Bee Populations In England Fell By 54% In Past 20 Yrs - Figure Includes Only Managed Honeybee Hives

[hatrack]

The University of Reading research found there was a 54 per cent decline in managed honey bee populations in England between 1985 and 2005 compared to an average of 20 per cent across Europe. It comes as separate research in France suggested the reason bee numbers are falling is because of intensive agriculture that has led to a fall in the number of wild flowers and plants.

Dr Potts, from the University of Reading's School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, requested official data from 18 countries on honey bee colony numbers. In England the bee population fell from 182,000 colonies in 1965 to 179,000 in 1985, to 83,000 today. England had the most dramatic fall followed by Sweden, Germany and Austria. Scotland suffered a 15 per cent loss in the last two decades and Wales lost 23 per cent of colonies.

In recent years bee populations around the world have plummeted, with British bee keepers losing a fifth of hives over the winter of 2008/09. Experts blame everything from climate change, to pesticides or a mysterious ailment known as colony collapse disorder or CCD.

Dr Potts, who will be speaking on the subject in front of MPs this week, blamed the increased use of pesticides, bee disease such as the varroa mite and intensive agriculture. He said it was extremely important to work out what is causing the decline in the bee population in England as every third bite we consume in our diet is dependent on a honeybee to pollinate the food.

EDIT

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/7027264/Bee-numbers-in-England-fell-by-more-than-half-over-the-last-20-years.html

[louis-t]

1. Discovery had some great specials about this

and about Africanized bees. Scientists have been trying to "water down" the aggressive nature of the Africanized "killer" bees. Nothing has worked. I think pesticides are the biggest cause of the declining bee population.

[nykym]

2. Maybe someone should

look into MONSANTO as a cause of bee populations dwindling. Round up is an insecticide that kills everything except Monsanto crops. Monsanto's GM pollen is floating all over the world changing the genetic makeup of plants. Bees collect pollen and nectar from flower they visit. Pollen is distributed to another flower in the bees search for more nectar. I could go on but you get the idea.

[hatrack]

3. One suspect is not Roundup, but Gaucho, also by Monsanto

nt

[BonnieJW]

4. I agree.

I also have a suspicion that GM crops have something to do with autism.