The Yellowstone Supervolcano (fresh water, United States, building, best)

[Mac_Muz]

Originally Posted by Nighteyes

Perhaps someone was reminding you to pay attention, and not get complacent...

BTDT, got the scars to prove it...

Nope, it was a mirical.
Up to 4 gallons now and the sap is still running.. I am not sure how that is, but my 6 pack abs are getting better from the lugging, lifting and splittin' piles of wood.

No summer baby fat on thisn' chil.

[Mac_Muz]

Originally Posted by zoomzoom3

The bad thing about Yellowstone will be that there will be almost nowhere to run from the climate change.

It will be so bad that you'll see regular snowfall in Costa Rica from Dec.-Feb.

I agree. I can deal with the cold, but plants won't. If plants don't, bee's won't, and that is something that would really scare me.

[texdav]

I tnik that its like a hurricane in that you evacuate as fast as ossible to get out fo teh way.Its said that the chances are 1 in 7 that it will occur during anyones lifetime. Those are about the odds of getting s direct hit by a major hurrcane along the gulf coast which is much different than a near miss;I can tell you.

[Mac_Muz]

Dave, you might get out of the way of a YS direct hit, but no one is getting out of a 5 years round winter....

[lifelongMOgal]

Originally Posted by Mac_Muz

I agree. I can deal with the cold, but plants won't. If plants don't, bee's won't, and that is something that would really scare me.

I'm afraid chemicals from the big Ag corporations likes of Bayer and others are going to kill off the bees and other beneficial incects/birds in short order compared to the likelyhood of YS super volcano eruption giving us a new "ice age".

[Mac_Muz]

Originally Posted by lifelongMOgal

I'm afraid chemicals from the big Ag corporations likes of Bayer and others are going to kill off the bees and other beneficial incects/birds in short order compared to the likelyhood of YS super volcano eruption giving us a new "ice age".

Inform me about that please. 2 years ago the honey bee here was almost gone, but has since made a little come back. I wasn't very happy thinking I wuld have to hand polinate my garden. Other bugs assist, but are not like the bee.

If man kills the bee, man will die.

[Aoekae]

There are a lot of factors which are working against the bees at the moment.

GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms). Some plants, like soybean, are being genetically crossed with bacteria to produce pesticides inside the plant. (Side note: Unless you're eating organic, you and your family have been consuming this too.)

Pesticides. Due to greed, pesticides were approved despite all tests indicating that they were more effective against beneficial insects than the ones they were actually trying to kill.

Varroa Mite. The western honeybee has been bred by man to be bigger and bigger so that the harvest will be bigger. The varroa mite feeds on the honeybees, and infects them with many of their diseases. At the same time, they also make the bee less able to fight off diseases. If bees are regressed back to their natural size, only the drones are affected.

Cruel Beekeeping. Commercial beekeepers these days don't much care if the bees are happy and healthy, as long as they produce honey. They are often fed only one crop (clover is common) and suffer from nutrition issues from this. Their honey stores for winter, almost in entirety, are taken, and in return, they're given sugar water or generic pollen substitute. They're trucked states away to pollenate strange places, which could possibly mess up their navigation.

The bees are collapsing, yo.

[Mac_Muz]

Originally Posted by Aoekae

There are a lot of factors which are working against the bees at the moment.

GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms). Some plants, like soybean, are being genetically crossed with bacteria to produce pesticides inside the plant. (Side note: Unless you're eating organic, you and your family have been consuming this too.)

Pesticides. Due to greed, pesticides were approved despite all tests indicating that they were more effective against beneficial insects than the ones they were actually trying to kill.

Varroa Mite. The western honeybee has been bred by man to be bigger and bigger so that the harvest will be bigger. The varroa mite feeds on the honeybees, and infects them with many of their diseases. At the same time, they also make the bee less able to fight off diseases. If bees are regressed back to their natural size, only the drones are affected.

Cruel Beekeeping. Commercial beekeepers these days don't much care if the bees are happy and healthy, as long as they produce honey. They are often fed only one crop (clover is common) and suffer from nutrition issues from this. Their honey stores for winter, almost in entirety, are taken, and in return, they're given sugar water or generic pollen substitute. They're trucked states away to pollenate strange places, which could possibly mess up their navigation.

The bees are collapsing, yo.

I live in rural NH, and grow all my veggies with no pesticides. None of the criteria you offered happens here so far as I know, but that doesn't mean I doubt you or your facts.

Like i said 2 years it was grim. Last year here it was better, but they seemed confused, showing up about now, in Mud Season. A few crash dived into my boiling maple sugar pan. That seemed very early as there are no flowers out, because here there is still snow knee deep or better right now.

I am sugaring now and have been the past 4 weeks and no honey bees are here currently. That's a good thing. NH seems to cold for the western honey bee too.

In summer I get a wasp that polinates strawberries, but the wasps eat the berries at the same time, tunneling inside a berry to eat. That can be a little bit of a problem. These wasps are not exactly friendly either.

[Nighteyes]

Here in SoCal I have noticed a recent abundance of honey bees. It has been extremely wet here, and there is more greenery and flowers than I've ever seen in my 23 years in SoCal. It seems that every flowering bush is attended by two to three dozen honey bees. Their gentle buzzing can be heard from 15-20 feet away. If I should need to go among the bushes, and as long as my movements are slow and methodical, they will move out of my way.

I need to pay close attention, though, because many, MANY hives of Africanized honey bees have been found in the area.

[Mac_Muz]

Yeah in my corn I like to be able to move plant to plant to get the japanese bettles and not get stung by honey bee's because my getting stung means the bee dies.

I don't know if the Africanized honey bees can adapt to my cold or not. None have been seen around by anyone I know.

Maybe the honey bees will be back in better numbers than last year which seemed to be coming back. It's to cold to tell just now, but if the sugar maples happen to be telling, they will be.

This has been a great year for sugar makers; little guys like me and the big boys too.

I am considering a new home made rig with either a 2' x 5' pan or a 21" x 6'. I'ld like to get to boiling off 15 GPH, instead of 5.