May 7, 2007
FYI: What's Happening To The Bees?
Lots Of Theories But Little Proof As Scientists Scramble To Solve What Could Be An Agriculture Crisis
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Play CBS Video Video Expert On Bee Blight Florida's top bee expert Jerry Hayes speaks with Harry Smith about the mysterious bee population decline in the United States.
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Salina, Kan., beekeeper Raymond Stevenson looks through a handful of honey bees. (AP)
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He told National Geographic: "In almost 50 years as a beekeeper, I've never seen anything like it."
That was October, when his hive was decimated. By February, the bee problem had grown widespread enough to garner much media attention and be called a crisis by some news outlets. According to the Apiary Inspectors of America, a hive-tracking group, more than a quarter of the country's bee colonies have been lost — more than half-a million bee colonies that have simply vanished. What is actually happening — and what repercussions could it have on your dinner table?
What is happening to the bees?
In short, a quarter of the country's 2.4 million bee colonies have been decimated or lost. There are many theories about what's caused the loss, but there is no definitive answer.What are some of the myths about CCD?
One thing has almost been agreed upon: Scientists are calling this Colony Collapse Disorder. Well, except for those who call it Fall Dwindle Disease (the phenomenon's former name).
A Congressional Research Service report for members of Congress listed the following possible causes of CCD, as reported by scientists.Parasites, mites, and disease loads in the bees and brood Known/unknown pathogens Poor nutrition among adult bees Level of stress in adult bees (e.g., transportation and confinement of
bees, or other environmental or biological stressors)Chemical residue/contamination in the wax, food stores and/or bees Lack of genetic diversity and lineage of bees A combination of several factors
The disappearance of so many bees so quickly has been blamed on everything from a rapture (the bees have been called to heaven, some say) to shifts in the Earth's magnetic field.Could this affect how we eat?
Or maybe it is cell phones. One German study examining a certain type of cell phone and bees' honing systems got misinterpreted and joked about on the Internet and talk shows and soon was being cited as evidence that mobile phones were killing bees, The Associated Press reported.
In some states, apiarists are already being called on to explain why their honey supplies are dwindling. One New Hampshire beekeeper told the Boston Globe: "I have to consistently explain to people about why there isn't enough honey.”Why do we need bees?
But moreover, scientists and farmers are concerned about the fruits, vegetables and nuts that grow after being pollinated by the country's hived and feral honeybees.
According to a study funded by the National Honey Board, about 1/3 of Americans' diet is dependent on bees' pollination.
While some crops, like wheat and corn, are wind-pollinated, many flowering crops, like almonds or apples, rely heavily on honeybees. On orchards and berry farms, bees are often trucked in for the express purpose of pollinating the crops.
A spoonful of honey might be a sweet treat and is an ingredient in many foods, but the country's honey supply is not the main concern.For more information:
Entomology professor May Berenbaum said in an interview for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign that "what makes the situation particularly critical is the fact that the demand for pollination services — not honey, per se, but pollination services — is exploding."
The dip in pollination could have an economic impact down the road: An estimated $14 billion in U.S. crops in the are dependent on bee pollination.
Check out the USDA's National Honey Report. (.pdf) The National Honey board has more on CCD and how research about it is being funded. Read testimony given before the House committee on Agriculture. Congressional Research Service prepared this report for Congress about CCD. Find honey near you.
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- Global warming? Like a certain person said in a campaign "it's the economy stupid", Actually Global warming is all about the Sun. So the reply would be, "It's the Sun Stupid". (Mars is also undergoing warming) The sun is without question the largest factor in climate change. The sun does not run as a thermostat setting, it pulses. It gives off increasing and decreasing waves of energy which is reflected over centuries in our climate.
Now about bee's, I believe there is enough historical evidence or data to see a pattern that will reveal the cause of what is now termed as CCD. What is happening now is only enhanced or aggravated by our manipulative behavior, with the bees, the flora, as well as pesticides and technology.
Einstein said we'd have four years after the bees are gone. Maybe, maybe not... I consider Bee's similar to canaries in a coal mine. Losing them could be disastrous for mankind and civilization. It is more important than most people are aware of, as bees seem so insignificant, more of a pest than a provider.
We may soon see how wrong we are.- Reply to this comment
- studio41 said, "It's amazing how some people think that Global Warming means that temperatures everywhere are increasing. That's not necessarily so. Unusually cold temperatures, extreme storm systems and other environmental imbalances might be prompted by Global Warming, too."
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Good points, usually missed by those content to read comic books (if they can) or watch Faux News Network for their store of misinformation.
There are some scientists who dissent from the prevailing view of human agency in global warming, but their number is relatively small. The accumulating evidence is becoming more difficult by the day to deny.
Even Bush agrees with German Chancellor Merkel to recognize human causation of global warming. Said Bush recently, "Each country needs to recognize that we must reduce our greenhouse gases and deal obviously with their own internal politics to come up with an effective strategy that hopefully when added together that it leads to a real reduction."
Bush has been on both sides of this issue, but apparently has wandered across the divide, if only for the sake of keeping the UK and EU happier with US policies. We should not forget Bush is the ideologue who in 2001 abrograted the just-signed Kyoto Treaty, in order not to burden any of his political donors in the US with pollution abatement.- Reply to this comment
- When the cure or reason is found for the bee collapse be it parisite or virus.The same science should be used to cure diabetes because the bees are to the earth as the pancreas and endocrine is to the body.Good luck!
- Reply to this comment
- Few years ago I have seen a documentary about some experiment in Brazil with African "killer bees" and it was shown how those escaped killer bee colonies migrated North from South America. I wonder if any of the losses in honey bee colonies were caused by killer bees taking over North America nowadays...
- Reply to this comment
- We at Bee Way Honey Pollination have not had such a dramatic loss of bees. Leonid Zaytsev who is the owner and is a beekeeper has only lost about 10% of his bees due to vera mites while most other beekeepers lost more than half. We are having beekeepers and growers calling us to rent our bees and the price for pollination is skyrocketing. You can read more about this at our website.
(beewayhoney.com)- Reply to this comment
- We at Bee Way Honey Pollination have not had such a dramatic loss of bees. Leonid Zaytsev who is the owner and is a beekeeper has only lost about 10% of his bees due to vera mites while most other beekeepers lost more than half. We are having beekeepers and growers calling us to rent our bees and the price for pollination is skyrocketing. You can read more about this at our website.
(beewayhoney.com)- Reply to this comment
- Whats happening to the Bees?
The bees are leaving because their job security is threatened by illegal immigrants- Reply to this comment
- I am James Galioto the President of VDSC. Our company has the rights to the IVDS technology and developed the protocols to get the result which was confirmed by Dr. De Risi who found SARS. I can be reached at JGalioto@VDSC.US
Scientists Identify Pathogens That May Be Causing Global Honeybee Deaths
Researchers have identified potential culprits behind the wide-spread catastrophic death of honeybees around North America and Europe. A team of scientists from Edgewood Chemical Biological Center and University of California San Francisco identified both a virus and a parasite that are likely behind the recent sudden die-off of honeybee colonies.
Using a new technology called the Integrated Virus Detection System (IVDS), which was designed for military use to rapidly screen samples for pathogens, ECBC scientists last week isolated the presence of viral and parasitic pathogens that may be contributing to the honeybee loss. Confirmation testing was conducted over the weekend by scientists at the University of California San Francisco. ECBC scientists presented the results of their studies yesterday to a United States Department of Agriculture working group, hastily convened to determine next steps.- Reply to this comment
- It's amazing how some people think that Global Warming means that temperatures everywhere are increasing. That's not necessarily so. Unusually cold temperatures, extreme storm systems and other environmental imbalances might be prompted by Global Warming, too.
"Global Warming" generally pertains to an increase of water and air temperatures near the ice caps. This causes ice to melt into the ocean at an above-average rate, and the resulting warm waters migrate into larger bodies. Since Earth is mostly comprised of oceans, many environmental condition on this planet are influenced by water currents and temperatures.
Ultimately, all of Mother Nature is intertwined.- Reply to this comment
- Here is a little-publicized reason why the bee count was down this year:
*Most of the country experience record setting cold temperatures this winter*.
Kind of takes the "hot air" out of the "Global Warming" urban myth - or the "Bee Shortage" urban myth...take your pick.- Reply to this comment
