New Clue Found to Disappearing Honey Bees

New Clue Found to Disappearing Honey Bees

www.foxnews.com

The new study of sick bees disclosed fragments of ribosomal RNA in their gut, an indication of damage to the ribosomes, which make proteins necessary for life, according to a study in Tuesday's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

RNA, which is made from DNA, is central to protein production.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Scary stuff. Just another symptom on what is going on, but definitely pointing at a problem - now, what is causing the problem? As Dr. House would say, the symptoms never lie.

The story also mentions the accidental introduction of a mite, how this makes the bees suceptible to pesticides, etc.

How would our world change (not for the better) if the bees died out entirely? The Bee Movie showed a fictional account of it - but is it that far from the truth?

www.foxnews.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Thanks for the interesting info. The agriculture in the US and in many other areas would completely collapse without bees.

This is a fascinating subject. I think more funding and research are necessary to combat this problem.

Oh please... forget it
It's Bayer man and Mosanto, but mostly Bayer CropScience Inc.

Bayer CropScience is a very corrupt company

www.bayer-kills-bees.com...

www.ens-newswire.com...

www.organicconsumers.org...

www.santacruzhousing.net...

nutritionresearchcenter.org...

www.worldproutassembly.org...

Now the below video is old, but just to show you what type of business Bayer is. The above links are all related to bees but the below is not, but just to show you what type of company they are.

You should see this movie !!




[edit on 25/8/2009 by ChemBreather]

I have been reading about the relationship between the seed pesticide Imidacloprid and the disappearance of bees. So far, no one but France has banned it or accepted that there may be a relationship, but it is a very nasty substance. It is, obviously, produced by Bayer, and Bayer, of course have a number of 'licensing agreements' with Monsanto. This chemical is very widely used, and I presume, though I have yet to find confirmation on it, that Monsanto seed is treated with it.

Imidacloprid is a neonicotinoid, which is a class of neuro-active insecticides modeled after nicotine. A patented chemical, Imidacloprid is manufactured by Bayer Cropscience (part of Bayer AG) and sold under trade names Kohinor, Admire, Advantage, Gaucho, Merit, Confidor, Hachikusan, Premise, Prothor, and Winner. It is marketed as pest control, seed treatment, an insecticide spray, termite control, flea control, and a systemic insecticide.
Studies on rats indicate that the thyroid is the organ most affected by Imidacloprid. Thyroid lesions occurred in male rats at a Lowest Observed Adverse Effect Level of 16.9 mg/kg/day[2]
In France, its use (as Gaucho) has become controversial in terms of a possible link to derangement of behavior in domesticated honeybees. See Imidacloprid effects on bee population. In relation to this, Germany has banned seed treatment related to neonicotinoids, in May 2008, due to negative effects upon bee colonies.[3]

In rats subjected to a two year feeding study, no observable effect was seen at 100 parts per million (ppm). At 300 ppm females showed decreased body weight gain and males showed increased thyroid lesions, while females showed increased thyroid lesions at 900 ppm. In a one year feeding study in dogs, no observable effect was seen at 1,250 ppm, while levels up to 2,500 ppm led to hypercholesterolemia and elevated liver cytochrome p-450 measurements. Reproductive studies in rats resulted in no observable effect at 100 ppm and decreased pup weight at 250 ppm; developmental toxicity studies in rats showed no observable effect at 30 (mg/kg)/day and skeletal anomalies at 100 (mg/kg)/day, while in rabbits no observable effect was detected at 24 (mg/kg)/day and skeletal abnormalities at 72 (mg/kg)/day. Imidacloprid was negative for mutagenicity in 21 out of 23 different laboratory tests, but was positive for chromosomal changes in human lymphocytes and for genotoxicity in CHO cells. No carcinogenicity was seen in rats fed up to 1,800 mg/kg of imidacloprid for two years.[7]

Uses
The most widely used applications for Imidacloprid in California are pest control in structures, turf pest control, grape growing, and head and leaf lettuce growing. Other widespread crop uses are rice, grains/cereals including corn (maize), potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, fruit, cotton, and hops. Target insects include sucking insects (e.g., aphids, whiteflies, leafhoppers and planthoppers, thrips, scales, mealybugs, bugs, psyllids, and phylloxera), beetles (e.g., longhorn beetles, leaf beetles, Colorado potato beetles, rice water-weevils, wireworms, grubs, and flea beetles), and others (e.g., lepidopterous leaf¬miners, some diptera, termites, locusts, and fleas).
When used for seed treatments, it is sold under the trade names Akteur, Amigo, Baytan Secur, Chinook, El Hombre, Escocet, Gaucho, Gaucho Blé, Gaucho CS, Gaucho Maícero, Gaucho MZ, Gaucho Orge, Gaucho Primo, Gaucho T, Gaucho MT, Gaucho XT, Genesis, Faibel, Ferial Blé, Férial Orge, Imprimo, Manta Plus, Monceren Extra, Monceren G, Monceren GT, Montur, Prestige, Prestige M, Raxil Secur, Seed-one, Sibutol Secur, Yunta and Zorro FS 236.
When used on citrus, coffee, cotton, fruits, grapes, potatoes, rice, soybeans, sugarcane, tobacco and vegetables as an insecticide spray, it is sold under the trade names Admire, Confidor, Connect, Evidence, Leverage, Muralla, Provado and Trimax.
It is marketed as Premise for termite control and Advantage and K9 Advantix in the US and Europe for flea control on pets. It is also sold under the trade names Merit, Admire, Confidor and Winner, as well as Hachikusan (in Japan).
12.5 to 25 g of pure Imidacloprid may be mixed with 15 L (4 US gallons) of water to cover 3 linear meters (10 feet) for purposes of treating subterranean termites.

en.wikipedia.org...

In France, Imidacloprid started being used in 1994 as a seed-coating for sunflowers. The following years, some beekeepers mentioned the possibility of a relationship between the pesticide and some behavioral troubles in bees. Bayer CropScience made some studies on the topic, which concluded Gaucho was non-toxic to bees. At this point, most discussions were kept rather private between Bayer and beekeeper associations.
However, during summer 1997, heavy losses of bees were observed in several regions of France and the controversy became public

The commission concluded that it had no serious indicators suggesting Imidacloprid might be dangerous to bees. However, the commission suggested a risk could exist with seed-treated corn pollen.
Gerard Eyries, marketing manager for Bayer's agricultural division in France, was cited saying studies confirmed that Imidacloprid left a small residue in nectar and pollen, but there was no evidence of a link with the drop in France's bee population, adding, "It is impossible to have zero residue. What is important is to know whether the very tiny quantities which have been found have a negative effect on bees." He also added that the product was sold in 70 countries with no reported side effects.
Other studies[citation needed] indicated that concentrations were especially high when the plant is young. These would often be of
• 10 to 20 ppb in upper leaves
• 100 to 200 ppb in other leaves
• less than 1.5 ppb in nectar
• 2 to 3 ppb in pollen
Bayer then agreed that the insecticide may cause disorientation of bees at levels above 20 parts per billion of the active ingredient. Recent studies[citation needed] by researchers at the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) suggest that bee behaviour is affected at levels between 3-16 ppb or possibly even 0.5 ppb.

[edit] 2001
In 2001, Bayer also brought a judicial case against Maurice Mary, one of the leaders of the French association of beekeepers for disparagement of the chemical Imidacloprid. The action was dismissed by the judge in May 2003.
[edit] 2002
A similar battle is occurring in Nova Scotia, where beekeepers are accusing Imidacloprid used on potatoes for massive losses of bees needed for blueberry pollination.[1]
[edit] 2003
In 2003, French agricultural Minister Jean Glavany again extended the suspension of the use of Imidacloprid on sunflower seeds.
In spite of a 4 year ban already on sunflower seeds treatment, a significant drop in bee individuals is still observed. Beekeepers were cited as saying the measure was insufficient, as studies found that Imidacloprid left a residue which meant that even after two years, plants sowed on the same spot as the crop originally treated contained traces of the product.
Some also suggest that the bee colony losses could also be due to the use of imidacloprid on corn as well, or by the replacement of it by another systemic insecticide called Fipronil. Indeed in May 2003, the DGAL (Direction Générale de l'Alimentation du ministère de l'Agriculture ) indicated death of bees observed in the south of the country had been caused by acute toxicity by Fipronil (as the active chemical in the systemic insecticide called Regent), while it was recognised Imidacloprid had no responsibility in the bees death. Some national field studies are currently under way (2003) to assert the responsibility of Imidacloprid.
[edit] 2008
In June 2008, the German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety suspended the registration of eight neonicotinoid pesticide seed treatment products used in oilseed rape and sweetcorn, a few weeks after honeybee keepers in the southern state of Baden Württemberg reported a wave of honeybee deaths linked to one of the pesticides, clothianidin.[2]
In August 2008 the group Coalition against Bayer Dangers (CBG) brought a legal case against Werner Wenning, Bayer's Chairman, for marketing dangerous pesticides which are causing the death of bees worldwide. [3]

en.wikipedia.org...

Aug 2010 Houston, I've seen 2 bees this year
I've been looking

where have they all gone, are they dead?
Only wasp and a few bumble bees

Originally posted by miklittle
Aug 2010 Houston, I've seen 2 bees this year
I've been looking

where have they all gone, are they dead?
Only wasp and a few bumble bees

You just made me realize something. I have not seen ONE yellow jackets nest this year. Last year, like evey year, there was two in tha bank across the road and 3 or 4 in the yard. Not one this year at all. Only one small wasp nest on the porch this year. There was 4 or 5 around the house last year. And ony a few bumble bees and the place hs been bumble bee city in years past. It did not dawn on me until you said that. This is odd to say the least.

Just in case you forgot, fluoride binds to the 80S ribosomal subunit and acts as a dimmer switch on protein synthesis. As soon as the fluoride is removed from the environment, small ribosomal subunits unbind and protein synthesis resumes like clockwork. Could it be a fluoride related problem? Of course it is...


Effect of sodium fluoride on protein synthesis in HeLa cells: Inhibition of ribosome dissociation
Journal of Molecular Biology
Volume 47, Issue 3, 14 February 1970, Pages 335-352

Incubation of HeLa cells with sodium fluoride results in inhibition of protein synthesis, disaggregation of polyribosomes, accumulation of 80 s ribosomes and decrease of free ribosomal subunits.

Get the fluoride monkeys off your back and accept that Dr. Strangelove's General Ripper was right and the communists with bureaucratic power and covetous professional officeholders have been sapping everyone, including the insects', precious bodily fluids. The author of the book upon which Dr. Strangelove was based, Red Alert author Peter George, died under suspicious circumstances, probably suicided. Stanley Kubrick was damage control, and now we know a masterful propagandist.

[edit on 10-8-2010 by elusive1]

I have been talking to a local bee keeper about how i could get a hive out of a tree and into a hive box.

One thing came up was CCD and the local bee keeper said none of the local hobby bee keepers has seen any problems but we being in the Calif desert have no GM crops or major insecticide use in the area.

And none of the hobby bee keeper that he knows from the web that live in none agriculture areas are having any problems even bee keepers in big cities are free of CCD.

That leaves something in agriculture areas that is killing the bees.

That would also eliminate fluoride, cellphones and a number of other things as we have them here.

I wanted to thank the original poster for the quote on the sick bee ribosomes.

The new study of sick bees disclosed fragments of ribosomal RNA in their gut, an indication of damage to the ribosomes, which make proteins necessary for life, according to a study in Tuesday's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

RNA, which is made from DNA, is central to protein production.

Conservation of globin messenger RNA in rabbit reticulocyte monoribosomes after sodium fluoride treatment
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
Volume 47, Issue 4, 26 May 1972, Pages 766-774

Following NaF treatment of rabbit reticulocytes, polyribosomes dissociate to monoribosomes with concomitant cessation of protein synthesis. mRNA was isolated from different fractions of the cell before and after NaF treatment and quantitated by assay for globin synthesis in a cell-free system prepared from Krebs ascites tumor cells. mRNA activity present in polyribosomes of control cells was recovered quantitatively from monoribosomes following NaF treatment. On removal of NaF, polyribosomes reform with mRNA activity similar to that of control cells. During polyribosome dissociation, no significant amount of mRNA is recovered from ribosomal subunits, the supernatant fraction or is lost by degradation.

Sulfuryl fluoride in the global atmosphere
Mühle, J., et al. (2009), Sulfuryl fluoride in the global atmosphere, J. Geophys. Res., 114, D05306, doi:10.1029/2008JD011162.

The global tropospheric background concentration of SO2F2 has increased by 5 ± 1% per year from ∼0.3 ppt (parts per trillion, dry air mol fraction) in 1978 to ∼1.35 ppt in May 2007 in the Southern Hemisphere, and from ∼1.08 ppt in 1999 to ∼1.53 ppt in May 2007 in the Northern Hemisphere. The SO2F2 interhemispheric concentration ratio was 1.13 ± 0.02 from 1999 to 2007.

So a 5% per year increase since 2007.

Conjecture: Since sulfuryl fluoride has been approved for expanded uses in the United States since Summer 2008, the concentration of sulfuryl fluoride in the atmosphere has likely increased even more rapidly. While the concentrations of fluoride in the atmosphere may be so minute to humans, who knows what sensitivities our insect cousins experience?

I have previously called for the banning outright of both sulfuryl fluoride fumigant as well as fluoride supplementation in the tap water.