Disappearing honeybees . . .

[PowerPlayoffs06]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

Africanized Bees don't create broods as large as European honeybees do. They swarm much more often and don't hoard as much honey so they don't handle cold weather well which means they will most likely never reach Canada.

So all those sleepless nights worrying about how much longer we had until North America was consumed by the killer bees and bee-keeper suits were sold at the GAP were all for naught.

[troutman]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africanized_bee

The Africanized bee is widely feared by the public, a reaction that has been amplified by sensationalist movies and some of the media reports. Since their introduction to the United States there have been 14 deaths from Africanized bees over the several year period, which makes them less hazardous than venomous snakes. As the bee spreads through Florida, a densely populated state, officials worry that public fear may force misguided efforts to combat them. The Florida African Bee Action Plan states, "News reports of mass stinging attacks will promote concern and in some cases panic and anxiety, and cause citizens to demand responsible agencies and organizations to take action to help insure their safety. We anticipate increased pressure from the public to ban beekeeping in urban and suburban areas. This action would be counter-productive. Beekeepers maintaining managed colonies of domestic European bees are our best defense against an area becoming saturated with AHB. These managed bees are filling an ecological niche that would soon be occupied by less desirable colonies if it were vacant. "

[Ha Ha Stupid Oilers]

Here's an update

It seems to be asking for registration because of the fark.com referrer. I got around it by linking directly.

Here is TFA:


Experts may have found what's bugging the bees
A fungus that hit hives in Europe and Asia may be partly to blame for wiping out colonies across the U.S.

By Jia-Rui Chong and Thomas H. Maugh II, Times Staff Writers
April 26, 2007

A fungus that caused widespread loss of bee colonies in Europe and Asia may be playing a crucial role in the mysterious phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder that is wiping out bees across the United States, UC San Francisco researchers said Wednesday.

Researchers have been struggling for months to explain the disorder, and the new findings provide the first solid evidence pointing to a potential cause.

But the results are "highly preliminary" and are from only a few hives from Le Grand in Merced County, UCSF biochemist Joe DeRisi said. "We don't want to give anybody the impression that this thing has been solved."

Other researchers said Wednesday that they too had found the fungus, a single-celled parasite called Nosema ceranae, in affected hives from around the country — as well as in some hives where bees had survived. Those researchers have also found two other fungi and half a dozen viruses in the dead bees.

N. ceranae is "one of many pathogens" in the bees, said entomologist Diana Cox-Foster of Pennsylvania State University. "By itself, it is probably not the culprit … but it may be one of the key players."

Cox-Foster was one of the organizers of a meeting in Washington, D.C., on Monday and Tuesday where about 60 bee researchers gathered to discuss Colony Collapse Disorder.

"We still haven't ruled out other factors, such as pesticides or inadequate food resources following a drought," she said. "There are lots of stresses that these bees are experiencing," and it may be a combination of factors that is responsible.

Historically, bee losses are not unusual. Weather, pesticide exposures and infestations by pests, such as the Varroa mite, have wiped out significant numbers of colonies in the past, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s.

But the current loss appears unprecedented. Beekeepers in 28 states, Canada and Britain have reported large losses. About a quarter of the estimated 2.4 million commercial colonies across the United States have been lost since fall, said Jerry Hayes of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in Gainesville.

"These are remarkable and dramatic losses," said Hayes, who is also president of the Apiary Inspectors of America.

Besides producing honey, commercial beehives are used to pollinate a third of the country's agricultural crops, including apples, peaches, pears, nectarines, cherries, strawberries and pumpkins. Ninety percent of California's almond crop is dependent on bees, and a loss of commercial hives could be devastating.

"For the most part, they just disappeared," said Florida beekeeper Dave Hackenberg, who was among the first to note the losses. "The boxes were full of honey. That was the mysterious thing. Usually other bees will rob those hives out. But nothing had happened."

Researchers now think the foraging bees are too weak to return to their hives.

DeRisi and UCSF's Don Ganem, who normally look for the causes of human diseases, were brought into the bee search by virologist Evan W. Skowronski of the U.S. Army's Edgewood Chemical Biological Center in Maryland.

Dr. Charles Wick of the center had used a new system of genetic analysis to identify pathogens in ground-up bee samples from California. He found several viruses, including members of a recently identified genus called iflaviruses.

It is not known whether these small, RNA-containing viruses, which infect the Varroa mite, are pathogenic to bees.

Skowronski forwarded the samples to DeRisi, who also found evidence of the viruses, along with genetic material from N. ceranae.

"There was a lot of stuff from Nosema, about 25% of the total," Skowronski said. "That meant there was more than there was bee RNA. That leads me to believe that the bee died from that particular pathogen."

If N. ceranae does play a role in Colony Collapse Disorder, there may be some hope for beekeepers.

A closely related parasite called Nosema apis, which also affects bees, can be controlled by the antibiotic fumagillin, and there is some evidence that it will work on N. ceranae as well.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------ --
jia-ruichonglatimescom

thomasmaughlatimescom

[habernac]

no mention of cell phone towers in this article. Might be a parasite problem.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Science/...148227-ap.html

[4X4]

Originally Posted by troutman

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africanized_bee

The Africanized bee is widely feared by the public, a reaction that has been amplified by sensationalist movies and some of the media reports. Since their introduction to the United States there have been 14 deaths from Africanized bees over the several year period, which makes them less hazardous than venomous snakes. As the bee spreads through Florida, a densely populated state, officials worry that public fear may force misguided efforts to combat them. The Florida African Bee Action Plan states, "News reports of mass stinging attacks will promote concern and in some cases panic and anxiety, and cause citizens to demand responsible agencies and organizations to take action to help insure their safety. We anticipate increased pressure from the public to ban beekeeping in urban and suburban areas. This action would be counter-productive. Beekeepers maintaining managed colonies of domestic European bees are our best defense against an area becoming saturated with AHB. These managed bees are filling an ecological niche that would soon be occupied by less desirable colonies if it were vacant. "

I honestly can't think of a worse way to die than a mass stinging attack. I think I'd rather fall through ice and be trapped. I'd even prefer being stalked and mauled by a large animal.

[Flashpoint]

Anybody seen the Wickerman?

"How'd it get burned?"

[Winsor_Pilates]

Hearing a lot of the cell phone theory out here in Van, but I'm a bit sceptical on it.
Cell phones have replaced the bible as the first order explantion for the unknown.

Whatever it is, lets hope the "experts" figure it out.

[Cowperson]

Reviving an ancient thread . . . . . . scientists now seem to think bees were victims of a "perfect storm" of circumstances, which is now waning, rather than a particular permanent environment change.

http://www.time.com/time/health/arti...918282,00.html

If true, that would be good news for all of us. . . . . . in spite of that wasp stinging me in the ass the other day.

Cowperson

[dissentowner]

I have a phobia of bees but understand their purpose...except for yellow jackets, they can go the way of the Dodo anytime now!

[octothorp]

I saw an interesting piece on TV where it was talking about how the africanized bee is a lot more resilient than the european bee, and that over time, the interbreeding of the two could produce a bee that's less aggressive than the africanized bee, but more resistant to bacterial infection than the european.

[Cactus Jack]

I can't believe it hasn't been done yet. Someone please post the Simpsons clip with the bee keepers (paraphrasing):

Beekeeper 1 - It's very quiet around here, that's strange.
Beekeeper 2 - Why do you say that?
Beekeeper 1 - There is little noise, which suggests no bees...quickly! To the beemobile!
Beekeeper 2 - You mean your Chevy?
Beekeeper 1 - ....yes.

[Shazam]

This wasn't actually the first time bees have had CCD. It's happened multiple times over the past 100 years.

[alltherage]

As you all know, I am against wasps. Bees, however, are totally good in my books. Especially if they keep my stomache full.

[Russic]

I watched a show on this. It showed an area of China where the bees had been gone for some time. Workers were pollinating pear trees with a cotton swab on the end of a stick. It looked like one of the most monotonous jobs on earth.

[worth]

oops

http://www.fastcompany.com/1708896/w...oxic-pesticide

[mykalberta]

I cant say I feel sorry for anyone in this story. You reap what you sow.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

I cant say I feel sorry for anyone in this story. You reap what you sow.

What about the bees? They reaped nothing.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Just remember that no matter what happens

Honey Bee Importation Prohibited - Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by troutman

Bill Maher's take:

So, here's a quote from Albert Einstein. He said, if the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination. No more plants. No more animals. No more man. Well, guess what? The bees are disappearing in massive numbers all around the world. And if you think I'm being alarmist, and that, "Oh, they'll figure out some way to pollinate the plants." No, they've tried.

That is a bit of an urban legend. No such quote from anything Einstein ever wrote or said in public exists on record.

Frog populations have been declining too, and I don't know if anyone can explain why.

Frogs are an indicator species because they are very sensitive to pollution and UV light. Typically, if an aquatic ecosystem is in trouble, frogs are the first thing to be affected.

EDIT: I see that was tackled a few years ago... lol. /shame

[ma-skis.com]

i think jerry seinfeld had some thoughts on the matter as well

someone should look those up