Figures From America Show Scale of Bee Catastrophe

[G_j]

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/05/02-1

Published on Sunday, May 2, 2010 by The Observer/UK

Fears for Crops as Shock Figures From America Show Scale of Bee Catastrophe

The world may be on the brink of biological disaster after news that a third of US bee colonies did not survive the winter
by Alison Benjamin

<snip>

The number of managed honeybee colonies in the US fell by 33.8% last winter, according to the annual survey by the Apiary Inspectors of America and the US government's Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

The collapse in the global honeybee population is a major threat to crops. It is estimated that a third of everything we eat depends upon honeybee pollination, which means that bees contribute some £26bn to the global economy.

Potential causes range from parasites, such as the bloodsucking varroa mite, to viral and bacterial infections, pesticides and poor nutrition stemming from intensive farming methods. The disappearance of so many colonies has also been dubbed "Mary Celeste syndrome" due to the absence of dead bees in many of the empty hives.

US scientists have found 121 different pesticides in samples of bees, wax and pollen, lending credence to the notion that pesticides are a key problem. "We believe that some subtle interactions between nutrition, pesticide exposure and other stressors are converging to kill colonies," said Jeffery Pettis, of the ARS's bee research laboratory.

A global review of honeybee deaths by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) reported last week that there was no one single cause, but pointed the finger at the "irresponsible use" of pesticides that may damage bee health and make them more susceptible to diseases. Bernard Vallat, the OIE's director-general, warned: "Bees contribute to global food security, and their extinction would represent a terrible biological disaster."

..more..

[Dogmudgeon]

1. How about looking at bee monoculture?

Domesticated bees are some of the most in-bred creatures on the planet, and lack of genetic diversity makes a breed "brittle". The two main breeds, German and Italian, were first cultivated during the Renaissance. Even worse, beehives are often hired out to pollinate crops -- more monoculture, this time of the food the bees and the bee larvae eat.

Unfortunately, attempts to breed in new genes from African bees led to the so-called "killer bees" scare.

Of course, pesticides, varroa, parasites, microorganisms, etc., are nothing to take lightly, but genetically robust bees would be able to better adapt.

--d!

[Taverner]

2. They should bring in some Japanese Honeybee genes...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kr9hoRFIyuc

[G_j]

5. sounds reasonable

I know little about bees, but it make sense that their breeding could play into the present scenario.

[FarLeftFist]

7. Maybe they're just becoming lazier and opting for breeders with huge food sources

[Enthusiast]

11. Much like the "Irish Potato" nt

[Dan]

3. I wonder,

if the genetic modified products have had an impact on the Bees. I wonder if the Bees that have contact with the genetic modified products are taking something back to the hives - which subsequently impact the ability of the Queen to produce viable off-springs. Just a thought.

[LWolf]

4. GM pollen?

An interesting question, to which I have no answer.

[FarLeftFist]

6. Maybe they moved to Canada.

[piedmont]

8. Honeybees aren't native here, and aren't as hardy as native bees.

This "honeybee collapse" is the result of industrial agriculture trying to industrialize pollination. We should make nesting and feeding habitat available for local, native bees-- carpenter bees, miner bees, bumble bees. They can be much more efficient at pollination,, too.

http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/nativebee.html

[G_j]

10. facinating

I just learned a lot, great link.

[AuntPatsy]

9. Sadly far too many people remain unaware of the obvious impact this will have

on our future agricultural industry...very frightening..