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

reply to post by sealing


Yeah lucky hey?! I saw Gas Land, that was distressing even to me, made me angry to watch, dirty bastards.

They've tried to move in and do the same here too, big stink about it, because we know what they
did to you guys.

You really have to wonder sometimes if it's entirely on pupose

I'm happy to still have seen quite a few in my veg garden this year!

Also, where I live (Belgium) awareness is being raised, and in a very confrontational way! (rightfully so, though the people that watch it are likely not the ones (directly) responsible)

They showed a breakfast table with, and then without bees (in our ecosystem, not on the table :p), the little amount of food that was left was shocking, no fruit, no coffee, etc. I love bees, they are among the essential parts of nature (imo)

reply to post by Kali74


This is well know. Info was linked on it over a year ago. The Environmental Agency still gave the go ahead for the use of these chemicals even though they knew they where unsafe.. These people should be locked up for their actions. The apple is rotten to the core...

As a beekeeper I can tell you that pesticides do cause a lot of problems.
When you go out to the hives and find thousands of dead bees you already know that someone has sprayed their crops at the wrong time of day and probably with something they shouldn't be using.
I have found that CCD is a little differnt though. With CCD you don't have the dead bees. They are just gone.
They go but leave the eggs, brood and honey behind.

I read a story year before last that was about a german scientist who discovered that these chemicals were causing the hive collapse. He reported his findings to the german government and they immediately shut Bayers production down and banned this chemical in germany.

Bayer lied about this chemical. Used to coat seeds and keep insects out of storage areas, bayer said that the chemical would wash away and not be taken up by the plants.

Turns out that bayer lied and the plants absorb it and transport it to the pollen and flower nectar. Which is used by the bees for food. This poisions the hive and kills it.

Trouble is that Bayer is still producing it worldwide. In any country that lets them. Think that we need to make a change.

reply to post by lonegurkha


would that be the same bayer who manufacture tonnes of medications?

Hmmm pesticides and medications crickey! I wouldn't have thought those two should not be linked at all.

"If they lied about one thing"..............you know how the rest of that goes.

This is what your governement is supposed to concern itself with, policies which not only look after it's people but the land for the people as well, by regulating those who don't give a hoot about your country OR it's people,
just money.

Right off the bat , S&F for bringing this to the table.
I think a lot of us here on ATS will just nod and say I told you so.

Most of the threads involving GMO's and such have no naysayers whatsoever.

It is just like the financial doom and gloom threads I read here, there are no different opinions on the matter.

That is what worries me most.

I think it is a given that they have stuck their finger in the honey pot one too many times and we the regular folks are going to pay for it big time.
Regards, Iwinder

reply to post by skycowboy


While bees disappearing does have repercussions, unfortunately, this Einstein quote is a myth. Truth is, he never said it.

Explained here

reply to post by Snaffers
Extremely off topic, but is that a black metal ho-down in your avatar? Back on topic, I have seen only 2 honey bees this year, they were buzzing around on the ground looking confused. PLENTY of wasps this year.

Personally I couldn't give a s*** about bees but all this year I have listened the accounts of the truckers who transport massive amounts of Bees all over the US and Canada, and all the people who read these threads and immediately miraculously recall that they haven't 'seen' any bees recently, oh that's a surprise and it worries you all of a sudden? Ok. I'm sure they'll be fine and we'll all get along just fine. And just because Einstein said something doesn't make it right.

reply to post by AussieAmandaC


Bayer is a big chemical company. they manufacture industrail chemicals as well as Pharmeceuticals.

The germans are real big in industrial chemicals and Pharmaceuticals. There is BASF and others there. Bayer is just one.

I think I only saw 2 bees this past summer. Usually I'm made aware of them because my wife is so terrified of being stung.

Originally posted by Ramcheck
Personally I couldn't give a s*** about bees but all this year I have listened the accounts of the truckers who transport massive amounts of Bees all over the US and Canada, and all the people who read these threads and immediately miraculously recall that they haven't 'seen' any bees recently, oh that's a surprise and it worries you all of a sudden? Ok. I'm sure they'll be fine and we'll all get along just fine. And just because Einstein said something doesn't make it right.

We have a massive back yard with tons and tons of flowers and plants and a pond ( Bees like to locate around a water source)

Up till about 5 years ago we had honey bees making nests under our back garden's retaining wall without fail for almost 10 years they were there and we were there and we co-existed as in no stings and no problems.


Now no honey bees and no yellow jackets, the only bees we have seen are bumble bees and they are scarce too.
This is not a miraculously recall or whatever you want to call it, this is a personal observation and it is accurate to the Nine's

Regards, Iwinder
eta
I should mention that we are located in Ontario Canada for reference.

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.

You should be happy. Consider yourself a "Bee God" and embrace the honor. Trust me, you are few and far between. Would you rather "bee" a destroyer or a creator?

Originally posted by Ramcheck
Personally I couldn't give a s*** about bees but all this year I have listened the accounts of the truckers who transport massive amounts of Bees all over the US and Canada, and all the people who read these threads and immediately miraculously recall that they haven't 'seen' any bees recently, oh that's a surprise and it worries you all of a sudden? Ok. I'm sure they'll be fine and we'll all get along just fine. And just because Einstein said something doesn't make it right.

You couldn't give a sh#t about the bees that help create your food????? You listen to truckers who transport bees ALL OVER THE US AND CANADA......DOESN'T THAT GIVE YOU A FREAKING CLUE????? Since when do bees have to hitch a ride on a truck to help pollinate food sources for the masses all over the world. I'm not even going to say what I really think because I don't want to be banished. I will state that there are some true idiots out there. Do you even understand how our ecology and environment work? I hope you like living off of water and wood shavings.

reply to post by Kali74

wiki.answers.com...
Bees help pollinate around 70% of all the crops on the planet. If all the bees die and nothing rises to replace them (another type of insect, for example, or serious human intervention), many plants will simply die-off due to lack of pollination. If 70% of the plants on the planet die.

Without bees, there would be no honey, but distinctively, certain plants would not be able to reproduce and would thus become extinct. In turn, this would lead to the disappearance of certain animal species.

How much do you think the price of your food is going to increase if you have to pay a human to pollinate each flower???? The same things that are destroying bees are destroying all insects. Think about it.

reply to post by Gridrebel


Please do say what you think, that's why I and the majority of us are here, to gather input.

Ok, so yes that's what I'm saying, the bees are being transported to places they are required, so everyone's a winner. So what's the problem? How can there be a shortage when there are already massive haulage contractors already in place helping us to prevent these issues from happening. Relax.

Also, just sayin'.. As soon as humans began farming and breeding these animals, as with any other, they and we, were f***ed. It's too late.

Originally posted by Ramcheck
reply to post by Gridrebel

 

Please do say what you think, that's why I and the majority of us are here, to gather input.

Ok, so yes that's what I'm saying, the bees are being transported to places they are required, so everyone's a winner. So what's the problem? How can there be a shortage when there are already massive haulage contractors already in place helping us to prevent these issues from happening. Relax.

Also, just sayin'.. As soon as humans began farming and breeding these animals, as with any other, they and we, were f***ed. It's too late.

Because there are less and less bees and other insects. The fact we have to "help" them is disturbing at best. The "truckers" are running out of bees to transport. Or didn't you know that?

www.ars.usda.gov...

U.S. Honey Bee Losses
The total number of managed honey bee colonies has decreased from 5 million in the 1940s to only 2.5 million today. At the same time, the call for hives to provide pollination services has continued to increase. This means honey bee colonies are being transported over longer distances than ever before.

Declines in honey bee colony health were exacerbated in the 1980s with the arrival of new pathogens and pests. The arrival of Varroa and tracheal mites into the United States during the 1990s created additional stresses on honey bees.

Colony losses from CCD are a very serious problem for beekeepers. Annual losses from the winter of 2006-2011 averaged about 33 percent each year, with a third of these losses attributed to CCD by beekeepers. The winter of 2011-2012 was an exception, when total losses dropped to 22 percent.

A 1-year drop is too short a time period to count as definitive improvement in honey bee colony survivorship. At least 2 to 3 years of consistently lower loss percentages is necessary before it is possible to be sure that CCD is on the decline.

The decrease in colony losses could be due to a number of different factors, among them:

The 2011-2012 winter was unusually warm and could have contributed to higher colony survival rates, although there is no scientific research connecting warmer winter weather and CCD. January 2012 ranks as the fourth warmest January in U.S. history, according to NOAA.

Research from ARS and other institutions has provided new management recommendations that beekeepers have begun to adopt. For example, it is now recommended that beekeepers feed honey bees more protein during times of nectar shortage such as during times of drought or in the winter. As part of this, ARS has developed a new bee diet, Megabee, now available to beekeepers. The feeding of supplemental nutrients may help to decrease winter colony losses.

Some diseases are naturally cyclical, and CCD could be at the point where its cause/causes have passed their peak. Or it is possible that colonies that survive could be developing a natural resistance to overcome the unknown cause/causes of CCD. Unfortunately, there is no scientific proof for either of these at this time.
If losses continue at the 33 percent level, it could threaten the economic viability of the bee pollination industry. Honey bees would not disappear entirely, but the cost of honey bee pollination services would rise, and those increased costs would ultimately be passed on to consumers through higher food costs. Now is the time for research into the cause and treatment of CCD before CCD becomes an agricultural crisis.

What I'm trying to say is: The bee population is declining but the need of them is increasing. Our food costs area already increasing because of other factors. If you don't care about the bees then you don't care about anything.

Bees pollinate more than 1/3 of all the food we consume, but they also pollinate plants such as cotton which we use to make clothes. They also pollinate plants world-wide which serve as habitats for other animals.

If you don't care for cucumbers, oranges, grapefruits, raspberries, cantaloupe, pumpkins, pears, plums, then hey, I can't change your mind. But if you care at all about our environment, then care about the bees. What is killing them is killing us.


Bottom line!

Originally posted by lonegurkha
I read a story year before last that was about a german scientist who discovered that these chemicals were causing the hive collapse. He reported his findings to the german government and they immediately shut Bayers production down and banned this chemical in germany.

Bayer lied about this chemical. Used to coat seeds and keep insects out of storage areas, bayer said that the chemical would wash away and not be taken up by the plants.

Turns out that bayer lied and the plants absorb it and transport it to the pollen and flower nectar. Which is used by the bees for food. This poisions the hive and kills it.

Trouble is that Bayer is still producing it worldwide. In any country that lets them. Think that we need to make a change.

edit on 9/20/2012 by lonegurkha because: (no reason given)

Not surprising everyone knows they sold gas to the Nazis for the gassing people, they sold Heroin as cough syrup and so many other crimes.

"The Bayer executive Fritz ter Meer, sentenced to seven years in prison by the Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal, was made head of the supervisory board of Bayer in 1956, after his release.[4]"
en.wikipedia.org...