Posted on 05/13/2007 8:21:37 AM PDT by mission9
All around the United States, reports have been coming in for months about the wholesale loss of bees by beekeepers. Apiarists are flummoxed over the losses which are not being suffered by native, wild bees. The "killer" bees or Africanized bees, are not affected. As much of your food relies on bee pollination skills to arrive at your tabletop, the public has cause for concern regarding this blight.
Richard Hoagland, in addition ....
(Excerpt) Read more at associatedcontent.com ...
Cicada killer? We had them in Midland TX. They are quite fierce looking but never offered to sting. They are a wasp. Here is a picture:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://insects.tamu.edu/images/insects/common/images/cd-43-c/img331.jpg&imgrefurl=http://insects.tamu.edu/images/insects/common/images/cd-43-c-txt/cimg331.html&h=484&w=666&sz=36&hl=en&start=8&um=1&tbnid=S-BzRlfTyeOllM:&tbnh=100&tbnw=138&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%2522cicada%2Bkiller%2522%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26channel%3Ds%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DG
susie
Click on POGW graphic for full GW rundown
New!!: Dr. John Ray's
GREENIE WATCH
Ping me if you find one I've missed.
I know next to nothing about bee keeping. Is nature basically allowed to take it’s course as far as reproduction, do they interbreed with native bees, or what? I’m just curious if this could be a genetic problem from either not enough diversity in the gene pool causing something like a too homozygous immune system or some less than ideal genes that have been doubled up on.
susie
Who knows almost all large beekeepers use corn syrup and those who don’t are the small time honey producers like me and small time beekeepers are experiencing less loss across the board. That could be due to any number of factors.
Native bees and african bees aren’t generally fed corn syrup as part of their diet because they are “wild” and no bees pollinate genetically modified corn. Corn is wind pollinated.
Please, reread what I wrote. The bees are fed corn syrup made from GMO corn the corn has trace pesticide that affects the bees immune system. I also state this is possible not an absolute.
I also don’t appreciate your tone, you sound like you have some ax to grind. I’m not the person that you need to grind against.
I agree, it could be very difficult to tease out the answer, but I would think the Dept. of Agriculture would be interested in getting to the bottom of it. I think they should put Dr. House, the gang from CSI and gang from NCIS on it. Maybe throw in Bones. Surely THEY could come up with an answer!
;)
susie
So stop feeding the bees corn syrup---switch to cane sugar.
"Please, reread what I wrote. The bees are fed corn syrup made from GMO corn the corn has trace pesticide that affects the bees immune system. I also state this is possible not an absolute."
I read what you wrote. It all amounts to speculation. You have no valid evidence. So you're a bee-keeper. Wheres your scientifically validated PROOF of the above. Simply put, you have none.
"I also don’t appreciate your tone, you sound like you have some ax to grind. I’m not the person that you need to grind against."
I don't give a **** what you think about my "tone". I think your "theory" is baloney. I watched exactly this kind of malarkey being spread back during the first explosion of eco-nuttery about the Spanish moss down South. Back then, the moss was supposedly being "driven extinct" by "air pollution". Twenty years later, they found that the cause was a disease, and the moss had made a full recovery. I get tired of people who pass along eco-rumors as fact, when in reality, they HAVE no facts---just speculation.
This has happened OVER, and OVER, and OVER. The eco-scares have gotten too numerous to list any more.
I took some time to trace it back and I believe it is the remnants of the vortical theory of gravity pre-relativity, that is, pre-1905. That theory was left undeveloped since the new math of relativity was actually easier to work with, but it is still there in case anybody wants something to do. I don’t see anybody actually doing anything with it aside from some publicizing.
You have some issues you need to address emotionally. I think you should seek the help of a professional.
Also you don’t know the first thing about beekeeping so my specualtion into what is happening to the bees (as I deal with them each and every day) is a bit more valid than any speculation you may have.
Please seek help for your problems instead of attacking people here who are trying to discuss an actual serious problem in the beekeeping community. Or at least keep your mouth shut when you don’t know anything about what you are discussing.
I also want to address one more thing to you.
As eco scares go this one is real not like Global warming or some other nonsense. I saw the numbers yesterday and I believe that last year 2.5 million hives of bees died to what ever is happening.
That is a huge hit to the beekeeping industry. An industry that adds 50% to the value of all vegetable and fruit harvests in this country.
The real problem is that the MSM is focused on fake problems like Global warming and not real problems like this. Yes we get a story here or there but this is an actual problem not some pie in the sky nonsense.
He's a huckster of the first degree.
http://www.flora.org/healthyottawa/HRSS-CHOsubmissionOct05.doc
Imidacloprid Facts – all about the grub-killer “Merit”
* Imidacloprid is a chlorinated nicotinoid compound, that affects the nervous system.
* Imidacloprid is very toxic to earth worms and bees and is restricted in France because of plummeting bee populations.
* Imidacloprid kills parasitic wasps that control grub larvae. This is counter-productive, setting the stage for repeated, more extensive infestations.
* Imidacloprid is applied to seeds because it acts as a bird repellent. Birds such as starlings and robins eat very large numbers of grubs. Repelling this important natural control would be counter-productive.
* The label stipulates that food crops cannot be planted for a year after imidacloprid application. Thus, two growing seasons would have elapsed before harvest. It is not being proposed that our children be afforded the protection of two growing seasons before exposure to turf that has been treated with imidacloprid.
* Breakdown of imidacloprid in the environment is very complex and slow, and some degradation products are more toxic than the parent compound. Thus, the possibility exists that soil will become more toxic rather than less toxic with the passage of time. This may not happen if sufficient pesticide was washed away, but pollution of our water is not a desirable outcome either.
* The New York State Department is concerned that imidacloprid is found in an “increasing number of detections in private homeowner wells”
* (http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/insect-mite/fenitrothion-methylpara/imidacloprid/imidacloprid_let_1004.html)
* Imidacloprid is extremely long-lasting. It has a half-life up to 730 days, yet is approved for annual applications. It has been observed to build up over the years, in agricultural application.
* Constant exposure to pesticides fosters pesticide resistance. Resistance to imidacloprid has appeared within as little as 2 years. Insecticides should be reserved for when they are badly needed to protect public health.
* Imidacloprid degrades into toxic, persistent, 2-chloropyridine. This was not considered in the federal assessment.
* Inert ingredients / contaminants of the imidacloprid product “Merit” have been reported to include the carcinogens naphthalene and crystalline silica. (http://www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/Actives/imidaclo.htm)
* Historically, imidacloprid was granted at least three temporary registrations by the PMRA, in spite of missing environmental fate data.
* Commissioner for the Environment, Johanne Gélinas, has repeatedly criticised the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) for granting temporary registrations when important data is lacking. (http://www.flora.org/healthyottawa/pmra-fs-6.htm)
* As of April 2005, the PMRA fully registered two commercial insecticides containing Imidacloprid: Merit Solupack Insecticide (Reg. No. 25932) and Merit 0.5 G insecticide (Reg. No. 25933), which have expiry dates of December 31, 2010. The PMRA still does not have complete environmental fate data.
Health Effects of Pesticides
Acute effects of pesticide exposure range from irritation of the nose, eyes and throat, burning, itching and rashes, to difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting, headaches and general malaise2. In the longer term, scientific studies reveal links between pesticide exposure and higher risk of leukemia3, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma4, soft tissue sarcomas5, neuroblastoma6 and prostate cancer.7 Children are particularly susceptible to harm from pesticides, even before birth and possibly before conception.8 Pesticides may cause birth defects,9 developmental delays, hyperactivity, behavioural disorders, motor dysfunction, 10 nervous system disruption11 and immunotoxicity12. These translate into cancer, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, Parkinson’s disease, autism and attention deficits, lower IQ and hypothyroidism. Harm from pesticides is responsible for high social and monetary costs.13
post 73
post 73
Now here’s a problem WORTH having eco-histrionics over.
hmm, bees. Thank you!
>>* Imidacloprid is applied to seeds
>>because it acts as a bird repellent.
That’s interesting. If true, I wonder what the repellent mechanism is.
It’s unfortunate that some of these facts do not have any supporting references listed. I’d like to see the studies and data that these conclusions are based upon.
Should be easy to design a study to validate this hypothesis.
Where’s the data, Mr. Hoagland?
Probably related to the “hyper-dimensional bee eaters” Hoagland wrote about in another one of his articles.
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