I had my hopes up about the honey bees, but the truth is beyond the pale.

[RadiationTherapy]

Some posters had recently commented that they had been, anecdotally, seeing more bees around.

The sad truth: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24500059/


updated 7 minutes ago
SAN FRANCISCO - A survey of bee health released Tuesday revealed a grim picture, with 36.1 percent of the nation's commercially managed hives lost since last year.

snip

"For two years in a row, we've sustained a substantial loss," he said. "That's an astonishing number. Imagine if one out of every three cows, or one out of every three chickens, were dying. That would raise a lot of alarm."

The survey included 327 operators who account for 19 percent of the country's approximately 2.44 million commercially managed bee hives. The data is being prepared for submission to a journal.

end excerpt

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The article does not attribute all losses to Colony Collapse Disorder; it includes losses to parasites, etc.

[cally]

1. I asked my local honey farmer about the bee colony collapse

and his bees are thriving. He told me the organic bee farmers are doing fine so maybe that's the answer to this crisis.

[Muttocracy]

3. I think the smaller populations, and ones that move their hives less are doing better. nt

[RadiationTherapy]

5. Thank you for this comment. I hope there is scientifically verifiable evidence

produced soon. It does seem interesting that these bees have to go all across the country pollinating crops that, I presume, are sprayed. What is the cumulative effect? Why now and not sooner?

Do organic bee farmers expose their bees to sprayed crops?

[geiger]

7. the pesticides have been linked to the catastrophic loss of bees

I don't have a source handy, but I have been monitoring news.

[RadiationTherapy]

9. I can only imagine what their exposure is. It is so catastrophic.

And, frankly, I am growing tired of cashew butter; I want my "affordable almonds" back!!

[DB1]

6. Absolutely correct. I have a hive and know several others that do as well..

If you keep them as natural as possible they thrive. Long term commercial methods suppress the Bees immune system. Did you know a lot of the honey consumed in this country comes from China? Kind of scary.

[noonwitch]

10. If it's cheaper honey

Great Lakes honey comes from Michigan, and it's a few cents more than the generic brand.

[DB1]

13. It is not about cheap honey, it is about pollination.

[But....]

2. Is it only the 'managed' bees?

If so answer is easy to see, hard to do.

[librechik]

8. bbc had a story recently about wild bees--90% gone in the Scotland study and

not just bees, but ALL the pollinators declining alarmingly

gotta dash off to work or i'd google it for you

[But....]

11. Oh shoot...

thanks(it's freaking me out:scared: ) but still appreciate the information:hi:

[madokie]

4. Thats a bummer for sure

I've been seeing bees on our flowers and especially on the clover where last year I wasn't seeing any so I was hoping that the news concerning the numbers would be good, not to be I see. A few years back one of my friends who have several hives were going to bring one and set it up in our outback back yard but when he went to do that that was when he found out he had lost most of his colonies. Eating local honey is the best thing one can do for allergies, so I've been told

[OneBlueSky]

12. "the state would pour an additional $20,400 into research . . .

at Pennsylvania State University looking for the causes of CCD. This raises emergency funds dedicated to investigating the disease to $86,000." . . .

pour $20,400? . . . to bring the total to $86,000? . . . this doesn't sound like a whole lot of concern to me . . .

[RadiationTherapy]

14. Hilarious observation.

Thank Maude my daughter is only 6and 7/12. I don't have to explain why I have given up.

It's the priorities, stupid!

[countryjake]

15. News not good in wa state either, which had escaped earlier problems...

"Major disaster" for bees may jeopardize Washington state's crops
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004341374_bee11m.html

~snip~

Last year, many Washington beekeepers were relieved that they avoided a mysterious Colony Collapse Disorder that silenced hives all over the country. But this year, some beekeepers are reporting a devastating new pathogen — with no reliable cure — is killing their bees in droves.

Some beekeepers are helping to pay for a crash research program at Washington State University to figure out what is going on.

"It's a major disaster in Western Washington. We are into a huge emergency situation," said Yakima beekeeper Eric Olson, who runs the state's largest commercial pollination business.

While his hives in Central and Eastern Washington have survived, Olson said he has lost 80 percent of his Western Washington hives — more than 4,000 in all — to the new pathogen. Other commercial pollinators with bees in Western Washington were just as hard hit. "I'm scared, and I don't mind saying so," Olson said.