I have been looking into this today and its going on all around the world but not just birds Turtels in there 1000's , sheep, cattel, the us has lost something like 80% of them. and some of the resones just don't add up i belive some big is happern fast .
The alarming decline in bee populations across the United States and Europe represents a potential ecological apocalypse, an environmental catastrophe that could collapse the food chain and wipe out humanity. Who and what is behind this flagrant abuse of the eco-system?
Many people don't realize the vital role bees play in maintaining a balanced eco-system. According to experts, if bees were to become extinct then humanity would perish after just four years.
"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," said Albert Einstein.
Others would say four years is alarmist and that man would find other food sources, but the fact remains that the disappearance of bees is potentially devastating to agriculture and most plant life.
Reports that bee populations are declining at rates of up to 80% in areas of the U.S. and Europe should set alarm bells ringing and demand immediate action on behalf of environmental organizations. Experts are calling the worrying trend "colony collapse disorder" or CCD.
"Bee numbers on parts of the east coast and in Texas have fallen by more than 70 percent, while California has seen colonies drop by 30 to 60 percent," reports AFP.
"Approximately 40 percent of my 2,000 colonies are currently dead and this is the greatest winter colony mortality I have ever experienced in my 30 years of beekeeping," apiarist Gene Brandi, from the California State Beekeepers Association, told Congress recently.
The article states that U.S. bee colonies have been dropping since 1980 and the number of beekeepers have halved.
Scientists are thus far stumped as to what is causing the decline, ruling out parasites but leaning towards some kind of new toxin or chemical used in agriculture as being responsible. "Experts believe that the large-scale use of genetically modified plants in the US could be a facto.
Bee populations throughout Germany have simultaneously dropped 25% and up to 80% in some areas. Poland, Switzerland and Spain are reporting similar declines. Studies have shown that bees are not dying in the hive, something is causing them to lose their sense of orientation so that they cannot return to the hive. Depleted hives are not being raided for their honey by other insects, which normally happens when bees naturally die in the winter, clearly suggesting some kind of poisonous toxin is driving them away.
"In many cases, scientists have found evidence of almost all known bee viruses in the few surviving bees found in the hives after most have disappeared. Some had five or six infections at the same time and were infested with fungi -- a sign, experts say, that the insects' immune system may have collapsed."
Don't despair Mutley this article has some good news in it http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8467746.stm it comes from a new report and means we can actually do something about it by planting lots of different flowers to boost the bees immune system. This also shows how we can support bees too http://planetearth.nerc.ac.uk/news/story.aspx?id=693
No bees = no pollination is actually a fallacy, bees are not the only insects used in pollination. The horse fly which is the bane of my life because it bites and I am allergic to it is also a good pollinator – now I would prefer bees but if there were no bees then the dratted horse fly could do the job to as well as others.
The only bit im worried about is that i missed out on a free lunch
I didn't use to like honey but I find now I quite like it, and a spoonful is good for sore throats and I have had plenty of them this winter.
Especially from local bees, supposed to help reduce allergies to pollen.
Cooey, folks - just the right (current) topic
My four French girls arrived this evening - and they are lovely.
One of them tells us that her father is a beekeeper, and she has brought us a gift of two jars of pine honey. Can't wait to try it!
Along with a book about the bridges in the Haute-Loire; and some Ferrero Roche chocs, and some Belgian chocs, and some chestnut confiture, and finally some 'Vervain' sweets (which actually taste more like medicine!)
Very thoughtful girls.
Yes, but unfortunately they have been eating on the bus (a whole day's drive!), as there isn't much else to do I suppose, and they were quite tired.
Tonight I cooked Pork Char-sui, with its pouring sauce, with a mountain of rice with tiny veggies in it.
Following that I served a tart which I made consisting of short pastry, topped with Bramley apple sweetened puree (but still tangy), then pieces of skinned clementines arranged prettily, then a hot apricot conserve painted over it.
One of them didn't like peas, and carefully picked them out of the rice, (bless!) but they all tried it - not a lot was eaten - and the same one with the pea problem wouldn't eat a pudding (too full, she said - and she is very thin), but the others had seconds of the tart, and even requested it in her lunchbox tomorrow!
There is enough char-sui and rice left over for my daughter and her family for a meal - and she said 'Yum!'
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