The U.S. government says it is investigating a dramatic decline in the bee population over recent months, and Congress has held a hearing on the issue according to Voice of America.
David Hackenberg owns Buffy Bee Honey outside of Tampa. He said he lost 2/3 of his beehives within a matter of weeks.
"The exact cause of "Colony Collapse Disorder" is a mystery. But scientists at Pennsylvania State University are leading research into the phenomenon. The university's Colony Collapse Disorder Working Group says poor nutrition, drought and pesticide use can cause extraordinary stress on bees.That stress, the group believes, may damage the bees' immune systems – much like AIDS in humans." (Hit read more)
"Meanwhile, scientists with the U.S. Agriculture Department point to bugs called verroa mites. They kill bees by transmitting viruses."
"Colony Collapse Disorder" has spread to nearly half the states and is responsible for killing as many as 90 percent of the hives in some places. According to Bees On Their Knees:
"There have been similar reports from Europe as well. The rapid die-offs here put more than a third of U.S. food crops in peril because without honeybees, many fruits, vegetables, and nut trees wouldn't get pollinated. Jerry Hayes is Chief of the Apiary Section at Florida's Department of Agriculture."
This is not good news. I drink tea with honey.
5 comments:
Wanted to point out too that its been reported that cell phones may be another factor.
"Now, researchers at Landau University in Germany have found that cell phone radiation could interfere with the bees' internal navigation capabilities. In a limited study, they showed that in some cases, up to 70% of bees exposed to radiation from a cordless phone docking unit placed in their hive later failed to find their way back to the hive."
http://www.wirelessweek.com/article.aspx?id=146441
Yes, this report was also picked up by the UK Guardian... but haven't read any US news reports of the cell phone radiation / bee issue.
Hmmm. What are bees doing with cell phones, anyhow? Sounds like that study is the argument for why humans can not drive and use a cell phone.
Never-the-less, I think Einstein once pointed out that mankind would not survive without bees.
I read this in tech news world:
Researchers at Landau University suggest that radiation from mobile phones may be at least partially to blame. Scientists found that placing mobile phones near hives causes bees to refuse to go inside.
Hmmm...this subject is very interesting to me. Do you think this quote i found is true:
Albert Einstein once said that if the bees disappeared, "man would have only four years of life left".
Looks like NIX on the bee quote:
Einstein Biographer Unaware Of Einstein's Bee Quote
Walter Isaacson, the author of the hot-off-the-presses biography of Albert Einstein called Einstein: His Life and Universe. Mr. Isaacson's opinion:
"Einstein may have said something about bees, but I don't know about it if he did."
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