Comments on: What's Wrong With The Bees?

Steve Kroft Reports On The Mysterious Disappearance Of Bees

[octavianfdlr]

I know that it has been posted before, (about twice) but it deserves to be repeated:

A BAYER spokesman asked: If a neonicotinoid pesticide is killing the bees, why are traces of the pesticide not found in the hive?

The most obvious answer is that the poisoned bees are not returning to the hive, and therefore are not returning the poison to the hive.

Another possible answer might best be phrased as a question: have any analyses for neonicotinoids been performed on any affected hives? (Perhaps they have, but the article did not make this clear.)

The BAYER spokesman came very close (by his suspicious response) to admitting that neonicotinoids are a major cause of CCD.

[octavianfdlr]

On Feb 25, 2008 at 11:03 AM, the ever intolerant singinrick posted:

-Trust me you have nothing to feel sorry for when it comes to those of us who believe in God rather than Darwin.

But thanks for your insults, mr. intolerant.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

So now singinrick believes that Darwin never existed? They why does singinrick keep describing evolution as "Darwinism?"

[sguelich]

This situation is VERY disturbing. According to last night''s show the bee keeper lost more of the bees he had taken loans out to buy. Perhaps it''s time to say "enough of this!". Cut back pollination to only organic crops. Let''s face it, these pesticides are killing more than just bees.

Sandy G

[octavianfdlr]

On Feb 25, 2008 at 11:05 AM, singinrick asked:

Does Darwin offer death, or life?

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

No, singinrick, Darwin does not offer death or life. Darwin is dead. Darwin is incapable of offering anything.

[kofiananimus]

"Bayer CropScience, a leading manufacturer of neonicotinoids, denies that the pesticide is responsible for colony collapse, and it cites studies which support that conclusion. Other studies by the French government, and protests by French beekeepers, caused the pesticide to be partially banned there in 1999."

AND THE RESULT OF THE BAN WAS... ???? CBS, do some follow-up, please! Did the bee population improve at all in France? What does "partial" ban mean???

[pollengirl1]

There is a viable alternative to effective pollination, if there were little or no bees left. It''s called "controlled pollination". I have been doing this for 13 years. It''s an age old process refined. Collect the flowers, process them to extract the pollen, then re-introduce the pollen back into the orchards via blowers, or, as we are doing now, back into the hives where the bees deliver it. "Loading" the bees with fresh pollen insures a nut or fruit set, and can increase the acre yield by 22-30%! This is a story that needs to be covered. We have the answer, and the growers know this. Growers in central California are paying as high as $250 per hive. Controlled pollination is cost-effective, and is a natural alternative. This is especially true when the "bloom" is off on cross pollinators. Almonds, for example, need cross pollination. When the cross pollinator bloom is too early, little or no pollination takes place. We go in and provide the appropriate pollen to the hives and the bees deliver it, or we will apply it to the orchard with blowers. Focus needs to be on this emerging industry. This should be 60 Minutes next follow-up story...

[godseyesore-2009]

What is really sad is that there are so many ignorant people who don''t have the faintest idea what the world is all about...like singinrick, who thinks "darwinism" is in anyway negative about life. The stupidity is astounding.

[stapes59]

I''m wondering if anyone has done a comparison between these Bee colonies, and Bee''s which are organically raised or isolated. I buy organic honey, so this Bee population must exist. Organic Bees would not have any exposure to the "neonicotinoids" or any other pesticide/insecticides so this would be good potential control group. It would also be interesting to see if the organic Bees have the same ill health or stress factors described in the report.

[lomartire143]

Perhaps i missed it but i don''t remember if there was talk of a worldwide collapse of the bee colonies. That in itself might help determine what''s happening here. I''m hoping agribusiness will finally understand bigger is not always better.

[lomartire143]

Perhaps i missed it but i don''t remember if there was talk of a worldwide collapse of the bee colonies. That in itself might help determine what''s happening here. I''m hoping agribusiness will finally understand bigger is not always better.

[cyberdjs4]

"God has definitely used bees as part of his magnificent plan for life.

Every creature has their own role, even a tiny little honey bee."--singinrick
------------------------------------------
God is in control of NOTHING but your delusions.

Humans are out of control on this planet and Nature is fixing everything.
God will die along with everything else on this planet.
Count your blessings because they are running out.

[boffo1962]

How that guy concluded that it wasn''t the pesticides doesn''t make any sense. He claims because the hives didn''t have any traces of pesticides in them means that pesticides didn''t cause this. It sounds like he''s assuming that victimized bees could make it back to the hive the first time they were exposed. Who says? Have they tried changing the pesticides back to what they used to be to see if there''s a change?

I''m also perplexed as to how people are laughing this off.

[hawksprings]

Maybe the dingoes ate your bee bees.

[xlib]

I seem to remember something like this being briefly reported in the 90''s about frogs. I don''t remember specific blame being placed anywhere. I''m not saying that this isn''t troubling but for the life of me, I can''t understand blame being placed solely on the US-America.
As for accusations of environmental guidelines being eased up int"the past five years". For those blaming the US and utimately Bush, you need to cite your source.
Anyone hear of the killer African bees???

[harvhoney]

I saw in a vally last week in Kern County Ca - 10''s of thousands of dead and dying colonies of bees - miles and miles in both directions. I opened covers on some hives, if there were bees remaining they were very, very sick. If this is in my future, I don''t want to be a part. (I am a migratory beekeeper with 3800 hives)

[ninaschwartz]

Thank you for re-running this troubling story. Has anyone chemically analyzed the honey and beeswax left in Mr. Hackenberg''s dead hives? According to the story, even scavenging bees wouldn''t touch this honey. I don''t think the scavengers knew anything, I think they smelled something--maybe neonicotinoids as processed by the vanished bees.

[kwickman2]

Successful movements have brought about change in this country. A great example is Dolphin Safe Tuna. To HELP, go to:

http://www.SaveTheBee.org

[kwickman2]

Successful movements have brought about change in this country. A great example is %u2018Dolphin Safe Tuna%u2019. To HELP, go to:

http://www.SaveTheBee.org

[xlib]

ewatcher89=cite your source.

[shanev137]

The disappearance of bees.

That''s a laugh.


Just a few days ago here in AZ, two dogs were killed in my area by a swarm of bees.

Yea, where did all the bees go. LOL