Missing Bees???

[Lburou]

Another possible vector against the honey bees here in the US

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Now with today?s Food Forethought, here?s Lacy Gray.
Looks like scientists are getting closer to discovering the real cause behind colony collapse disorder, a phenomenon where worker bees abruptly disappear from their prospective hives, and it doesn?t appear to be crop treatments or cell phone towers. Since 2006 honey bee colonies worldwide have drastically declined. With bees being of primary importance for the pollination of agricultural crops scientists have been working to discover the cause of the syndrome. Now, out of sheer happenstance, a biology professor in California collecting dead bees around his university for another project discovered strangely enough a parasitic fly larva emerging from the dead bees. Stranger yet is that scientists hadn?t considered this particular parasitic fly as the culprit in honey bee colony collapse disorder since it had already been previously documented as parasitizing bumblebee and paper wasp populations. Scientists are also wondering now if this parasitic species of fly isn?t also spreading other parasites and viruses into bee hives as well. It certainly seems to be one of those ?well duh? moments for science, but better late than never for the bees.

Thanks Lacy. That?s today?s Northwest Report. I?m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.

That reminds me of the parasitic wasp fostered by a University here in Texas to battle the fire ants....We'll sure be lucky if the wasp works against the fire ant populations, here and everywhere.

[brickie in oz]

Re: Missing Bees???

to import a type of bumble bee into Au

There are Bumble bees in Tassie, Ive seen them.

[Archena]

Re: Missing Bees???

<makes note to never move to Florida>

Great article, Lburou! Thanks!

[RTflorida]

Re: Missing Bees???

Major bee losses here in FL the past few years. what used to be an actual industry (beekeeping) is now a few soles left who have smaller colonies. FL beekeepers for decades were able to handle farms and groves throughout the south east, now there are not enough to pollenate the local crops. Reasons rainging from parasites killing the bees to to much infitration of africanized (killer) bees. I have actually seen many bees on several of my plants and shrubs, mostly the more aggressive African bees.

RT

[Lburou]

Re: Missing Bees???

The latest article.

There IS progress

[david s]

Re: Missing Bees???

Where did Noah keep his bees?
A. In the Ark hives.

[Lburou]

Re: Missing Bees???

Google Alerts sends me ALL the articles published on Colony Collapse Disorder. This is the today's article. Several 'single causes' have been ruled out....Its not cell phone towers, UFO's or any of the off-the-wall explanations purported early on in the panic.

KIAH

Researchers seek causes of honeybee colony collapse

Reuters
3:15 PM CST, March 5, 2011




By Zach Howard

SOUTH DEERFIELD, Massachusetts (Reuters) - Birds do it, fleas do it but when bees do it, the value is $212 billion to the world economy.

That's why scientists are seeking a way to stem mass deaths of the world's primary pollinator -- the honeybee -- which affect more than 30 percent of bee colonies in the United States and more than 20 percent in some European countries.

Researchers have identified some probable causes of colony collapse disorder (CCD), including blood-feeding parasites, bee viruses, fungi, pesticide exposure and decreased plant diversity causing poor nutrition for honeybees, experts say.

"It's a complex interaction of several different factors that are causing bees to die, resulting in quick colony decline," said Jeff Pettis, entomologist and chief researcher at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Bee Research Lab in Beltsville, Maryland.

Losses are alarming not just for honey lovers but for a huge chunk of the global agricultural market as well. Some 52 of the world's 112 leading crops -- from apples and soybeans to cocoa and almonds -- rely on pollination. One 2009 study by economists put the value of insect pollination, mainly by bees, at about $212 billion.

And with human population increasing quickly, observers worry that the bee decline will deepen a global crisis unfolding from limited crops and soaring food prices.

The threat to bees is international. England lost more than half its hives in the last two decades, and baffling bee losses are occurring in Asia, South America and the Middle East.

A single silver bullet to end the problem is still out of reach. But recent discoveries are shedding light on possible answers to the puzzle.

Some scientists blame commercial agricultural pesticides such as clothianidin, which has been linked to millions of bee deaths near farming areas in different countries. Banned in some European countries, clothianidin remains EPA-approved and is commonly used on U.S. crops such as corn, wheat and soy.

Another bee threat is parasites such as the varroa destructor, which clings to a bee as it feeds on hemolymph, or bee's "blood," and spreads dangerous viruses. Major infestations will typically wipe out beehives, said Keith Delaplane, entomology professor at the University of Georgia.

To fight those viral infections, a U.S.-Israeli biotech called Beeologics now makes an antiviral medicine that exploits a native immune mechanism and boosts bees' tolerance for disease, say multiple researchers involved with the studies.

Finally, another possible cause for bee deaths is a combination of a virus and a fungus, which was found in all collapsed colonies in a U.S. study last year. The viral-fungal duo may destroy bees' memory or navigation functions and contribute to colony collapse.

Commercial apiaries are far harder hit than independent honey producers, said small producer Dan Conlon, who owns 700 hives at Warm Colors Apiary in South Deerfield, Massachusetts. His bees tend to be resilient, living in a rural, diverse habitat.

"Most of those reporting heavy losses run large operations and are focused on migratory pollination for their income," Conlon said.

Early bee reports are poor throughout the United States this winter, including Georgia, which appears to be losing about one-third of its colonies, said Delaplane.

Managed U.S. hives numbered 2.68 million last summer, USDA said. That's only about half of the nation's 5 million hives tallied back in the 1940s.

The nation produced 176 million pounds of honey last year, with wholesale prices reaching a record $1.603 per pound, the USDA said.

(Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Ellen Wulfhorst)

I saw a surprising statistic last week about beef cattle that follows the underlined portion of the article above....In the US, cattle population is about 96.2 million head.....Equal to 1956 population Beef prices will be going up, up, up!

I read more about my beekeping hobby in graduate school than I did for my (then) future vocation. Beekeeping is fun!

[david s]

Re: Missing Bees???

Maybe it's to prevent electrocuting the visiting bees.

[david s]

Re: Missing Bees???

Ground it? [ATTACH]18239[/ATTACH]

What? protection from lightning strikes?

[Archena]

Re: Missing Bees???

There is a fair bit about the copper wire and tomatoes trick if you search on google. Apparently it is recommended that you poke the end of the wire into the ground, Though I can't see what that would do.

Ground it?

[david s]

Re: Missing Bees???

There is a fair bit about the copper wire and tomatoes trick if you search on google. Apparently it is recommended that you poke the end of the wire into the ground, Though I can't see what that would do.

[kombiman]

Re: Missing Bees???

tomatos are a sealed polination unit, commercial growers use a vibrator device to do the job. They are trying to get approval to import a type of bumble bee into Au to do the job but the apiarists dont want the risk of bringint the mite into Au that we don't have so far....

[david s]

Re: Missing Bees???

Try giving half your plants the operation and leave the rest as a control to compare. I don't know, this could be just an Australian thing related to soil deficiency or prevalent diseases, but it doesn't hurt to give it a try

[david s]

Re: Missing Bees???

Use a piece about 6cm long

[egalecki]

Re: Missing Bees???

I don't know if they do anything for the garden, but I grow the bush nasturtiums in my garden as well as marigolds. The flowers are very pretty in a green salad and are quite peppery.

I haven't seen the copper wire trick before- how long a piece do you use? I might give it a try on a few plants this year if I can get some more specifics.