Can we save the bees please?

[jacee]

harvard-study-proves-why-the-bees-are-all-disappearing/

Pesticides, of course. Specifically a "recently introduced family of pesticides called neonicotinoids"

And why does it matter?

"More than 100 US crops rely on honey bees to pollinate them."

Oh ya ... our food.

http://www.honey.com/honey-at-home/learn-about-honey/honey-bees-and-pollination/

"In fact, about one-third of the human diet is derived from insect-pollinated plants, and honey bees are responsible for 80 percent of this pollination."

We've been encouraged not to spray, and to leave the dandelions in our lawns from now on, for pollen for the bees ... free from pesticide presumably.

So ... get rid of the neonicotinoids?

Oh wait ... maybe not so clear ...

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/post_8761_b_6323626.html

Damn. I was hoping we could solve one problem. <sigh>

Edited April 12, 2016 by jacee

[TimG]

Pesticides, of course. Specifically a "recently introduced family of pesticides called neonicotinoids"

Another hoax invented by people addicted to 'the world is ending' narratives.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-entine/post_8761_b_6323626.html

How could a “Harvard study” and a sizable slice of the nation’s press get this story so wrong?.

The buzz that followed the publication of Lu’s latest study is a classic example of how dicey science can combine with sloppy reporting to create a ‘false narrative’—a storyline with a strong bias that is compelling, but wrong. It’s how simplistic ideas get rooted in the public consciousness. And it’s how ideology-driven science threatens to wreak public policy havoc.

One of the central problems with Lu’s central conclusion—and much of the reporting—is that despite the colony problems that erupted in 2006, the global bee population has remained remarkably stable since the widespread adoption of neonics in the late 1990s. The United Nations reports that the number of hives has actually risen over the past 15 years, to more than 80 million colonies, a record, as neonics usage has soared.

According to statistics Canada honey bee colonies have increased from 521,000 in 1995 to 672,000 in 2013, a record. North American managed beehive numbers have held stable over the last two decades.

As Randy Oliver, a well known beekeeper, wrote on his Scientific Beekeeping blog, Lu fed his test colonies a pesticide brew of about 135 parts per billion (ppb). That’s 100 times higher then the 1-3 ppb commonly found in pollen or nectar, a level far below safety concerns.

Edited April 12, 2016 by TimG

[Moonlight Graham]

Another hoax invented by people who need 'the world is ending' narratives to inflate their egos.

"The world is going to end/you're going to die" stories hook viewers of mass news media, makes media companies advertising dollars. Why stop now?

Honestly don't know much about this bee problem, it may be a bit of a concern who knows.

Edited April 13, 2016 by Moonlight Graham

[kimmy]

News stories about bee colony collapses were everywhere, four or five years ago. Lately I haven't been hearing about it at all. I had assumed it was because people lost interest.

There remains no firm consensus on why bee colonies collapse. This research from Cornell suggests the problem may be that the size of commercial bee colonies makes them more susceptible to virus-carrying parasites than wild colonies. When wild bee colonies outgrow their nest, they elect a new queen, split up, and move away. Commercially managed bee colonies are far larger than wild bee colonies, so they don't split up nearly as often. The researchers found that bees in their large test colonies had 3 times more parasites than bees in their small colonies. In their study, 10 of 12 of their commercial-sized colonies collapsed from parasite-borne viruses. Only 4 of 12 wild-sized test colonies died, and only 3 were due to viruses.

As Randy Oliver, a well known beekeeper, wrote on his Scientific Beekeeping blog, Lu fed his test colonies a pesticide brew of about 135 parts per billion (ppb). That’s 100 times higher then the 1-3 ppb commonly found in pollen or nectar, a level far below safety concerns.

Sounds kind of like the famous "monkey brain damage" research on marijuana...

-k

[cybercoma]

No problem, jacee. Where shall I mail them? Heh