Where's the Honey Bees?? (grow, Fruit Trees, Salvia, yard)

[Six Foot Three]

i've been hearing on the news over the last year or so about the Honey Bees disapperaing from all over the earth and that they are responsible for Pollinating 90% of ALL food on earth. Albert Einstein said that life would cease to exist on earth about 3 to 4 years if they ever totally disapearred.

I heard on Paul Harvey Radio today say that scientist believe they know whats causing it and that its radio frequencies from Cell Phones. Thats why as Cell Phones increase the Bees are further disappearing. Just interesting stuff to pass along and to ponder about whether true or not.........

[EarthBound?]

They are also saying that there is a small Mite that's doing a number on them as well. All crops depend on those little flying buggers.

[mystree]

I read it could be the pestacides we use.All 3 could be possiblities.

[Cosmic]

In Ohio this winter the cold got a lot of them. They can actually run out of chow in super cold weather. Hey, they got no coal fired boiler in there. They got to shiver to stay warm.

[Six Foot Three]

Good answers from everyone. The Entomologists who study this are calling this ''Colony Collapse Disorder''. The straingest thing of all is they can't even find dead Bees anywhere its like they have disappeared from the earth. You read about it on Wikipedia or Google search it. Anyway Interesting........

[JBrown]

" Albert Einstein said that life would cease to exist on earth about 3 to 4 years if they ever totally disapearred. "

I see this kind of thing all the time.....it's really really dumb. Even if I accept that Einstein actually said any such thing, what makes his statement about bees any more noteworthy than some entomologists statement about quantum mechanics or the gravitational effects on the space time continuum ?? Do you seek out the advice of your local hot shot Ferrari mechanic when it's time for a heart bypass surgery ? Would you let Dr. Jarvik,inventor of the worlds 1st artificial heart, "touch up" your original Rembrandt ??

[Cosmic]

Originally Posted by harry o

Good answers from everyone. The Entomologists who study this are calling this ''Colony Collapse Disorder''. The straingest thing of all is they can't even find dead Bees anywhere its like they have disappeared from the earth. You read about it on Wikipedia or Google search it. Anyway Interesting........

Maybe a bit like the "Silent Spring" problem all over again, but it has been going on a while, just nobody listening again. In Boston I used to grow a garden, had all sort of fruit trees. Was great for a lot of years. Then something happened to the honey bees, like as in ALL gone. It still sort of worked as there was a drawf bumblebee that could take their place. Still got fruit.

Then the skunks and racoons invaded the cities and it was all over. They ate everything in sight, including all the bumblebees. So not being able to find the dead ones does not surprise me, the World is gone cookoo. Skunks think they taste like candy. Still had fruit trees but zero fruit. Not to worry they bulldozed my big cherry tree in the building boom even tho it was on my property, skunks came in many different forms. The only thing left were yellow jackets and wasps and those were getting bigger and meaner. They will not tell you a lot of things if you ask about moving to MA.

The killer probably is not one thing, weather, lack of the right blossoms, generic engineered products, pestacides, mites, peeps taking too much in their share of the honey, just the total environment. Still have bees in Ohio, you still might be able to grow a garden or fruit tree. But the other big things will come after you, especially deer. Will eat the laundry off the clothes line if nothing else is around. No more one or two, come in gangs and packs, eating soup to hay.

Bees probably are not going away. There are commerical folks who have bees that travel following the crops, in winter are in Florida and go up the east coast all the way to ME to pollinate crops. They put the hives on trucks and bees are traveling workers. But it is another indication that the environment is pretty messed up. Toads and frogs have also been showing it for years.

Plus a lot of places now make it fairly difficult to raise and keep bees on a smaller scale. Got to be out in the boonies and they still hassle with permits, fees and inspections, lots of rules and regs. It is a big deal to go and find, kill all the wild ones.

[HMcD]

Bees are under threat from tracheal mites and Varroa mites. Both are parasites that suck blood.

But, what put the kicker on the problem was the introduction of bees from New Zealand/Australia. They brought a new virus and under the load of endemic viruses, the mites and the new virus introduction, they collapse. When a bee 'senses' its death, it will travel as far from the hive as possible. This is a 'built-in' genetic response that attempts to protect the hive from disease. That is, IMO, why so few are found in the hives.


All the above writers' mentioned causes are also responsible in part for the problem. Add the 'enhanced' size of manufactured foundation, travel stress, industrial chemicals that we aren't even aware of and, there you go!

[Cattknap]

I have tons of bees in my yard - many more than I have had for a number of years. I have several large salvias and the bees are thick around them. It is November and the bees are still here...I'm going to have to cut things back soon.

[Floridanative2]

Found a huge bee hive in a tree. It is amazing-just hanging on a branch. you can see the combs and honey. I will try to get a photo to post.