Posted on 04/15/2007 6:31:50 AM PDT by wildbill
In other words, since there are not reports of thousands of dead bees around their hives but rather they are just disappearing, the only explanation left is that they fly off and get lost.........
I think the bee problem is related to the excesses of "I Love Lucy" and "The Andy Griffith Show" reruns on cable TV.
And do the Queens say anything? No! There is NO discipline anymore!
Some ‘scientists’ placed a cell phone near an active beehive, and the bees wouldn’t return to the hive.
So as you can see, the theory is just chock full of science and logic.
(giggle)
You beat me to it!!! LOL!
ANOTHER UPDATE: Steven Den Beste emails:
. . . .The claims in that article about cellphones and bees sound like the global warming hysteria, up to and including the predictions of apocalypse.
For instance, there was this claim: "Most of the world's crops depend on pollination by bees."
That's wrong. Corn, wheat, rice, rye, barley, and all the other grain crops do not rely on insects for pollination, and they make up the majority of the calories consumed by the human race.
It's true that there are a very large number of crops which do rely on insects, but many of those do not rely on honey bees, or at least do not have to. In many areas, they use a different kind of bee that looks a lot like a honey bee but is much different in life cycle. These bees don't produce honey, and all the females are fertile, with each producing 5-10 grubs. They work collective laying sites with the grubs being placed in holes in wood.
In the wild they use dead trees, but the farmers that rely on them put up boards with holes drilled in them for the bees to use.
Honey bees are important, but the current problem doesn't mean the human race is going to starve to death.
MORE: A more skeptical take:
Many beekeepers are skeptical of the reports or at least how they're adding up. For 100 years, beekeepers have logged periodic reports of sudden and inexplicable bee die-offs.
People refer the latest die-off by its initials "CCD," but one Georgia beekeeper instead calls it the "SSDD" crisis for "Same Stuff, Different Day."
"People have lost bees from the beginning of time," Sowers said. . . .
Most empty hives have been discovered at large, commercial migrating bee farms - and that has led some beekeepers to theorize that it's the stress of being trucked cross-country that's killing the bees.
"The (bee's) instinct is to go out and collect pollen and nectar, and that's what they do. When they can't get out of the hive, it puts them under stress. They need to go to the bathroom on a regular basis, but they won't go in their hive," said Ken Ograin, an Elmira beekeeper. . . .
Finally, beehives simply die. Scattered reports of large-scale mortality date from 1915, 1960 and 1987. Scientists don't always know why.
"This may be a repeat of that situation where we simply don't figure it out," said Morris Ostrofsky, president of the Lane County Beekeepers Association.
In fact, some farmers say they are puzzled about the dire news stories appearing in local, state and national media in the past several weeks.
"It's not new this year," Williams said. "If you know what I mean."
Media hysteria? It's just possible that might be involved. (Via Slashdot, which also features other skeptical comments on this story.)
Unlike Varroa Mites which kill bees in the hives, this recent massive killing is very unusual.
I well remember the mite infestation we had in the 50 - 60 era. We also had the wax worm problem in Texas back then. We lost all but four or five of 35 hives within a two year time span.
I should have posted an article from the Austin paper yesterday. There is a guy south of Austin who has a thriving bee business. He is shipping live bees all over the country to replace the dying hives.
> ... doing some good thinking about the problem
> instead of doing the Chicken Little routine.
Speaking of Chicken Little, if the effect is more
or less consistent world-wide, with some fall-off
at higher latitudes, then look to the skies.
The present increase in insolation has been suggested
(but it’s not PC to bring up that topic, since it
might correlate with global warming).
Personally, I blame the Glonass satellites.
Due to different evolving standards, this would have different outcomes in different regions. We might also expect to see little or zero effect in “dark territory”
A testable thesis. Someone (you) is doing some good thinking about the problem instead of doing the Chicken Little routine.
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Applicable also to the nicotine theory. Not all crops are grown in all areas of the world, much less in the US. Therefore there is also a wide disparity in the use of farm chemicals. There are huge areas where no crops are grown. Since bees do not migrate, as do birds, there should be a a wide difference from area to area if chemicals are the cause.
Solar flares could very well be part of it, but then why does it not affect hummingbirds, geese, etc., who supposedly use the magnetic forces for navigation?
I saw the head bee guy on TV and he said this happened twice before.
But whatever is causing it, this is a real concern, unlike global warming.
Oh oh, I'm thinking bees are now the latest casualty of second hand smoke.......
Not all idiots are politicians. Go over to DU for proof.
Actually from what I’ve seen it appears to be a particular chemical being used as pesticide that could be easily replaced.
The bees aren’t paying attention to flying because of cell phone chatting.
This one is not a myth. In our area, 70% of the worker bees are gone. No one has any idea what is happening to them, and it really is a serious problem. One local farmer has lost over 3/4 of his hives, and no one can come up with an explanation.
Forget that idea! I’m buying Honey Offsets Now!
Yes... this really is a huge potential problem. We NEED to figure out the reason, and soon...
It “could” be cell-phones, but... I rather doubt it. I’m wondering whether the earth’s entire magnetic field is becoming unstable, and may be near flipping. It’s a normal process. It’s happened MANY times over the eons, and we are over-due for another.
Or, it could be all these dang “Blackberries”. Bees are looking for them, but can’t find them. :-)
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