Asinus Assium Fricat reports on Politicook tonight that Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) has now struck bee colonies in Germany. This may not seem like a big deal, but it is, regardless or in spite of apocryphal statements attributed to Albert Einstein. The problem is basic: without bees to pollinate many, if not most, of our crops, food as we know it will be changed very significantly.
Many hypotheses have been postulated about the cause for CCD, but there is very little evidence for any. Please follow me after the break and I will make a suggestion that might provide a method in which to glean some real data.
Last night was a tough one for insomnia. So many thoughts rolling around, and absorbing late-night talk on "Coast to Coast Radio," I heard reporter Linda Moulton Howe reporting how the Colony Collapse Disorder affecting our North American honey bees is "worse than last year." http://www.earthfiles.com/...
As I prepared this diary note about it, a dear school friend sent this You Tube link her niece made as a plea to help the honey bees in honor of her Dad who died 20 years ago May 1:
To those of use who have been worried about bees dying off due to an unexplained syndrome called Colony Collapse Disorder, a new study offers an interesting possible explanation: pollutants originating largely from car exhaust are interfering with the scent chemicals used by flowers to attract the bees.
The film "King Corn" will be aired on PBS this week. I'm looking forward to it. I love corn. I just don't like what we do with corn. In honor of "King Corn" I came up with some reasons to just say NO to corn.
What do the cost of food, the food riots, overweight Americans, drug resistant disease and possibly the die off of bees all have in common?
Disclaimer: This is a biased post. I am pro small family farms and I am pro honey bees. I belong to a CSA. I am a lifetime honey eater. I go through a large jar of the stuff every month. I am firmly opposed to High Fructose Corn Syrup.
Update: Here is a link to a more thorough diary on corn written earlier this week by CSI Bentonville: http://www.dailykos.com/...
Late in January 2008, Americans read the startling news, Video Reveals Violations of Laws, Abuse of Cows at Slaughterhouse. Tears were shed by some; most turned away. The footage was too graphic. Countless wished to remain removed from a reality they do not wish to witness. Reports, of brutal treatment towards beefy cattle, were received by many as is steak on a plate. Those who eat the meat think it sad that a cow must be sacrificed in order to fill a human stomach. Nonetheless, numerous persons believe man kills "lower" forms of life; that is the natural order.
Lately, a lot of attention has been given to "border security". Protecting us all from the scourge of "illegal aliens" has been a hot topic. Well, I'm one guy who thinks that certain illegal aliens should be gassed. That's right, gassed. The "illegal aliens" that I am talking about have six legs, antennae and and wings. I'm talking about insects, i.e. the Formosan Termite, the Asian Long Horned Beetle and foreign born bees. Congress and the last several Presidents have done little to protect our country from an invasion that is having a major effect on our housing, food supply and our forests. More, below:
The survival of the honeybee, perhaps the world’s largest matriarchy, has been a matter of real concern since the announcement of Colony Collapse Disorder earlier this year.
As we discussed in an April story (On Bees, Or, An Apple A Day May Be A Thing Of The Past), the pathogenic loading seen in the few recovered bees was so dramatic and of such a great variety that it was assumed there was more than one cause for the troubles.
Recent news reports from Spain have suggested the answer may be at hand...but apparently nothing in life is that easy. We’ll talk more about the bad news-and the good-as we go on.
The mystery of the disappearing honey bees may have been solved, or at least a reliable clue has been found. In North America Fifty to ninety percent European honey bee colonies have vanished, threatening American agriculture. A prime suspect has now been identified.
Genetic research showed that Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) turned up regularly in hives affected by Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).
Congressmen ask Safeway about carbon monoxide-treated meat
Safeway received a letter June 26 from Rep. John D. Dingell, D-Michigan, chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Michigan, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations "demanding that Safeway Stores and three major meat packaging companies respond to concerns about the public health risks posed by meat treated with carbon monoxide," according to a press release issued by Dingell and Stupak - EastBay BizJournal
More ethanol means more corn -- and more water pollution. American farmers intend to plant more corn this year than at any time since the food-shortage years of World War II — 90.5 million acres. And nitrogen and phosphorus are washing off the fields. St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Regarding the bees, well, perhaps things aren't as scary as some of us are thinking.
No doubt you have heard about the millions of disappearing bees across North America and Europe. There is no certain word on the cause or implications of colony collapse disorder, but maybe we can feel ok about them for now. More over>
The failure of honeybee colonies in many parts of the United States and in other areas of the world has been widely reported, and been featured in numerous diaries on Daily Kos. In most cases, the "colony collapse disorder" appears as a kind of mass desertion: the queen and a few attendants remain, but the workers are nowhere to be seen. Either they have, for reasons unknown, abandoned the hive, or they have simply died.
With as many theories offered as there are bees in a hive, it's worth taking a quick look at some of the contending ideas. So join me after the break for some informed speculation.
Now that the growing season is back in swing, Ag Alert, the publication of the California Farm Bureau, is back in stride with some interesting articles. Ag Alert is sent to most farmers in the state has a definite political bent, and has stories that you won't find in the mainstream press.
There have been several diaries about the bee crisis on Daily Kos. Bees are essential to agriculture throughout the United States - without them, many important crops will fail completely. Because of Colony Collapse Disorder, the city yokels among us have gotten a crash education in the economics of bees and how valuable each colony is. This article, about Queen Bees, tells the story of a Shasta County family that raises bees for beekeepers.
So many theories abound for the reasons of honeybee decline (also known as Colony Collapse Disorder). And they have been explored numerous times on this site (see bees tag).
Environmental News to use....this time highlighting some fuzzy, furry, slimy, scaly, slippery forms of life.
The Monster of Machado Lake...has been captured.
Reggie the alligator's two years of freedom ended this afternoon when the coldblooded fugitive left the chilly waters of Lake Machado and was taken into custody on the shore. - Latte Times.
Before I get into the the post itself, I wanted to provide a disclaimer of sorts - I'm a neophyte at best when it comes to going organic. We've been buying organic milk for the kids for a number of years and pick up organic this and organic that, mostly from Trader Joe's, but other than that, like I said I'm a neophyte at best.
As anyone knows from watching Winnie the Pooh, Beehives are round. One theory that is going around is that the Langstroth Box commonly used by beekeepers in their Apiaries is essentially counter to this roundness. The box is square. A guy named Rudolf Steiner predicted the demise of bees in boxes long ago, in 1923, and now there is a new generation of beekeepers who are rethinking the whole process. This is just one of the problems with modern industrial beekeping and the agribusiness mega-farm, and there are many serious problems. I've reposted below a wonderful article to read, in its entirety, that lays out many of these problems, and also solutions More below the buzz-line.
