Bees

[SSDD]

I have seen more this year in my garden than in the past few years. (southeast us) Nothing like a full comeback, but more than I have seen in a while. I put up bumblebee hives around my property and they are generally filled to capacity. I haven't seen any decrease in them at all.

 

[Gracie]

I have seen more this year in my garden than in the past few years. (southeast us) Nothing like a full comeback, but more than I have seen in a while. I put up bumblebee hives around my property and they are generally filled to capacity. I haven't seen any decrease in them at all.

I thought bumblebees were underground hives?

 

[SSDD]

I have seen more this year in my garden than in the past few years. (southeast us) Nothing like a full comeback, but more than I have seen in a while. I put up bumblebee hives around my property and they are generally filled to capacity. I haven't seen any decrease in them at all.

I thought bumblebees were underground hives?

Do a google search for bumblebee house images. There are quite a few commercially available models. Also search mason bee houses. Mason bees are terrific pollinators

Here is a link to a pretty simple do it yourself bumblebee nest.

http://happyfarming.com/2009/01/02/how-to-build-a-bumble-bee-nest/

 

[Mr. H.]

Why a bunch of dead bees is terrible news for the economy - The Week



The discovery of 25,000 dead bumblebees in an Oregon parking lot is a dramatic reminder that bee populations around the world are in big trouble. There are fewer domesticated honeybees now than at any time in the last 50 years, while the numbers of four species of bumble bees have dropped by 90 percent over the last few decades.

 

[Gracie]

If I saw that many bees dead or dying, I'd cry.

 

[percysunshine]

Two just died right in front of my eyes. On landed on my thigh in a zigzag way and began to flop around once it landed. I debated to put it out of its misery, then decided...no. I will let it go naturally. It took about 2 minutes for it to buzz it's last. The second one was still feebly moving it's legs and I sat there with one dead bee in my hand after I plucked it off my leg, the other at my feet on the warm sidewalk. Within a short time, the second one died. ...

If I was lying in your yard, flopping around and gasping for air, would you call 911, put me out of my misery, or just stand there in a detached curious way watching me die while contemplating the mysteries of nature?

 

[Gracie]

Two just died right in front of my eyes. On landed on my thigh in a zigzag way and began to flop around once it landed. I debated to put it out of its misery, then decided...no. I will let it go naturally. It took about 2 minutes for it to buzz it's last. The second one was still feebly moving it's legs and I sat there with one dead bee in my hand after I plucked it off my leg, the other at my feet on the warm sidewalk. Within a short time, the second one died. ...

If I was lying in your yard, flopping around and gasping for air, would you call 911, put me out of my misery, or just stand there in a detached curious way watching me die while contemplating the mysteries of nature?

I have seen bees flop around....and then fly off. I was ready to do it, believe me. But I hesitated. What if......

I also remembered the butterfly that got bit by the spider. I carefully unwrapped the silk coccoon...and waited. That butterfly lived. It drank out of a jar cap filled with sugar water. It was my companion for a whole 2 weeks. It could not fly due to my fingers, unwrapping it, holes, etc. But it could flutter. And it drank. And on the last day that I didn't know would be the last day..I had it on my finger outside and it began to furiously flap. To my surprise....it rose about 3 feet and sailed over the fence to the tree next door. I presume the last UMPH it had, to lay it's eggs since their life span is so short.

So how could I kill the bee...and not know for sure that it was dying...or it just might do what the butterfly did?

 

[Mr. H.]

Why a bunch of dead bees is terrible news for the economy - The Week



The discovery of 25,000 dead bumblebees in an Oregon parking lot is a dramatic reminder that bee populations around the world are in big trouble. There are fewer domesticated honeybees now than at any time in the last 50 years, while the numbers of four species of bumble bees have dropped by 90 percent over the last few decades.

If I saw that many bees dead or dying, I'd cry.

That's 150,000 bees' knees.

 

[percysunshine]

Two just died right in front of my eyes. On landed on my thigh in a zigzag way and began to flop around once it landed. I debated to put it out of its misery, then decided...no. I will let it go naturally. It took about 2 minutes for it to buzz it's last. The second one was still feebly moving it's legs and I sat there with one dead bee in my hand after I plucked it off my leg, the other at my feet on the warm sidewalk. Within a short time, the second one died. ...

If I was lying in your yard, flopping around and gasping for air, would you call 911, put me out of my misery, or just stand there in a detached curious way watching me die while contemplating the mysteries of nature?

I have seen bees flop around....and then fly off. I was ready to do it, believe me. But I hesitated. What if......

I also remembered the butterfly that got bit by the spider. I carefully unwrapped the silk coccoon...and waited. That butterfly lived. It drank out of a jar cap filled with sugar water. It was my companion for a whole 2 weeks. It could not fly due to my fingers, unwrapping it, holes, etc. But it could flutter. And it drank. And on the last day that I didn't know would be the last day..I had it on my finger outside and it began to furiously flap. To my surprise....it rose about 3 feet and sailed over the fence to the tree next door. I presume the last UMPH it had, to lay it's eggs since their life span is so short.

So how could I kill the bee...and not know for sure that it was dying...or it just might do what the butterfly did?

Could you give it some sugar water or something? I don't think animal hospitals make bee calls. hmmm...new business model...911BUZZ

 

[Unkotare]

If I saw that many bees dead or dying, I'd cry.

Then you have emotional issues.

 

[syrenn]

I have made a great effort to plant flowers for the bees, humming birds and butterfly's.

Ive not seen many honey bees at all, only a few bumble bees.

 

[SSDD]

I have made a great effort to plant flowers for the bees, humming birds and butterfly's.

Ive not seen many honey bees at all, only a few bumble bees.

Has anyone noticed that agriculture has not suffered due to the lack of honeybees as we were told it would. It has been several years now and. Roos are not suffering.

 

[Old Rocks]

I don't see that many bugs in general anymore.

Except infestations of the really bad ones. Like brown recluse spiders, black and brown widows..and the ever popular bed bugs.

When I was a kid, over 60 years ago, one of the insects I loved to see was noctilunid moths. Especially the Hummingbird Moth. I have seen very few in the last 20 years. And none at all in that area that I mostly grew up in. Even when camping. They used to be very common, and we would see them around a camp or porch light nearly every night.

 

[Old Rocks]

I have made a great effort to plant flowers for the bees, humming birds and butterfly's.

Ive not seen many honey bees at all, only a few bumble bees.

Has anyone noticed that agriculture has not suffered due to the lack of honeybees as we were told it would. It has been several years now and. Roos are not suffering.

What we have noticed is that you come down on the side of the polluters in all cases and in all circumstances, and are quite willing to tell really big lies.

Food prices could rise as bees die off- MSN Money

"The Agriculture Department says a quarter of the American diet, from apples to cherries to watermelons to onions, depends on pollination by honeybees," says The Times. "Fewer bees means smaller harvests and higher food prices."



As an example, the newspaper points to the nation's valuable almond industry -- valued at around $3.4 billion in 2011. Most of America's almonds are grown in California on about 800,000 acres. And to pollinate that acreage, farmers need at least two beehives per acre, or about two-thirds of all commercial hives in the U.S. The Times says the bee shortage has pushed the cost of renting hives up 20% from normal prices, to around $200 per hive.

 

[SSDD]

What we have noticed is that you come down on the side of the polluters in all cases and in all circumstances, and are quite willing to tell really big lies.

I haven't come down on anyone's side. I made an observation that the doom predicted by envirowackos didn't come to pass...and what do you do in response?....provide more mights, maybes, and coulds in the face of what is.

"The Agriculture Department says a quarter of the American diet, from apples to cherries to watermelons to onions, depends on pollination by honeybees," says The Times. "Fewer bees means smaller harvests and higher food prices."

Yes, that's what the agriculture department says, but the bees started disappearing rapidly in 2006. It has been 7 years now and we have not seen any disasterous agricultural effects. Clearly, honeybees were just a part of the system...not the great load carriers that they were claimed to be. Have you seen any decrease in the crops you mention in the past 7 years? No, you haven't. In fact, there have been bumper crops.

The fact that should be sinking in by now is that the agriculture department was wrong. Are you so enamored with government that you can't acknowledge when a department made a statement that was not wrong?

I encourage bees and other pollinating insects around my home and find that there are plenty of insects ready to step up and do the work of pollination in place of honey bees. I would love to see them come back, but the fact remains that crops get polinated without them in spite of what doom and gloomers promised us would happen when the bees started disappearing.

As an example, the newspaper points to the nation's valuable almond industry -- valued at around $3.4 billion in 2011. Most of America's almonds are grown in California on about 800,000 acres. And to pollinate that acreage, farmers need at least two beehives per acre, or about two-thirds of all commercial hives in the U.S. The Times says the bee shortage has pushed the cost of renting hives up 20% from normal prices, to around $200 per hive.

Are they sure that they must have honeybees? Are there no other insects in california that will do the job?...or have they just been conditioned to believe that the crop will fail if they don't pay...pay....pay?