"Several researchers, including entomologist Diana Cox-Foster of Penn State and Dr. W. Ian Lipkin, a virologist at Columbia University, have been sifting through bees that have been ground up, looking for viruses and bacteria.
"We were shocked by the huge number of pathogens present in each adult bee," Cox-Foster said at a recent meeting of bee researchers convened by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.The large number of pathogens suggested, she said, that the bees' immune systems had been suppressed, allowing the proliferation of infections.
The idea that a pathogen is involved is supported by recent experiments conducted by VanEngelsdorp and USDA entomologist Jeffrey S. Pettis.One of the unusual features of the disorder is that the predators of abandoned beehives, such as hive beetles and wax moths, refuse to venture into infected hives for weeks or longer.
According to the Apiary Inspectors of America, 24% of 384 beekeeping operations across the country lost more than 50% of their colonies from September to March. Some have lost 90%."
LINK
Showing posts with label pollination. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pollination. Show all posts
Bees, headed out. Can you hear me now?
I have posted about bees before, but this is extra grim. Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) has spread through Europe and is now affecting England.
"...[CCD] has now hit half of all American states. The West Coast is thought to have lost 60 per cent of its commercial bee population, with 70 per cent missing on the East Coast.
CCD has since spread to Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece. And last week John Chapple, one of London's biggest bee-keepers, announced that 23 of his 40 hives have been abruptly abandoned."
A new theory for the losses is that "radiation from mobile phones interferes with bees' navigation systems," but who knows. "No one knows why it is happening. Theories involving mites, pesticides, global warming and GM crops have been proposed, but all have drawbacks."
LINK to Independent article, 15 April 2007
These are other recent posts mentioning "bees"
Weird weather pounding US economy
I've blogged about a lot of these issues before, but there are some new industries being affected that haven't been talked about yet. Poor bees. And I was wondering about the maple syrup!"Business scrambles to cope with weird weatherFrom Maine to California, temperature extremes hit the bottom line...
Make hay while the sun shines- because the bees need you to. And we need bees!
... played a major role in the decline of the bumble bee, according to new research. The big drop in haymaking and the rise of silage is driving out the bees, whose numbers have declined by 60 per cent since 1970." LINKThis is scary too- apparently, bees don't like GM crops: "Wild Bees Reject Genetical...
Heatwave in Bulgaria.
... e freakish weather is starting to take its toll.The flu has been particularly vicious this year due to the warm and moist weather across the country; bees are looking for flowers and bears are wide awake searching for food." LINKin the last 50 years the domesticated honeybee population”which most fa...
The bees are dying. Warning: very sad and scary.
Bees, one of the key factors in sustaining agriculture as we know it, are dying. Colony Collapse Disorder- the bee equivalent of, oh, Boston dying suddenly, is spreading."STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - A mysterious illness is killing tens of thousands of honeybee colonies across the country, threatening honey...
bees- headed out?
"Colonies are going down. The bees aren't dead in the box or aren't out front," says Jerry Bromenshenk, a bee researcher at the University of Montana. "They've just disappeared. Just vanished."Bromenshenk is leading a team of bee researchers looking for a cause. He's even listening to hives for sign...
Bees. Without them, we all die. The bees are dying. Yup.
Thanks to B. for sending this link to the Daily Kos's coverage of the awful, unspeakable, horrible things that are happening to the bees, and what that means for us. (Hint: we're all DOOMED.)"Other types of pesticides allow bees to return home, and then die inside the hive. This type of poisoning is...
"...[CCD] has now hit half of all American states. The West Coast is thought to have lost 60 per cent of its commercial bee population, with 70 per cent missing on the East Coast.
CCD has since spread to Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece. And last week John Chapple, one of London's biggest bee-keepers, announced that 23 of his 40 hives have been abruptly abandoned."
A new theory for the losses is that "radiation from mobile phones interferes with bees' navigation systems," but who knows. "No one knows why it is happening. Theories involving mites, pesticides, global warming and GM crops have been proposed, but all have drawbacks."
LINK to Independent article, 15 April 2007
These are other recent posts mentioning "bees"
Weird weather pounding US economy
I've blogged about a lot of these issues before, but there are some new industries being affected that haven't been talked about yet. Poor bees. And I was wondering about the maple syrup!"Business scrambles to cope with weird weatherFrom Maine to California, temperature extremes hit the bottom line...
Make hay while the sun shines- because the bees need you to. And we need bees!
... played a major role in the decline of the bumble bee, according to new research. The big drop in haymaking and the rise of silage is driving out the bees, whose numbers have declined by 60 per cent since 1970." LINKThis is scary too- apparently, bees don't like GM crops: "Wild Bees Reject Genetical...
Heatwave in Bulgaria.
... e freakish weather is starting to take its toll.The flu has been particularly vicious this year due to the warm and moist weather across the country; bees are looking for flowers and bears are wide awake searching for food." LINKin the last 50 years the domesticated honeybee population”which most fa...
The bees are dying. Warning: very sad and scary.
Bees, one of the key factors in sustaining agriculture as we know it, are dying. Colony Collapse Disorder- the bee equivalent of, oh, Boston dying suddenly, is spreading."STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - A mysterious illness is killing tens of thousands of honeybee colonies across the country, threatening honey...
bees- headed out?
"Colonies are going down. The bees aren't dead in the box or aren't out front," says Jerry Bromenshenk, a bee researcher at the University of Montana. "They've just disappeared. Just vanished."Bromenshenk is leading a team of bee researchers looking for a cause. He's even listening to hives for sign...
Bees. Without them, we all die. The bees are dying. Yup.
Thanks to B. for sending this link to the Daily Kos's coverage of the awful, unspeakable, horrible things that are happening to the bees, and what that means for us. (Hint: we're all DOOMED.)"Other types of pesticides allow bees to return home, and then die inside the hive. This type of poisoning is...
Bees. Without them, we all die. The bees are dying. Yup.
Thanks to B. for sending this link to the Daily Kos's coverage of the awful, unspeakable, horrible things that are happening to the bees, and what that means for us. (Hint: we're all DOOMED.)
"Other types of pesticides allow bees to return home, and then die inside the hive. This type of poisoning is the easiest to diagnose, with a large pile of dead bees in front of a bee hive, usually with their tongues sticking out. "
LINK
"Other types of pesticides allow bees to return home, and then die inside the hive. This type of poisoning is the easiest to diagnose, with a large pile of dead bees in front of a bee hive, usually with their tongues sticking out. "
LINK
bees- headed out?
"Colonies are going down. The bees aren't dead in the box or aren't out front," says Jerry Bromenshenk, a bee researcher at the University of Montana. "They've just disappeared. Just vanished."
Bromenshenk is leading a team of bee researchers looking for a cause. He's even listening to hives for signs of distress. Beekeepers in 22 states have reported bees dying in huge numbers. Jeff Pettis of the U.S. Department of Agriculture says parasites and disease have killed bees in the past, but never anything like this." LINK
The bees are dying. Warning: very sad and scary.
Bees, one of the key factors in sustaining agriculture as we know it, are dying. Colony Collapse Disorder- the bee equivalent of, oh, Boston dying suddenly, is spreading.
"STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - A mysterious illness is killing tens of thousands of honeybee colonies across the country, threatening honey production, the livelihood of beekeepers and possibly crops that need bees for pollination.
Researchers are scrambling to find the cause of the ailment, called Colony Collapse Disorder."
LINK
"STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - A mysterious illness is killing tens of thousands of honeybee colonies across the country, threatening honey production, the livelihood of beekeepers and possibly crops that need bees for pollination.
Researchers are scrambling to find the cause of the ailment, called Colony Collapse Disorder."
LINK
Make hay while the sun shines- because the bees need you to. And we need bees!
"Changing farming practices have played a major role in the decline of the bumble bee, according to new research. The big drop in haymaking and the rise of silage is driving out the bees, whose numbers have declined by 60 per cent since 1970." LINK
This is scary too- apparently, bees don't like GM crops: "Wild Bees Reject Genetically Engineered Crop--Potential Major Impact on Pollination" LINK
Without bees, we don't eat.
"Bees, via pollination, are responsible for 15 to 30 percent of the food U.S. consumers eat. But in the last 50 years the domesticated honeybee population—which most farmers depend on for pollination—has declined by about 50 percent, scientists say. " LINK
This is scary too- apparently, bees don't like GM crops: "Wild Bees Reject Genetically Engineered Crop--Potential Major Impact on Pollination" LINK
Without bees, we don't eat.
"Bees, via pollination, are responsible for 15 to 30 percent of the food U.S. consumers eat. But in the last 50 years the domesticated honeybee population—which most farmers depend on for pollination—has declined by about 50 percent, scientists say. " LINK
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