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21st Century Mysteries: The Disappearing Bees
Published by s hayes in Science
October 29th, 2008
Our bees are disappearing. If you think that this sounds like a plotline from Doctor Who, then you would be right. But this is not science fiction, and it affects every single one of us.
In ancient civilisations (Mayan, Egyptian, Greek), the bee was sacred and honey was considered to be the food of the gods.
In mythological terms, the bee is said to bridge the natural world from the underworld, a carrier of souls – just as the bee returns to the hive, honest souls return to heaven, and the good and pure bees transport new souls to be re-born into the world.
The extent of the mysterious disappearance of our bees is difficult to ascertain as media, beekeepers associations and Government figures per country seem to issue contradictory figures, however, reports indicate that up to between 25 and 45% of the global population are gone!
The term Colony Collapse Disorder(CCD) was coined in 2006 in the USA, it refers to the disappearance of worker bees from honey bee colonies before the brood has reached adulthood.
However, the disappearance is not limited to hives, as reports indicate that solitary bees are disappearing in the same numbers due to cause/s unknown.
The fact that bees do not die in the hive, makes it extremely difficult for investigators to determine causes.
It is known that honey bees forage at distances between 2 – 5 km from the hive, however, considering the numbers of missing bees, investigators cannot find anywhere near a corresponding number of bee corpses – the plot thickens!
A number of universities and government agencies have formed a “CCD working group” to search for potential causes of the bee disappearance and then to formulate a working plan to mitigate CCD.
Consequences of Bee Decline
It has been estimated that the value of bees to the word economy is $ 180 billion!
The bee is responsible for one out of three mouthfuls of food we eat.
Decline will therefore significantly decrease food availability, driving food prices up.
This is a huge problem – that will affect us all.
The impact upon our already tenuous global economy cannot be underestimated.
Funding has been granted for a film to be made to explore why bees matter so much and to attempt to answer the question of why they are dying off. For more about the film, visit www.vanishingbees.com
In many hives, where the majority of bees have disappeared, scientists have found evidence of almost all known bee viruses in each of the few remaining bees. Some bees have five or six infections at once, as well as being affected by fungi, an indication, experts say, that the bee’s immune system may have collapsed.
Liked it
Great article!
Keep going.
Well written and very interesting. Thanks!
that’s sad,hope everyone will do its share
Fascinating article.It looks like a lot of time was put into study and research on this article Full praise S
Great article. I have been following the bee mystery for months!
i’ve heard about this in one of our local news and the reason behind the mystery of the missing bee, according to them, is due to the fact that their homes has been destroyed due to global warming and all. they also mentioned the participation of the human beings in these destruction and in order to preserve such creatures, we must change our ways. and i see it fit, and besides, you’ve also mentioned genetically modified crops which happens to be our doings — us and our brilliant minds.
Very interesting history.
Awesome write up! Great job, S Hayes
Very informative article!
Great article!
Absolutely brilliant !! **** that’s 4 stars …. I have followed this story about the bees in the past … second only to another stolen election here in the U.S. later today … this is the scariest thing i know of … although i thought i recently read that the problems were more severe on factory farms .. that ordinary old beehives were not affected … true ?
This is a very important issue…Very well done
Revelation 6:5-6 Bible!
I liked it. Have been following this story for some time. Several years ago, while on ‘The 5′ near San Diego, we drove through a swarm of thousands of bees. Last few years there we haven’t seen them. Back in Maine, at least near our home, there is no shortage. I typically plant flowers and scrubs that attract birds and bees (no, not the story told to youngsters!). In one day I was stung six times, never saw so many bees in a neighborhood. They are welcome critters and I have learned the best times for me to do the pruning! May start a bee-hive next year to help the cause.
If you have native plants you will have native bees. Native bees pollinate as well as honey bees and need no special care other than habitat in which to live. If we surrounded our orchards and gardens and various production facilities for vegetables with strips of native vegetation preserved and dedicated for habitat, we’d not only have pollinators but beneficial predatory insects to help us rid ourselves of agricultural pests. Of course, then we’d have to suspend our use of petroleum based(and other) insecticides.
bees going missing is utter nonesense. i live in east texas and if anything we have an over abundance of honey bees. personally i have a colomy of approx 150k bees in my old dead oak tree, they have taken up residence in it as of a couple years back. the hive itself probably takes up a betetr part of the entire inside of the old tree and untold gallons of honey sitting in there awaiting liberation
a very sad but very important info………….we all must come together to save them.