| May 31 @ 11:28 PM |
Honey bees
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Always_Striving
Posts: 7,598
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Why am I not seeing honey bees any longer?
Plenty of bumble bees, wasps, and those dreaded yellow jackets and hornets but where are the honey bees?
A friend of mine was telling me a couple of days ago that some virus has been going around and wiped out 40% of them in the USA.
Is this true?
Any know about this? Global warming part of the cause? What's going on?  
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| May 31 @ 11:30 PM |
Honey bees |
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signme
Posts: 9,605
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There was a special on it on tv a few weeks ago. I don't remember exactly what the cause is but it is true that honey bees are disappearing. Whole hives have been abandoned and no one knows why.
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| Jun 1 @ 12:59 AM |
Honey bees
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sweet5red
Posts: 8,143
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18442426/
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| Jun 1 @ 11:07 AM |
Honey bees |
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Loreli
Posts: 20,319
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Honey Bee colonies are disappearing all over the world, and scientist have not pinpointed a cause. Commercial Beekeepers are seeing their hives drop at alarming rates. The West Coast has reportedly lost sixty percent of its commercial bee population and an estimated seventy percent on the East Coast.
This should not be taken lightly, we need the bees to pollinate our crops. A Cornell University study has estimated that honeybees annually pollinate over fourteen billion dollars worth of seed and crops
(Mostly fruits, vegetables, and nuts) in the United States alone. That works out to one-third of the nation's food supply.
They have come up with a name for what is happening Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) occurs when a hive's inhabitants suddenly disappear, leaving only queens, eggs and a few immature workers. The vanished bees are never found, but thought to die singly far from home. This problem has been identified in 24 states all over the country.
The males are all doing a vanishing act......
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| Jun 1 @ 11:57 AM |
Honey bees
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signme
Posts: 9,605
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Isn't that just like a man? 
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| Jun 1 @ 12:00 PM |
Honey bees |
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graywolf
Posts: 40,391
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| Jun 1 @ 12:12 PM |
Honey bees
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signme
Posts: 9,605
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Sorry I just couldn't help myself! 
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| Jun 1 @ 1:45 PM |
Honey bees |
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SallyF
Posts: 298
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My lavender is attracting more bees than usual this year---but they look different. Some have bright orange coloring on their bodies. Is that typical? (have not noticed this other years)
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| Jun 1 @ 2:04 PM |
Honey bees
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Gallows_Humor
Posts: 8,063
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food for thought...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africanized_bee
reads to me like man is just paying a price for his stupidity... in time new queens will be reintroduced and things will get back to normal...
the Africanized bee:
Tends to swarm more frequently.
Is more likely to migrate as part of a seasonal response to lowered food supply.
Is more likely to "abscond"—the entire colony leaves the hive and relocates—in response to repeated intrusions by the beekeeper.
Has greater defensiveness when in a resting swarm.
Lives more often in ground cavities than the European types.
Guards the hive aggressively, with a larger alarm zone around the hive.
Has a higher proportion of "guard" bees within the hive.
Deploys in greater numbers for defense and pursues perceived threats over much longer distances from the hive.
Cannot survive extended periods of forage deprivation, preventing intrusion into areas with harsh winters or extremely dry late summers.
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| Jun 1 @ 2:25 PM |
Honey bees |
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burnslikethesun
Posts: 9,609
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My theory is that the bees are moving. As weather changes it forces them to move to their ideal climate or just die off. Yet its just a part. I think it is all factors combined.
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| Jun 1 @ 3:08 PM |
Honey bees
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Hobbit101
Posts: 52
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FSU einstien on beeshttp://www.agbio.ca/Docs/Colony_collapse_bees.pdf
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| Jun 1 @ 3:28 PM |
Honey bees |
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Hobbit101
Posts: 52
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theres two links in that linkline i just posted sorry if i goofed it up.
ive been concerned for several years over the honey bee population as ive taken notice that even in my own garden ive seen the results from lack of honey bee pollination. and after externsive and exhaustive readig on te matter it come to my dearest concerns that we as a crop producing nation, have a very real and very serious matter we have to address in the fastest possible way acheivable,,,its amazing just how absouluty dependant we are around the world on the honey bees,
without them in there multitudes we wont have any produce and many fruits on our tables to eat because many crops are so totally dependant yearly on honeybee pollination.
yes CCD is a name applied to one unknowen reason for the loss of bees but sevral other factors are knowen..Viruse,mites,africanized bee(which attack colonys of honey bees).pesticides, and other contaminants.
there has been some analysis suporting that due to encroaching developmental lands have had an afeect also clearing large areas of land that in past had some flowering foliage to help support wild hives.
its also knowen for many years that pesticides and honey bees is part of a paradox in that we sspray to kill off bad insects yet in doing that we also put honneybees in that direct exposure.
many home owners and subdivisions also have chosen to use planting that are less maintenance , howver most of those types of plants and yes watyer wise plants too arent good flowering plants that are productive for honeybee support.
in end!, in [artial to my own opinion yes there maybe a single high percentage based cause but i beleve in a totality factor that there are many of these underlying factors that we as home owners and people in general can do to help this problem out.
1.plant flowering plants.
2. take the bee gaurds off your hummingbird feeders
3.use insecticides as only a last resort and when doing so make your insectice choice specific to the problem broad spectrum insectides kills good insects too.
4. do some reading and learn about the honey bees
just a few things we can do that have to potential to help our honey bee populations recover. 
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| Jun 1 @ 4:09 PM |
Honey bees
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SallyF
Posts: 298
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I enjoy watching the bees drink from the hummingbird feeder!
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| Jun 1 @ 6:38 PM |
Honey bees |
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kattsmeow
Posts: 21,280
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http://helpthehoneybees.com/
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| Jun 1 @ 7:32 PM |
Honey bees
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signme
Posts: 9,605
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I'm sorry but I took down my hummingbird feeder as the bees kept swarming it. A bee sting can kill a hummingbird as they (the hummers) are so small. I love my hummers more than the bees so I wanted to protect them. I miss my hummers.
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| Jun 1 @ 7:34 PM |
Honey bees |
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JenRNinOhio
Posts: 1,283
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sitting
waiting
drumming fingers on desk
tapping foot
Who will be the first man to post something about missing his hummers, too?
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| Jun 1 @ 7:39 PM |
Honey bees
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signme
Posts: 9,605
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| Jun 1 @ 9:50 PM |
Honey bees |
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Always_Striving
Posts: 7,598
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Katts, that is a cute website..... it has an interactive game with the flying bee and flowers and trees.
Also the make a bee thing .... add your own hair, mouth, eyes...... kinda like Mr. Potato head
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| Jun 1 @ 10:06 PM |
Honey bees
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Jankia
Posts: 9,169
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I sure hope it doesnt turn out to be true.My neighbor provides excellent honey from his hives.
Note to self...remember to snowplow his driveway again next winter.
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| Jun 4 @ 1:38 AM |
Honey bees |
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grumblebear
Posts: 10,494
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Sadly Honey bees are not native... The Europeans brought them over...
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