Bees

[Gracie]

Not many here this year. And the ones at do show up act strange. I love the bees when they come but...I hate seeing them this way.

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. I put them both in a rose bud on the rose bush...each one in a nest of rose still shut up half way. It made me sad.

We are killing bees with pesticides and once bees are gone..then what? I don't think a lot of people even think about all the things bees do.


Colony-Collapse Disorder Is Killing Honeybees, and We Don't Know How to Stop It | TIME.com

Annie Spiegelman: Beekeepers Wanted

Here's a brief recap: Though worldwide bee health has been on the decline since the 1990's, it wasn't until the fall of 2006 that beekeepers nationwide began noticing millions of bees vanishing from their hives. "Imagine if every one of three cows died. The National Guard would be out," explains Dennis vanEngelsdorp, Acting State Apiarist for Pennsylvania's Department of Agriculture and research scientist. This syndrome, named Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD, is characterized by the disappearance of adult honey bees (Apis mellifera) from the hive, leaving the newborns to fend for themselves.

Not a fan of the bee? Why should you care? Well, if you like to eat food, you should be concerned. "While most people recognize the need for plants to be pollinated, most don't know that it's diligent native and honey bee populations that are performing the bulk of this process for many of the fruits, nuts, and vegetables that we depend upon in our diet," says Stephen Andrews, soil scientist and environmental studies professor at UC Berkeley. Besides gathering nectar to produce honey, bees pollinate agricultural crops, home gardens, orchards and wildlife habitat. As they travel from blossom to blossom in search of nectar, pollen sticks to their furry body and is transferred to another flowering blossom enabling it to swell into a ripened fruit. Bees have been doing this (for free!) for nearly 100 million years.

 

[dilloduck]

Thank Monsanto
http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/environment/is-monsanto-killing-our-bees/

 

[Gracie]

And we eat the GMO, too. No wonder cancer and other diseases are so rampant. I just got diagnosed with Colitis after the results from the colonoscopy I had recently. My mother, father, grandparents, etc had as many ailments that me, my sister, my niece are suffering. And I am pretty sure it is like that the world over where pesticides are used more than they were when our parents and grandparents and great grandparents were alive. Not only are we killing birds and bees...we are paying the price with our own bodies.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Its just astonishing to me that a segment of our population is allowed to do this much damage with no repercussions.

Don't these people have children? I mean, I understand that all they care about is making money but surely they have family and they know they're killing the planet their children will be living on.

Gracie, I really understand what you wrote. We plant for the bees, hummers, butterflies or food for us. A couple of weeks ago, we though we had a hive because we suddenly saw several bees every day in the same spot. They disappeared so we don't know.

Not seeing bees - its depressing. Its as though they're the canary in the coal mine and big business just wants more coal - even if it kills all the canaries.

 

[Gracie]

I can't rep ya....so I will just say thank you for a good post.

 

[Unkotare]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krs2Q28Mq2Q]BIZARRE: The Killer Bees sketch with John Byner and Bob Einstein - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Mr Natural]

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

 

[Gracie]

I was outside just now. I looked all over the yard for bees. Normally this time of year, they would be everywhere. I found about 5. Another one landed in the grass to groom itself so I had it climb on my finger where it was safer than being in the grass. It did it's thang, then flew away nice and straight.At least that one wasn't sick.

 

[Gracie]

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.

 

[dilloduck]

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.

no shortage of mosquitos here in Austin this year.

 

[Mr. H.]

Years ago we buried a line about a quarter-mile long, three feet deep. I walked the length of the newly-dug trench and examined the outlying fill. It was this fine grey "dirt". Not dark rich soil. Sterile, without so much as a grub or a worm in sight. That's farm ground for ya.

 

[Gracie]

Earth is dying. We are doing it.

 

[Unkotare]

Earth is dying. We are doing it.

Oh the earth will be fine (until, ya know...).

 

[Unkotare]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XDbcMND7fY]Life after people S01E01 Life after people - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Gracie]

Yes. I believe the earth can regenerate. Once it's virus is removed.

On earth as it is in heaven. Good. Because the earth is beautiful and so are all it's inhabitants...except those that never SEE it and only want money.

 

[Staidhup]

I once knew a former migratory commercial Bee Keeper who predicted that the genetic isolation of the European honey bee stock and two mites, from Europe, would result in the decline of feral colonies and eventual decimation of commercial bee populations. Apparently the time it takes for honey bees to adapt genetically to these two mites requires a larger genetic pool then existed, numerous generations to adapt, and virtually destroy the bee and sector of agricultural industry dependent upon bee pollination . After visiting Europe and South America he sold out, apparently he was on to something and could see the writing on the wall. What I found most alarming was that insecticides, some legal, some not, were used in commercial hives to kill mites, he predicted that this action alone would further accelerate the decline and postpone natural resistance due to the mites ability to become resistant to the control measures at a quicker rate. He stressed that the use of pesticides by farmers also inflicted stress on colonies and was directly responsible for bumble bee population decline.

 

[Unkotare]

Yes. I believe the earth can regenerate. Once it's virus is removed...

What virus?

 

[mamooth]

Not a single honeybee in my yard this year. They used to be buzzing all over my wild plum bushes. I try to make it good for them. Zero pesticides, I let the clover grow, I'm very sparse with the weed killer. Not enough.

Oh, I got bit by a spider yesterday. Picked up the broom, walked outside, started sweeping ... OW! Saw spider drop off my hand and run off. A little Jumping Spider. Not a brown recluse or black widow, the important thing. So it's like bee sting.

Now, I didn't expect a spider would be hanging out on the broom handle.

Neither would any of you.

But you will from now on.

Have a great night!

 

[Staidhup]

We had bees during bloom, now the occasional honey bee and bumble bee in the flower and herb garden. Haven't had a swarm show up in years, used to get one about every other year.

 

[Gracie]

I haven't seen ANY bumble bees this year, come to think of it. They used to hang out in the front yard all the time. Everywhere..bumble bees. Sigh.

What virus? The human viruses that make dangerous pesticides, inject animals with crap to make them plumper then sell the produce and the animal meat to consumers for that almighty dollar and not a care in the world to what they are doing to this earth as long as they make their money. THAT virus.