Myths Abound About U.S. Bee Disappearance

So Far Nobody Can Explain The Disappearance Of One Quarter Of The Population, But Theories Abound

(AP)  The answer to what happened to America's vanishing honeybees is simple, a caller told entomologist May Berenbaum: Bee rapture. They were called away to heaven.

No, wait, it is Earth's magnetic field, another caller told the University of Illinois professor.

And when Berenbaum went on the Internet, she found a parody news site that quoted her as blaming rapper Kevin Federline, Britney Spears' ex-husband, and his concerts for the disappearance of the bees. Berenbaum loved it.

The sudden disappearance of one-quarter of America's honeybees has brought out some strange ideas and downright myths.

“I just can't get any work done,” Berenbaum said. “I'm overwhelmed by e-mails. I can't keep up.”

A couple of bee myths are big on the Internet.

A small German scientific study looking at a specific type of cordless phones and the homing systems of bees exploded over the Internet and late night television shows. It morphed into erroneous reports blaming cell phones for the honeybee die-off, which scientists are calling Colony Collapse Disorder.

The scientist who wrote the paper, Stefan Kimmel, e-mailed The Associated Press to say that there is “no link between our tiny little study and the CCD-phenomenon ... anything else said or written is a lie.” And U.S. Department of Agriculture top bee researcher Jeff Pettis laughs at the idea, because whenever he goes out to investigate dead bees, he cannot get a signal on his cell phone because the hives are in such remote areas.

Also on the Internet is a quote attributed to Albert Einstein on how humans would die off in four years if not for honeybees. It is wrong on two counts.

First, Einstein probably never said it, according to Alice Calaprice, author of “The Quotable Einstein” and five other books on the physicist.

“I've never come across it in anything Einstein has written,” Calaprice said. “It could be that someone had made it up and put Einstein's name on it.”

Second, it is incorrect scientifically, Pettis said. There would be food left for humans because some food is wind-pollinated.

For his part, Pettis jokes that the bees are out creating crop circles “and it's working them to death.”

[glidescube]

It's Al'qaeda they are responsible for the bee 9/11. Even Bush said so!

[drinuk]

Genetically modified crops, look no further !
Stop messing with the natural world or it will bite you.

[extremophil]

Global warming is melting the polar bears and drowning the bees.

[harp1963]

When aliens attempted to suck George Bush's brains out and implant computers controled by Cheney, they found no brain and the vacume created a "negative air" effect that killed off all the bees. (Parody)

[gaye5]

drinuk says...Genetically modified crops, look no further !
Stop messing with the natural world or it will bite you.

Hey, this is the best one that I have heard yet...
It would be interesting to see if there are genetically modified crops in the area where they are dissapearing...

[kellyafische]

Round Up is harmless! Or is it? How many bees go to family yards and load up on plants loaded with commom household chemicals? I worked the cranberry harvest in northern wisconsin and they used roundup. In fact, the water below the marsh was blue green and nothing growing. Melamine was killing animals in the U.S. Simple answers deserve looking at twice. Organic was the way God created it. Organic works best. Make the earth a paradise he said. And so it shall be.

[moogman3]

The bee keepers have been stealing all the pollen, honey and the royal jelly from the hives, Gee I wonder what could be killing the bees

[sasi1-2009]

I don't have a clue as to what is happening to the bees, but I'd bet a week's wages that it has something to do with some form of pollution. We need much stiffer laws on pollution as our leaders and manufacturers seem determined to kill this planet.

[processor2]

I read a great article in National Geographic stating that a similar bee die-off occurred during the 1880's, in which over 90 percent died.

Just nature's way of thinning the herd that is not genetically diverse enough.

According to National Geographic, anyway.

...

[mahdeealoo]

Let's just keep poisoning our food crops and killing all insects, shall we? Genetic Roulette, new book I've seen, may give some answers as well.

But what about crop maintenance with chemicals and what about chem trails? I've seen more of them here in the midwest than ever! What the heck are they dumping on us and how is it effecting insect, humans, and other mammals as well?

Grampa said to me as a child, "When the skies are filled with black birds, the earth will see it's end." Pesticide resistant grackles maraude our yards, city and country alike. Flying cockroaches. They are carnivores, eating eggs and chicks of other birds. They don't depend upon insects and can live without them, unlike most birds. Can we survive without insects?

They are an integral part of our eco-system on this planet. Killing all of them with chemicals will leave nothing and human life on this planet will be lost to the greed of corporate America and the chemical companies that control our government along with the Fed.

[ranginon]

This really scares me. Do you know about"Indicator Species"? Species who's life or death "Indicates" our danger. Hello?? Anyone paying attention to this? Bees are far beyond fasinating tiny creations; they keep our world alive by pollinating most everything for our food and that of just about everything else as well. I am sure the modified products and the use of pesticides are involved.Get real, it has affected so many other species. A huge number of the beautiful Monarch butterfly were found starving to death in fields of corn, a common food for them; but those particular seeds had been "modified" to include someway that those plants secreted a substance to repel a common insect pest. However, while migrating the thousands of miles they travel intheir lives,the butterflys kept walikng on the plants, while they starved, due to this change to their usual food supply. Pray someone finds a way to stop this before all of a sudden humans starrt having fertility problesms, and behavior problems, and learning problems and OH OH.

[hawksprings]

Maybe the dingoes ate your beebees.

[processor2]

I read a great article in National Geographic stating that a similar bee die-off occurred during the 1880's, in which over 90 percent died.

Just nature's way of thinning the herd that is not genetically diverse enough.

According to National Geographic, anyway.

...

Maybe the dingoes ate your beebees.
Posted by hawksprings at 11:21 AM : May 03, 2007

HAWKSPRINGS.......now that's funny sh.t

...

[kevboom]

I'm surprised some republican hasn't blamed Bill Clinton yet. ha ha

[processor2]

I read a great article in National Geographic stating that a similar bee die-off occurred during the 1880's, in which over 90 percent died.

Just nature's way of thinning the herd that is not genetically diverse enough.

According to National Geographic, anyway.

...

I'm surprised that some democrat hasn't blamed George Bush yet, ha ha

...

[processor2]

I read a great article in National Geographic stating that a similar bee die-off occurred during the 1880's, in which over 90 percent died.

Just nature's way of thinning the herd that is not genetically diverse enough.

According to National Geographic, anyway.

...

I'm surprised that some democrat hasn't blamed George Bush yet, ha ha

...

[helenuu]

Between spraying growing things from the air as
well as modifying so many types of plants, common sense would tell us it would kill the bees. Guess we'll have to arm everyone with soft brushes
and have everyone go out into the gardens and do the pollinization. Guess we'll need more immigrants to come to America, as most of us think we are too nice to do such menial tasks.

[itwasntme000]

Maybe it was because we had a time period of extremely low temperaturas this winter. and where live at we had an above average amount of snow also. Granted the average temp for the entire winter was higher.

[itwasntme000]

Maybe the queen bee was making unreasonable requests of her worker bees. So they decided to go on strike. Then to appease their seexual desires they all got gaay with each other and found out a lot less was demanded of them.

Or the "war on drugs" bees found that most of the population was buzzing around the ganja and coocoa plants a little to much. Soo, in order to ensure the young population wouldn't be corrupted they send all the bad bees to bee jail to think about what they have done. As soon as they learn beehave they will be released.

I will try to think of more ideas haha

[itwasntme000]

Maybe the queen bee was making unreasonable requests of her worker bees. So they decided to go on strike. Then to appease their seexual desires they all got gaay with each other and found out a lot less was demanded of them.

I forgot to add that this no longer perpetuated the species so they are now dying off. But that is just a logical deduction from the original post

[itwasntme000]

Maybe the peace tready between the bee and the horsefly populations fell apart when the bee's reportedly defaced a statue of the horsefly god jesusfly. Following this action the horsefly population and the free air states of the mosquito joined together to erradicate the godless bee population.

[hunter10039]

THE REASON FOR THEIR DISAPPEARANCE IS BECAUSE OF GENETICALLY ALTERED PLANTS

THAT WERE ALTERED TO PUT INSECTICIDE INTO THE PLANT SO FARMERS WOULD NOT HAVE TO SPRAY POISON.

THE INSECTICIDE WAS IN THE POLLEN AS WELL....

AND WHEN THE BEES COLLECTED THE POLLEN...THEY WERE POISONED .....INSTEAD OF THE BAD BUGS THE SCIENTISTS INTENDED TO KILL......

WAY TO GO ...SMARTY-PANTS-SENTISTS!!!!!!!

[itwasntme000]

Sorry about my last post I ran short on time because some work came in and a few things had piled up. Geez and i was having fun here too.
It was originally gonna deal with iraq and the U.S. but strayed away. If it stays slow here I should be able to come with another one on that.

But first.

MAYBE... The male worker bees were fed up with low wages and disrespect they got while working as compared to the woman bee who made all the money and had the following of most the population. So they fley to big momma queen bush's "whitehive" to protest and big momma pre-emptively attacked them in fear they would try kill her.

grr work again had to chuck out some kind of ending!!!

[mitywhity]

It's Bill Clinton's fault.

[itwasntme000]

Someone should do a lord of the rings theme scenario. With gimbee/arabee/ damm been to long since i watched it i can only remember giblee and aragon's names haha

[gc331]

"Bzz..Bzzz" --

in english:

"Good bye, and thanks for all the pollen."

;-)

[mountainzen]

President Bush heard of "Spelling Bees," panicked, and had them labeled as enemy combatant-bees. You'll find them in Cuba.

[roger_inkart]

Brngs to mind a bumper stick I recently saw:

"Nature Bats Last"

If the bees don't pollenate - we don't get food. We don't get food - we die.

We've been beating the H3LL out of the planet for centuries now. It's little wonder she's trying new and inventive ways to protect herself.

[brucesmall]

I have to wonder if those who blame genetically modified plants realize that all plants contain natural pesticides, and often herbicides, and they are quite potent. Yes, and that includes organic foods. That's how plants defend themselves.

[entity2006]

I just watched an old movie today (X-Files). After seeing that, I know what happened to the bees. They are being stored for use of spreading an alien virus.

[processor2]

I read a great article in National Geographic stating that a similar bee die-off occurred during the 1880's, in which over 90 percent died.

Just nature's way of thinning the herd that is not genetically diverse enough.

According to National Geographic, anyway.

...

Maybe the dingoes ate your beebees.
Posted by hawksprings at 11:21 AM : May 03, 2007

HAWKSPRINGS.......now that's funny sh.t

...

[honest_news]

Why can't this kind of thing happen to wasps, hornets and yellow-jackets, or to all types of biting flies, for that matter???

[itwasntme000]

all plants contain natural pesticides, and often herbicides, and they are quite potent. Yes, and that includes organic foods. That's how plants defend themselves.
Posted by brucesmall at 05:55 PM : May 03, 2007

Any natural pesticides, ect evloved over time along with the bee's evolution. Thus, only the bees that werent effected survived. Or are you a religious man that dosent believe evolution ever happend.......haha figures