Bee's making a recovery?

Ive been taking pictures of insects in my local park all summer (uk) and ive noticed the total lack of honey bees. But today i went out and there seemed to be quite a few (if you pardon the pun).

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/f07f392c2057.jpg[/atsimg]

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/3f9e5dc2b768.jpg[/atsimg]

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/7b79de3581a1.jpg[/atsimg]
Though im not 100% sure these are honey bees or just look-a-likes. They dont seem to be collecting much pollen.


[edit on 29-8-2009 by VitalOverdose]

Lets hope they make a full come-back. Although there is a conspiracy about TPTB killing them off, to dwindle our food supply.

I sure hope they come back, because I planted some fruit trees and need some blossoms next year!

I have noticed for about 10 years now the lack of honeybees. I remember stepping on them all the time as a kid. Now, I hardly see a couple at a time in one day.

They're back. But there was a lot of hype about what was happening.

“The honeybee decline observed in the USA and in other European countries including Great Britain, which has been attributed in part to parasitic mites and more recently to colony collapse disorder, could be misguiding us to think that this is a global phenomenon,” said Marcelo Aizen, of Universidad Nacional del Comahue in Argentina. “We found here that is not the case.”

www.timesonline.co.uk...



Apparently, the problem is with "managed" hives, not wild hives. It seems it may have been the beekeepers who weren't looking out for the best interests of their bugs that was the problem.

The suggestion is that poor nutrition has weakened the bees’ immune systems, making them more vulnerable to viruses and other parasites. Feeding bees supplements, rather than relying on their ability to forage in the wild, costs time and money. Many beekeepers therefore try to avoid it. Anecdote suggests, however, that those who do fork out find their colonies are far more resistant to CCD.

www.economist.com...



[edit on 8/29/2009 by Phage]

Nahhh , sweet stuff..

I like Bees and BumbleBees, they are so sweet !!!

S&F just for the Pictures !!

reply to post by VitalOverdose


To tell you the truth, I've noticed the lack of bees myself. But this summer, there numbers increased. I've never really heard the conspiracy of TPTB killing off bees. I guess there's a conspiracy for everything wrong in the world.

Heres a pic of a bumble bee i took last month [atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/e63a0f3221e3.jpg[/atsimg]

There's a couple local fields here that I spend alot of time during summer in. I have noticed a decline in the number of Honey Bees, but nothing remarkable. I'd always see several during each visit, sometimes less though.

Maybe it's because I'm in Canada, though?

I like bees, and we need them to survive so... Lets hope they come back as strong as ever! Without them we would be pretty screwed!

You may be seeing an aussie invasion there

We (Australia) have been exporting bees for some time now to boost hives in stricken areas of the world because we're lucky enough (so far at least) to not be affected by the varroa destructor mite and other serious bee problems.

Apparently, the problem is with "managed" hives, not wild hives. It seems it may have been the beekeepers who weren't looking out for the best interests of their bugs that was the problem.

Im not so sure about that, i watched a documentary where 1 bee keeper (the largest in the US) went to extreme lengths to stop the varroa mite attacking his hives. He hid them in a secluded valley but he still lost over 50 % in a winter. It was quite tragic to see.

[edit on 29-8-2009 by VitalOverdose]

reply to post by VitalOverdose


Relocating bees does havoc on their systems, though. That's why some managed hives had problems to begin with. The proper name for the loss is Colony Collapse Disorder.

If you're interested on some possible causes of the problem, see my thread from the winter. Honeybees.

I'm glad that they seem to be returning in your area.

Also see my good friend Animal's thread on CCD, very recent. The Bee Genome and CCD

For awhile I've hypothesized that the issue was immune related, making the bees more susceptible to mites, parasites, and viruses. Animal found a really awesome source on the issue, saying a specific virus alters the honeybee genome, thus weakening the immune system.

[edit on 8/29/2009 by ravenshadow13]

I've noticed more bee's this year then last. I have actually noticed a type of bee I have never seen before here in South Jersey. It was a cross between a bee & wasp, medium size, but it was a dull yellow color all over. No stripes of any kind. Interested to see if anyone else has seen this type. I checked all over the internet and couldn't find it. I SHOULD OF GOTTEN A PIC! :smacks forehead:

reply to post by VitalOverdose



Thank you for this thread


We've been seeing MANY more bees this year !


We're having an early Spring, here in Sydney Australia and have been noticing LOTS of bees in the garden, thank God

During the past few years, bees and butterflies were almost non-existent. Same garden, same plants.

I'd say prior to mid July I wouldn't see a single bee around. Even with flowers in full bloom they'd be nowhere around. But as of late I'm starting to see them show up again. Not quite as many as we should have but they are certainly making a recovery.

Thanks to our Australian cousins then that would explain why these look slightly different from our UK bee's. If they are anything like the rest of your ex-pats then they should have no problem mating with the locals

[edit on 30-8-2009 by VitalOverdose]

After the Spring rains this year we had a bumper crop of clover on our lawn and I haven't seen a single honey bee. Glad to see your lovely pics!
No shortage of wasps & hornet like creatures here, though.

Heres some more pics from the series
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d12cbccca8e8.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/b3f37d1568b0.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/8587a654adb3.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/e50693a3ffc5.jpg[/atsimg]

[edit on 30-8-2009 by VitalOverdose]

i've been thinking the same thing. last year dozens of bees came ot my house to die in the window seals.

this year they are out in force and they are not stopping in to die.

i am hoping that there is a complete recovery from this, i love the little guys and appreciate all they do for us!

Last year my grapefruit tree had not one single fruit on it.

My tangerine trees had large fruit that tasted like grapefruit.

This year I have a grapefruit tree loaded with fruit and also the tangerine trees are heavy with normal sized fruit.

I have been noticing more bees since spring.

Sorry but I had to kill a bee in self defense. He bit my leg when I was picking blackberries.

Hopefully we see more of those little guys.

And less of these little bastards.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/3d755c4e101d.jpg[/atsimg]