25,000 Bumble bees found dead in a Target parking lot.

reply to post by muzzleflash

Fear not, these insects apparently survived the Ice Ages without much trouble.

Yeah, but back then we didn't have 7 billion humans on the planet trying to play doctor with nature.

reply to post by J.B. Aloha


Didn't know that. But we have plenty of underground wasps up here. Those are the ones I don't like. They are quite mean.

Please stop pollinating your squash. Nasty food!

The only way I can tolerate that veggie is by smothering it in butter. That can't be healthy, can it?

Originally posted by maryhinge

Originally posted by Phage
reply to post by Dianec

 

Albert Einstein said lose our bees see mass extinction within 4 years.

Exactly when and where did he say that? I've tried to find out, with no luck.

i have also tried to find said quote but nothing at all as ever been said

what i have found is if the die off keeps up that the bees will be extinct in around 100 years

ps i used google search

ETA: Are these mass die offs occurring in the african hybrid honey bees

just did a search and there is no mention of any die offs in the africanized honey bee

edit on 22/6/2013 by maryhinge because: ETA

I couldn't see where they would ever completely disappear but do find a lot about how there would be mass starvation due to declines. If they all disappeared at once, it only takes a bit of imagination to see where we would be in a very short period of time (dont meed to be a biologist to know it would only take a few years). It seems the African bees are doing ok, as you point out, and could be recolonized here if needed.

If its a mite, the weather, or pesticides (or a combination thereof) its clear there is a problem. There have been wide spread colony die offs before but from what I found they are recorded only from the last 40-50 years. Either they were not recorded or they didn't not happen on a big enough scale to be noteworthy.

Because tens of thousands of species go extinct each year it seems pointless to point fingers and say "it's the mite; its weather; its pesticides; those seeds". If there is even a possibility that any of these things (and it appears they all play a role), the responsible thing to is to implement interventions where able.

Pesticides don't help matters and maybe even contribute to the ability of bees to resist the mite that is overtaking it. Because some have been banned due to short term studies it would be better to use natural means instead of gambling with the safety of these things. The idea of taking more time on that path seems like a case of tunnel vision. Unfortunately species that keep others under control are being affected and the chain of life is interrupted.

It may be something that would happen without our involvement but with all of the brilliant minds wouldn't it be better to put energies into prolonging the life of the smaller species in order to save the human race rather than going to the top of the chain and doing it backwards as monsanto is?

www.actionbioscience.org...

He who controls the Bees controls the food and ultimately the world .

Originally posted by watchitburn
Oregon scientists investigate mass death of bumble bees

This is not good news at all.
I'm not anywhere near Oregon, so maybe someone up there can fill us in a little bit more. But where I am in VA. Bumble bees are the only bees I have seen at all this year. I have yet to see a single honey bee.

"We're aware of a pesticide application in the vicinity, but have not yet identified the active ingredient. We are in the process of interviewing parties that may have applied the pesticide," said Dale Mitchell with the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

Just speculation on my part, but I would not be surprised at all to learn a Monsanto product was involved here.

edit on 21-6-2013 by watchitburn because: (no reason given)

Actually I have seen several honey bees here in the northeastern US but mostly bumble bees!
I would not be surprised either if this is all linked to GMOs!
Even though I recently read that the GM crops are safer for the bees I have never seen a decline in Bee populations until we started farming with GM crops! I don't understand how GM crops can be safe for us at all.
I recently read that the pesticide that some of these crops have Bacilius thuringiensis is a pesticide that causes
insects to burst open! This same pesticide is used in mosquito dunks to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in standing water! On the package it says not to use in treated drinking water! It also says to wash hands thoroughly after handling! So why is this stuff okay to be in our food but not safe in our water or on our skin?
Sorry for going off topic a bit this is a contradiction that has me somewhat worried!

Ok, am I the only one who is wondering how the person who counted the dead bees did it. ?

I have seen more bumble bees and wasps this year than honey bees...and this is in BC, Canada.

WTH is going on?!?!?

Originally posted by SimonPeter

He who controls the Bees controls the food and ultimately the world .

This will be the transition into artificial fertilization of crops. You will need to buy this product as bees will no longer be around to pollinate.

Someone should just nuke the Monsanto factory already.

reply to post by Phage


There are alternate methods for pest prevention that don't require spraying a bunch of chemicals. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) has been something that has been known to botanical professionals to be effective in reducing both pests and weeds to a manageable level without resorting to the heavy and broad use of chemical deterrents.

www.epa.gov...

The EPA link just barely scratches the surface of IPM techniques that are out there. Missing would be things like the introduction of beneficial insects, such as ladybugs or praying mantis and staggering crop rows to avoid homogeneity.

pep.wsu.edu...

P.S. The pollen from Linden trees can be poisonous to honey bees (and probably bumblebees) but it takes significant quantities and/or other environmental factors for the toxicity of the pollen to kick in. I'm not far from where the die off occurred but am happy to say that I do have honey bees and several variants of bumblebees here.

reply to post by Skywatcher2011


Some one is empowering Monsanto within our government . The lobbyist and politicians are the problem . Big money is ruining this country.
Just found another of people who are not criminals and obey all laws , salute the flag( not Obama) , help old ladies across the street , pay their bills and their taxes (not politicians ) and these people are considered possible Domestic Terrorist . These people express their convictions on their bumper sticker, are second amendment orientated and support the NRA and have a CCW , they read survivalist information, they are working for self sufficiency and stock food and ammo for possible emergencies , these people fear economic collapse and might buy some gold , THESE PEOPLE BELIEVE THE BOOK OF REVELATIONS (APOCALYPSE, ANTICHRIST) , these people talk about their fear of Big Brother government (NSA), these people home school , these people support the Constitution and Bill of Rights .
These are really bad ,unscrupulous people who seek to support the sovereignty of the United States per the Constitution .
There is more than dead bees in our future . Protocols of Zion found to be a real plan by the Zionist Jews by the United States Military Intelligence in 1919 .

In case nobody else knows, a private company sprayed the trees with insecticide. The trees have since been covered with a net.

Another case off mass bee die off occurred 30 miles away in hillsboro. I just saw this last night on thw news. Not sure how many died or why

reply to post by watchitburn


That's called an Eco lawn my friend. I just read about them. It's very, very good for our pollenators.

reply to post by Skywatcher2011


Hey guys im new around these parts, and the like the guy im quoting im also from BC, Canada. With all the recent news regarding bee's lately it has prompted a rather large interest for me. Im still trying to learn more about bee's but im having a hard time figuring out the difference between species. Everyday i go out i instantly notice about 3-4 of these little fellows on my lawn. Could anyone help me as to what species they are?




I've found these guys absolutely love these flowers, so i really hate when it comes time to mow the lawn.


On topic: it truly is a shame so many bee's were killed so easily. They truly are fragile animals. I've been working hard with my garden/lawn as to help support all my little friends survive as easily as they can.