Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Honeybee Decline

I know I've mentioned it before but please read this latest story about Honeybee decline.

The idea of a world without bees is a frightening prospect. A country walk without bees is worrying enough but the economic and environmental impact is profound.

Bee numbers world wide are falling and if nothing is done Lord Rooker has warned that Honey Bees could be extinct within 10 years. I didn't realise that when the varroa mite arrived in Britain in 1992 it took the wild Honey bee to the brink of annihilation in the UK.

In the US Beekeeping is commercial and keepers have been restocking from Australia but in the UK 99% of keepers are hobbyists who can't afford to continually restock.

Do read the article, I think many of fail to appreciate the importance of this small buzzing insect.

6 comments:

oldcrow61 said...

A frightening prospect!

Tricia Ryder said...

This makes really scary reading. I'd heard reference to this before but not seen a full report.

Apart from the repercussions of all the prophecies given, additionally it would be dreadful to be without the quintessentially British sound of the hum of bees in Summer.

Anonymous said...

I am NOT a beekeeper but I have a problem with the 24 hour day which exists today. Prof Art Shapiro, a well known butterfly expert in the USA, answered my question about the effect of the 24 hour day on butterflies by replying that they would be "F****D". I use the asterisks so as not to offend anyone. Nocturnal birds are dying out and lights at night "suck insects from habitat areas like a vacuum cleaner"(Prof Gerhard Eisenbeis). Insectivorous birds in Ontario are dying out. Would bees be compromised by the 24 hour day?
It is affecting human health as well as flora and fauna in general. I guess that before people open their eyes it will be JTL - Just Too Late?

Anonymous said...

Just too depressing for words. I hope, with all my heart, that a way to keep them healthy will be found very soon.

Dorothea said...

Did you see the film "The Vanishing of the Bees"?

http://ruscombegreen.blogspot.com/2008/01/amazing-film-vanishing-of-bees_04.html

Many people believe that, as with anti-social youth behaviour, the cause is multifactorial ...

... ie modern life is rubbish!

We want to keep our bees, we may have to start treating them with respect, rather than like machines.

Anonymous said...

Hey Pete, Hiya!! I have my own bees. For years we have used orchard bees here(a tiny bee like a fly), I bring them inside in winter, safe and sound put them out in spring. Lovely little things they are, they are best friends with my fruit trees as we don't have many natural bees left here. They are studying the original bee to this area as they are diminishing as well. I just love bees, no bees, no fruit. Figure that out.

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