Mystery of the Disappearing Bees: Solved! (What the hell are we doing?)

Reuters Opinion

Until recently, the evidence was inconclusive on the cause of the mysterious “colony collapse disorder” (CCD) that threatens the future of beekeeping worldwide. But three new studies point an accusing finger at a culprit that many have suspected all along, a class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids.

In the U.S. alone, these pesticides, produced primarily by the German chemical giant Bayer and known as “neonics” for short, coat a massive 142 million acres of corn, wheat, soy and cotton seeds. They are also a common ingredient in home gardening products.

Research published last month in the prestigious journal Science shows that neonics are absorbed by the plants’ vascular system and contaminate the pollen and nectar that bees encounter on their rounds. They are a nerve poison that disorient their insect victims and appear to damage the homing ability of bees, which may help to account for their mysterious failure to make it back to the hive.

Another study published in the American Chemical Society’s Environmental Science and Technology journal implicated neonic-containing dust released into the air at planting time with “lethal effects compatible with colony losses phenomena observed by beekeepers.”

Purdue University entomologists observed bees at infected hives exhibiting tremors, uncoordinated movement and convulsions, all signs of acute insecticide poisoning. And yet another study conducted by scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health actually re-created colony collapse disorder in several honeybee hives simply by administering small doses of a popular neonic, imidacloprid.

Most of us already know that the use of these neonicotinoids are the culprit of killing off masses of bees, hopefully with these new published studies it will be enough to get them on the banned list of chemicals. That is most likely wishful thinking, Monsanto and other Bio-tech companies would rather produce genetically modified bees to compensate the loss of natural bees. What a relief right? Sadly, I think we're only at the top of this downward spiral.

Every spring millions of bee colonies are trucked to the Central Valley of California and other agricultural areas to replace the wild pollinators, which have all but disappeared in many parts of the country. These bees are routinely fed high-fructose corn syrup instead of their own nutritious honey. And in an effort to boost productivity, the queens are now artificially inseminated, which has led to a disturbing decline in bee genetic diversity. Bees are also dusted with chemical poisons to control mites and other pathogens that have flourished in the overcrowded commercial colonies.

Talk about cognitive dissonance... wouldn't it be a lot simpler (and cheaper for crop growers) to just stop using chemicals, especially chemicals linked to CCD and let nature work it's perfection? This is complete madness.

Still, this is a disaster that does not need to happen. Germany and France have already banned pesticides that have been implicated in the deaths of bees. There is still time to save the bees by working with nature rather than against it, according to environmentalist and author Bill McKibben:

“Past a certain point, we can’t make nature conform to our industrial model. The collapse of beehives is a warning – and the cleverness of a few beekeepers in figuring out how to work with bees not as masters but as partners offers a clear-eyed kind of hope for many of our ecological dilemmas.”

Bingo.

Albert Einstein said when the bees disappear that man will follow 4 years later. Some sites on the net discuss the bees starting to really disappear 4 years ago. Kinda fits in with other scenarios for this year.

I also see way less flowers in nature? I also see way less butterflies (& when I do small ones).
Nature seemed more alive in my past memory as a child.

I saw countless of butterflies and those little hoover wasps as a kid (edit I think it's called: Episyrphus balteatu, which I never see anymore.

Anyways you right, we are 1 big family but we think we live alone.

The irony that Germany supplied the stuff and probably don't allow it anymore......!
Did I hear someone say compensation?

Anywho...

I heard the other day we send hives from down here up there, but don't quote me on that.
It's not too late to give a crap either, clean your methods and love the land, when there's no weeds either that really isn't healthy. Beez love weeds.
Stop complicating a very natural simple system for the sake of money.

You can't just throw your hands in the air and proclaim hoplessness either, you have to clean up your mess, simple.

Artificially inseminating the queens?...................wtf?!?! No wonder their having dramas!

Originally posted by skycowboy
Albert Einstein said when the bees disappear that man will follow 4 years later. Some sites on the net discuss the bees starting to really disappear 4 years ago. Kinda fits in with other scenarios for this year.

tell that to the swarms that CONSTANTLY get in my house.

plenty in my area.

reply to post by Kali74


think of it as as a microcosm of the effects of greed on the world
i've seen the effects of replacing the bee's honey with HFCS and previously sugar 1sthand
most of the honey produced in PR now is so-called honey-syrup it can no longer be legally labeled as honey
real honey is now an import. having become addicted to sugar bee's here for the most part don't search for nectar
from flowers, but sugar from discarded coffee cups and soda cans.
honey syrup? more like sugar junkie vomit IMO [honey is bee regurgitate]

the neocrapinoids?, like i said a microcosm of the world all visible in a bee's hive

we really need to get off our asses build up a complete database/file
concerning the ever increasing systematic dissemination/introduction of toxins into the food supply and ecology and declare anathema/crusade/jihad against the corporations AND all their stockholders responsible, round them all up, strip them of all assets, to be used exclusively for the reversal and repair of the damage already done.

35 lashes with a cat-o-9-tails made of rusty barb wire or razor ribbon, banish them all to an island, and herd them into concentration camps, where all their poisons will be piled up, and force them to eat it all until they die, if they have to be restrained and force fed so much the better, 24/7 surveillance with free universal access via internet and high schoolers must dedicate an hour or 2 daily to manning the observation posts as a graduation requirement

so that any humanoids that may evade the cull, do not dare try this kind of abomination ever again

it simply cannot be denied: this is being done intentionally and systematically,
Every time you turn around, yet another product is found to contain poison
to be eaten, drunk, breathed, absorbed thru the skin...


and yes, i am advocating a Final Solution against these monsters,

it's THEM or US.

Originally posted by Dizrael

Originally posted by skycowboy
Albert Einstein said when the bees disappear that man will follow 4 years later. Some sites on the net discuss the bees starting to really disappear 4 years ago. Kinda fits in with other scenarios for this year.

tell that to the swarms that CONSTANTLY get in my house.

plenty in my area.

clean up your house

they are looking for sugar

reply to post by Dizrael


Honey bees? I saw one this past summer. One. And it was the first time I had seen one in at least 3 years. I remember growing up we had to be careful when we went out in the yard barefoot because we had lots of clover and the bees were just out all over it.

Wasps are not in short supply though. Ugly, nasty things they are. Are they even useful for anything besides scaring the crap out of me?

This article in the OP SHOULD be enough for the government to put brakes on the madness but since our politicians are bought and paid for by corporations like Bayer and Monsanto, it's going to be a tough battle. Along with stringing up the CEOs of these companies, the politicians in their back pockets need to go along for the ride.

reply to post by skycowboy

Some say Einstein never said such a thing
www.thedailygreen.com... www.markturner.net...

I didnt see any bees this summer. Its Sept and I just saw my first humming bird... and thats only because Im the only wacko around here that will purposely plant a trumpet vine.trying to attract bees

I got into a spot of trouble this week and was speaking with an old friend Id not seen in some time who is like me... an ex emergency med worker... and she says that this entire year at the hospital she works for there were no cases of anaphylactic shock from bee stings. Now this would be a good thing.. but statistically most folks who come in never knew they were allergic.. so its not a matter of people being more aware or proactive. Its a lack of the agent being plentiful.. the agent being the bee/wasp/etc. I dont even recall how we got on the subject.. and I have no reason to believe she is lying or tall tale telling.. she wasnt aware of the bee issue in any other sense than in passing. Not a more "awake" person.

TO be honest, what I have noticed is a lack of membrane winged insects in my area.That is an important distinction if youre looking for likely culprits. Ive been whining on here about my bees, bat die off about 2 yrs ago including my still empty bat houses.. with no bee or wasp infestation after 2 yrs of being abandoned... and my lack of butterflies, humming birds, and the damned farms surrounding my city being those of franken-fuel-corn and not food. Plus the deer out here laying around on the side of the road.. not dead but dying... which we first noticed over 2 yrs ago.Speaking of membrane winged insects.. we have seemingly more due to the bat disappearance.. the problem is that the reactions my kids had to these mosquitoes were over the top. I never have been bothered by them.. and even I got a welt from a "bite". My middle daughter got an actual lump about the size of a silver dollar. Mosquitoes are carrying some definite nasties this yr and no bats or other small birds to thin them out. Did I mention I have lost all of my starliings and purple martins as well? ( this all should be pretty terrifying to folks.. but it doesnt seem to be sinking in around here.. yet)


Anyhoo.. I couldnt get a garden to produce squat this yr anyway.. weather related reasons for the larger part. I went to the farmers market.. which is less organic hobby farmers by far this yr.. and the honey guy wasnt there. I hope he was simply taking the day off

Originally posted by AussieAmandaC
The irony that Germany supplied the stuff and probably don't allow it anymore......!
Did I hear someone say compensation?

Anywho...

I heard the other day we send hives from down here up there, but don't quote me on that.
It's not too late to give a crap either, clean your methods and love the land, when there's no weeds either that really isn't healthy. Beez love weeds.
Stop complicating a very natural simple system for the sake of money.

You can't just throw your hands in the air and proclaim hoplessness either, you have to clean up your mess, simple.

Artificially inseminating the queens?...................wtf?!?! No wonder their having dramas!

Great points all around Aussie.
I agree with everything you said.

What's different between Germany and the US is,
when the Germans know that they have a problem
they change it. In the US, a problem with a product just means
the company sends more lobbyists to Washington.

Some poor people here can light their tap water on fire because of contamination
from fracking. So what do we do here? Continue Fracking of course.
And then the energy comp puts out a few commercials telling us how
lucky we are to have all this natural gas available.

I wonder if that's why pollen production has been off the charts this year. Perhaps this is nature's way of ensuring the yellow stuff gets around since its natural deliverly vehicle (bees) have gone away.

I've had a pollen alert, every day since March, in my neck of the woods.

Warning; shameless plug:

Well, there is another possibility...

During the big Isaac/Drone hoopla of several years ago, ATS had a little writing contest. My submission addressed the Bee Disappearing phenomenon in a rather fanciful Drone/Bee story you may enjoy.

Anyway, if you'd like a little Science Fiction diversion re: "Da Bees...

Check out ATS story on Disappearing Bees in "Life Catalyst"...

Grow lavender in your garden, bees love it! If your not a gardener, just buy one in a pot from your local store. Lets all do our bit to turn the tide and save our friends.

Originally posted by Dizrael

Originally posted by skycowboy
Albert Einstein said when the bees disappear that man will follow 4 years later. Some sites on the net discuss the bees starting to really disappear 4 years ago. Kinda fits in with other scenarios for this year.

tell that to the swarms that CONSTANTLY get in my house.

plenty in my area.

Are the honey bees? Ours are gone, we have a new small bumble bee this year, last year we had only large bumbles. The meet bees are still here but not as many as used to be.

reply to post by Kali74


not to mention bees are feed a corn syrup mix which im sure contains the same pesticide as u mention.

reply to post by Kali74

www.abcplus.biz...

Terrence Ingram, an Illinois beekeeper has been researching the effects of Monsanto’s Roundup on honeybees for the past 15 years and had (past tense) an impressive collection of data to show that the herbicide causes not just bee die-offs, but also Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)—a mysterious phenomenon that has decimated an estimated one-third of all honey bees since 2006.

Alas, all that has changed. On or about March 14th, agents of the Illinois Dept. of Ag. allegedly confiscated his bee hives when he was not at home and without due process. Since then the agency has not been able to produce any information about why the bees were illegally confiscated or where they were taken and/or if they were destroyed.

The site includes a section on
What Can You do to Help the Honeybees?

reply to post by Kali74


also the corn syrup that has been used to feed these bees is not easliy digested by bees which also has leas to bee deaths, i know this i used to work for a familey that have been in the business since the 70s and once corn started getting fed to bees the population started droping

I thought the bees were in decline because I haven't noticed them as much over the past couple of years. But this year?? Pfft... I got them EVERYWHERE! I mean they are in my can recycling bin, around my garbage cans and there is a stump out in the yard they have built a nest in (I mow around it REAL fast lol). Just yesterday I had to clean out my hummingbird feeders because they had gotten into them (persistent buggers) and actually clogged them up.

I've avoided killing them because.. well.. I thought there was a shortage as well. Thing is, I am being totally overrun by them this year. I hope next year will see their return but I have to say that if I do, there is gonna be some skirmishes with cans of raid or something.

Reply to post by Plugin

I thought the same some weeks ago... Only one i saw... one butterfly 2O years ago there were so many... i do remember. Now i am sad...


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