http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/27/b...32400&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=print Who is to blame? http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/wildlife/article2449968.ece
without bees, we are all screwed....their pollination is important for the environment. I've heard about this, and I don't know what to make of it. It is very scary.
I don't see Green Peace or Friends Of The Earth preaching to us about the honeybees. Instead we get some gibberish about man-made global warming. Honeybees are crucial to everyones' survival.
I heard a report stating that 60% of the bee colonies on the west coast are crashing and on the east coast it's 70%. You think that with those kind of figures this story would be splashed all over the mainstream media by now.
I have friends who are beekeepers and apparently having a mild winter or strange winter affects the bees apparently bees need a certain amount of cold colonies are dying all over the place if you're a fan of honey or beeswax you better start stocking up the prices will surely go up, short-term anyway vanessa.
The second article is now gone. This is still a very serious topic. The USA is importing bees from Australia, so I hope they don't have similar problems.
i found this page about africanized bees slowly taking over in the southwest USA "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africanized_bee" Africanized bees- * Tends to swarm more frequently. * Is more likely to migrate as part of a seasonal response to lowered food supply. * Is more likely to "abscond"—the entire colony leaves the hive and relocates—in response to repeated intrusions by the beekeeper. * Has greater defensiveness when in a resting swarm. * Lives more often in ground cavities than the European types. * Guards the hive aggressively, with a larger alarm zone around the hive. * Has a higher proportion of "guard" bees within the hive. * Deploys in greater numbers for defense and pursues perceived threats over much longer distances from the hive. * Cannot survive extended periods of forage deprivation, preventing intrusion into areas with harsh winters or extremely dry late summers. Some Info,Bob
Bumblebees are also in trouble: http://www.bumblebeeconservationtrust.co.uk/bumblebees_in_crisis.htm If you want to do your bit, make sure you plant bee-friendly flowering plants in your garden. I have lots of lavender and rosemary, which they seem to like, but it depends on where you live. And if you don't have a garden, get a window box or a tub.