When an idiot like me notices this, something REALLY is wrong...

[LeftyFingerPop]

The bees.

I have seen NO honeybees this year. None. Zero. Zilch.

Also, when I normally see literally thousands of wasps over the course of the summer, I can probably count on two hands the number I have seen so far this year.

On the other hand, I HAVE seen an abundance of bumblebees this year.

Scarey.

[Deep13]

1. Yeah, me too.

I found out you can't get honey from hornets. Seriously, though, bumblebees, wasps, but no honey bees.

[BarenakedLady]

2. Hmmmm

Now that you mention it...

:shrug:

[Inchworm]

3. Don't know the details but

Bill Mahar mentioned that quite often last season. I always meant to read up on it but never did. (bad me)

No bees, no pollination, no produce.

:shrug:

[Inchworm]

8. Found some details

I bet there is more but its like morning and need coffee.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-maher/the-birds-the-bees-and-_b_46410.html

"Here's a quote from Albert Einstein: "if the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would have only four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man."

:hi:

[femmocrat]

4. Do you have any clover in your yard? They are attracted to it.

We have a few bees because we have clover. Everyone else around here nukes their clover and other lawn "weeds" with pesticides, ergo, .... fewer bees. I have no scientific evidence, though, just speculation.

:shrug:

[LeftyFingerPop]

5. Yes, that's the thing...

right now I have TONS of clover. Still no bees. :shrug:

[femmocrat]

6. That is strange.....

There was an article in the local paper about 2 months ago about some kind of "hive collapse" *syndrome that is affecting beekeepers' colonies. And a couple of years ago, the bees were attacked by a mite, causing a lot of them to die off.

There are strange forces afoot, no doubt. :scared:

Edit: *It is called "Colony Collapse Disorder": Here is a link I found on Google: http://www.entm.purdue.edu/Entomology/research/bee/ccd.html

[LeftyFingerPop]

10. Thank you...I will check out your link. n/t

[Wcross]

7. Absolutely NO WASPS around the house.

I blamed the cold snap we had and the fact that I had a sparrow nesting in the eaves. The sparrow family has left and still no wasps???????


Something is wrong.

[RebelOne]

9. The black ants have disappeared from my house.

In the warm months, I am beseiged by black ants. I didn't dare to leave a crumb of food out as it would attract hundreds of ants. For the past two years, I have not seen even one ant. And the red fire ants have disappeared also. I walk my dogs to a big field behind my house. Usually, there were so many fire ant mounds that you had to be very careful where you walked. They have disappeared now.

[mainegreen]

11. It's because they're all up here flying into my living room. n/t

[trogdor]

12. Come over to my place.

Central New York, where your honeybees must have gone. They just LOVE our rose hip bushes, and I postponed cutting my grass by three days when the clover came out and the bees were out in force.

[Hawkeye-X]

13. I saw a few last night

here in Colorado.

But yeah, you're right. Bees are starting to disappear, and the roses needs hunkerin'

[EstimatedProphet]

14. I have seen a lot of carpenter bees...

If, by chance, the honeybee population has a serious crash, the carpenter bees may move into that niche, and take over pollination.

[caty]

15. I noticed last August.

Every August we would always have a problem with bees buzzing around. I couldn't even go to the grocery store without them buzzing around my cart while I put the groceries in the trunk of my car. Sitting outside in August with a Pepsi or at the Dairy Queen with a milk shake and bees would be there. Last August I noticed that they just were not there.

[Debi]

16. I think Will Pitt had something to do with the bees - you'll have to ask

some of the DU Alumni about it though.

[barb162]

17. It seems there are fewer bees of all kinds around.

[Rabrrrrrr]

18. Big national bee problems this year - Colony Collapse Disorder

http://www.journaltimes.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=12512

http://vegetablegardens.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_honey_bee_crisis_of_2007

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/246776/bee_population_declining_across_the.html