degree is going to affect them, they have survived for millions of years through some major climate changes like full on ice ages.

[WØTKX]

Oooo, struck a nerve. :lol:

[NQ6U]

Oooo, struck a nerve. :lol:

A nerve? Perhaps, although we know it wasn't a neuron.

[PA5COR]

In that time there weren't 7+ billion people around polluting th environment with poisons and air pollution.
Changes then happened over several 1000's of years giving time to adapt now changes happen overnight, not much chance to adapt is there...



The Canadian study is full of beeswax. It's no warmer or colder here that it has been since I've been living. The other bugs seem unaffected and I frankly don't think that bees are so dainty that a tenth of a degree is going to affect them, they have survived for millions of years through some major climate changes like full on ice ages.

[kb2vxa]

Maybe stung a nerve? Don't worry, BEE happy. FYI honey bees are the ones affected, I still see many bumble bees and their look alike cousins, carpenter bees. Then as they adapt to the climate (change, ha ha) they're moving northward, Africanized or KILLER BEES. Never mind the flu shots ladies, you have a much bigger problem on your hands.

[ka4dpo]

Maybe stung a nerve? Don't worry, BEE happy. FYI honey bees are the ones affected, I still see many bumble bees and their look alike cousins, carpenter bees. Then as they adapt to the climate (change, ha ha) they're moving northward, Africanized or KILLER BEES. Never mind the flu shots ladies, you have a much bigger problem on your hands.

I remember that a couple of those guys got caught buzzing off.

[ka4dpo]

In that time there weren't 7+ billion people around polluting th environment with poisons and air pollution.
Changes then happened over several 1000's of years giving time to adapt now changes happen overnight, not much chance to adapt is there...

So it's 86 degrees here today. It's been in the 70's and 80's for the last two months just like every other summer. In August it will be in the 90's and possibly even a few days at 100 degrees just like the last 100 years or so. Some summers are hotter and some are cooler but the bees were always here even when it was much hotter.

I don't buy into the human aspect because there are not 7 billion people here in this area, we have hundreds of square miles of federal reserve that is untouched and always will be. Farmers around here no longer use Diazanon and DDT and haven't for a very long time. With all of that beautiful untouched land that they used to live on I just want to know why they don't live there anymore. Where did they go, and why hasn't anyone come up with an answer. I read a lot of theories where the authors state that data suggests or "might contribute" but never a smoking gun. This is a very serious issue that needs a serious effort.

[PA5COR]

Just had an European heat wave breaking all records set over 150 + years soaring up to 104.5 F ( which we normally even in hot summers never see.
A number of tornado's hit as well, something we get more and more, yes climate here IS changing.
Air pollution doesn't stop at borders or at town borders too you know :)
Colony collapse disorders happen all over the globe, not just the USA or Europe alone.
Pesticides and air pollution doesn't kill bees directly but might weaken their resistance enough to fall prey to parasites and fungicides.
http://qz.com/107970/scientists-discover-whats-killing-the-bees-and-its-worse-than-you-thought/

Bees prefer to forage plants containing neonicotinoids, or insecticides chemically related to nicotine (http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature14414.html), which is leading to their declining numbers, a new study out of the United Kingdom recently published in the journal Nature says.

[n2ize]

I linked above to a very good paper that carefully examines CCD and neoniconoids , Bt toxin and bee reproduction. It's worth the fee for the paper. BTW there is a very weak correlation between neo toxins and CCD. Overall the honeybee population is increasing. CCD is a localized disorder. Many locales where neo toxins are used in abundance have not seen significant CCD while other locales where little or no neo-toxin is used have seen significant CCD/

[WØTKX]

Bumblebees are not honey bees, but they are among the most prolific pollinators.

Bumblebees being crushed by climate change (http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2015/07/bumblebees-being-crushed-climate-change)


Overall, they found that some bumblebees have retreated as many as 300 kilometers from the southern edge of their historic ranges since 1974. The rusty patched bumblebee (Bombus affinis), for instance, has disappeared from parts of the southeastern United States. Southern species are also retreating to higher elevations, shifting upward by an average of about 300 meters over the same time period. Meanwhile, few species have expanded their northern territories. And it turned out that climate change was the only factor that had a meaningful impact on the large-scale range shifts. (Data on pesticide use were available only in the United States, however, and the study did not examine whether populations were growing or shrinking.)
One clue to the importance of climate: Bumblebee ranges began shrinking “even before the neonicotinoid pesticides came into play in the 1980s,” says ecologist and coauthor Alana Pindar, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Guelph in Canada. She says the retreat from southern territories is “a huge loss for bumblebee distributions” and happened surprisingly quickly. The researchers believe the retreat—and the move to higher elevations—may reflect the fact that bumblebees evolved in cooler climates than many other insects that haven't yet lost ground, and so are especially sensitive to warming temperatures.

Blame Canada!

[NQ6U]

Bumblebees are not honey bees, but they are among the most prolific pollinators.

Blame Canada!

Maple syrup and poutine. Kills bees every time.