Honey bees dying by the Billions....

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OutHouse

Lifer
Jun 5, 2000
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Originally posted by: crystal
We all going to DIE!!! And here I thought the world would end with one of these events: thermo nuclear war, global warming that melt the ice caps, big *ss metorize slams into the earth or super volcano blows its top.

dude this is serious. if the cause isnt found soon and reversed it WILL have huge negative impact on the economic and food stores. Honey bees have a huge role in our society you just dont know it.
 

slag

Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
10,473
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My neighbor has bees living in the side of his house by choice. The male bees can't sting and are kicked out of the hive. My son and I go around picking them up and then play around with them...

Yesterday, his bees went cleansing flights and pooped all over his yard, vehicles, etc. Some made it to my house/driveway also.

He was out working in his yard and had strings of bee poop all through his hair, shirt, arms, etc. It was pretty disgusting.

 

Jeff7

Lifer
Jan 4, 2001
41,596
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Originally posted by: dmcowen674
When was the last time someone was stung by a Bubble Bee?

(Not the yellowjacket variety)
Oooh, yeah, I hate that. When they inject that soap solution in, it really hurts. But the bubble gum bees are really nasty.
 

Eli

Super Moderator | Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
50,419
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I have heard about this, but mostly from the tin foil hat crowd.

It seems that its gaining newstime, though. I haven't done much research.

If we are really experiencing a worldwide honeybee catastrophy.. that is.. bad. And it doesen't take a rocket scientist to figure out why it is bad.
 

Fritzo

Lifer
Jan 3, 2001
41,908
2,141
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Originally posted by: Queasy
Cell Phones screwing up the bees?

Are mobile phones wiping out our bees?
Scientists claim radiation from handsets are to blame for mysterious 'colony collapse' of bees

By Geoffrey Lean and Harriet Shawcross
Published: 15 April 2007

It seems like the plot of a particularly far-fetched horror film. But some scientists suggest that our love of the mobile phone could cause massive food shortages, as the world's harvests fail.

They are putting forward the theory that radiation given off by mobile phones and other hi-tech gadgets is a possible answer to one of the more bizarre mysteries ever to happen in the natural world - the abrupt disappearance of the bees that pollinate crops. Late last week, some bee-keepers claimed that the phenomenon - which started in the US, then spread to continental Europe - was beginning to hit Britain as well.

The theory is that radiation from mobile phones interferes with bees' navigation systems, preventing the famously homeloving species from finding their way back to their hives. Improbable as it may seem, there is now evidence to back this up.

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) occurs when a hive's inhabitants suddenly disappear, leaving only queens, eggs and a few immature workers, like so many apian Mary Celestes. The vanished bees are never found, but thought to die singly far from home. The parasites, wildlife and other bees that normally raid the honey and pollen left behind when a colony dies, refuse to go anywhere near the abandoned hives.

The alarm was first sounded last autumn, but has now hit half of all American states. The West Coast is thought to have lost 60 per cent of its commercial bee population, with 70 per cent missing on the East Coast.

CCD has since spread to Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece. And last week John Chapple, one of London's biggest bee-keepers, announced that 23 of his 40 hives have been abruptly abandoned.

Other apiarists have recorded losses in Scotland, Wales and north-west England, but the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs insisted: "There is absolutely no evidence of CCD in the UK."

The implications of the spread are alarming. Most of the world's crops depend on pollination by bees. Albert Einstein once said that if the bees disappeared, "man would have only four years of life left".

No one knows why it is happening. Theories involving mites, pesticides, global warming and GM crops have been proposed, but all have drawbacks.

German research has long shown that bees' behaviour changes near power lines.

Now a limited study at Landau University has found that bees refuse to return to their hives when mobile phones are placed nearby. Dr Jochen Kuhn, who carried it out, said this could provide a "hint" to a possible cause.

Dr George Carlo, who headed a massive study by the US government and mobile phone industry of hazards from mobiles in the Nineties, said: "I am convinced the possibility is real."

The case against handsets

Evidence of dangers to people from mobile phones is increasing. But proof is still lacking, largely because many of the biggest perils, such as cancer, take decades to show up.

Most research on cancer has so far proved inconclusive. But an official Finnish study found that people who used the phones for more than 10 years were 40 per cent more likely to get a brain tumour on the same side as they held the handset.

Equally alarming, blue-chip Swedish research revealed that radiation from mobile phones killed off brain cells, suggesting that today's teenagers could go senile in the prime of their lives.

Studies in India and the US have raised the possibility that men who use mobile phones heavily have reduced sperm counts. And, more prosaically, doctors have identified the condition of "text thumb", a form of RSI from constant texting.

Professor Sir William Stewart, who has headed two official inquiries, warned that children under eight should not use mobiles and made a series of safety recommendations, largely ignored by ministers.

Don't think so....
 

Eli

Super Moderator | Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
50,419
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It's certainly not the end of civilization though. We would find other ways to polinate crops....

We should be more worried about the natural world. This could cause a huge foodchain collapse in localized circumstances.
 

crownjules

Diamond Member
Jul 7, 2005
4,858
0
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While the fact that the honeybees are disappearing is quite a disturbing fact, to blame it on cellphones is just a knee-jerk reaction typical of our sensationalist media. Why would it suddenly happen now, just this past year, when cellphones have been in heavy useage since the late 90s (if not earlier)?

Someone on another forum discussing this same topic mentioned that a study had been done and that the cause was determined to be a lung mite that kills off the honeybee. I don't have the specific link because he didn't, but it sounds like a much more reasonable cause then the cellphone theory.
 

djheater

Lifer
Mar 19, 2001
14,637
2
0
Originally posted by: LennyZ
Time to start hoarding canned food.
The end of the bees is the end of us.

It's unlikely to be an extinction. Especially not with us around.

The problem I think, stems from the act of domestication. While it's certainly beneficial to us as an agrarian world to domesticate pollinators, homgeneity makes them vulnerable.

Has happened before with bees, I believe I read... will happen again....
 

Eli

Super Moderator | Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
50,419
8
81
Originally posted by: crownjules
While the fact that the honeybees are disappearing is quite a disturbing fact, to blame it on cellphones is just a knee-jerk reaction typical of our sensationalist media. Why would it suddenly happen now, just this past year, when cellphones have been in heavy useage since the late 90s (if not earlier)?

Someone on another forum discussing this same topic mentioned that a study had been done and that the cause was determined to be a lung mite that kills off the honeybee. I don't have the specific link because he didn't, but it sounds like a much more reasonable cause then the cellphone theory.
Obviously this whole subject needs more research, but I wouldn't discount it.

Cell phone use has exploded since the late 90s, yes. I do agree that the timing is a bit odd, but we shouldn't discount it yet.

It's fun to joke about, but if this is really happening, it is a serious issue.

If it is a parasite, we will prevail quickly. If it is cell phone or pollution, it's going to make us take a step back and look at the big picture.

We can survive without bees, but the natural world could suffer catastrophic biodiversity loss on local levels with the loss of natural, local hives.

There are plenty of other insects that help polinate too, though, just none as dedicated as the honeybee. It's not doomsday. We just need to be cautious.

The Canary has died...
 

So

Lifer
Jul 2, 2001
25,923
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Originally posted by: Eli
Originally posted by: crownjules
While the fact that the honeybees are disappearing is quite a disturbing fact, to blame it on cellphones is just a knee-jerk reaction typical of our sensationalist media. Why would it suddenly happen now, just this past year, when cellphones have been in heavy useage since the late 90s (if not earlier)?

Someone on another forum discussing this same topic mentioned that a study had been done and that the cause was determined to be a lung mite that kills off the honeybee. I don't have the specific link because he didn't, but it sounds like a much more reasonable cause then the cellphone theory.
Obviously this whole subject needs more research, but I wouldn't discount it.

Cell phone use has exploded since the late 90s, yes. I do agree that the timing is a bit odd, but we shouldn't discount it yet.

It's fun to joke about, but if this is really happening, it is a serious issue.

If it is a parasite, we will prevail quickly. If it is cell phone or pollution, it's going to make us take a step back and look at the big picture.

We can survive without bees, but the natural world could suffer catastrophic biodiversity loss on local levels with the loss of natural, local hives.

There are plenty of other insects that help polinate too, though, just none as dedicated as the honeybee. It's not doomsday. We just need to be cautious.

The Canary has died...

I'm sorry. It's not pollution. It just makes no sense. Have a critical eye for christ's sake! It follows ALL the traditional markers of a pathogen: spreading from one place to another, killing tightly knit groups quickly while leaving others nearby unscathed....

If it were global warming or cell phones, it would have happened gradually not suddenly like it did.

PEOPLE! You need to get your BS detectors fixed. Every crackpot with an agenda is claiming this phenomenon is because you didn't enact their personal pet peeve law, but if you do "now~!" we can save the world.
 

So

Lifer
Jul 2, 2001
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Originally posted by: ITJunkie
This is actually very interesting. I think Einstein mentioned something about when the bee's disappear then so will mankind...

Yes, of course. An apocryphal tale credited to a well respected intelligence, posted on the internet. We all know it must be true.

Run for the hills!
 

Eli

Super Moderator | Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
50,419
8
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Originally posted by: So

I'm sorry. It's not pollution. It just makes no sense. Have a critical eye for christ's sake! It follows ALL the traditional markers of a pathogen: spreading from one place to another, killing tightly knit groups quickly while leaving others nearby unscathed....

If it were global warming or cell phones, it would have happened gradually not suddenly like it did.

PEOPLE! You need to get your BS detectors fixed. Every crackpot with an agenda is claiming this phenomenon is because you didn't enact their personal pet peeve law, but if you do "now~!" we can save the world.
I know it's probably not pollution, I was just making a point.

You're right about the pathogen, but it seems to be spreading on a much larger scale than would be typical. If the pathogen is killing the bees so fast, it should be self-limiting.. Of course, completely depending on the method of infection.

We just don't know enough yet. Way too many variables. I reiterate: We know almost nothing. That means that no ideas should be thrown out until they are proven to be false.

Pollution is a very generic term. For example, what new pesticides/herbicides/God knows what else has come on the market in the last couple of years? If it was being caused by something like that, that would be called "pollution". The possibilites are endless right now.

I agree with your sentiment, though. That's why I've just politely rolled my eyes whenever someone says the bees are dying and quotes Einstein.
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,534
911
126
The implications of the spread are alarming. Most of the world's crops depend on pollination by bees. Albert Einstein once said that if the bees disappeared, "man would have only four years of life left".

That Albert Einstein was a pretty smart guy. I'd bet he's not far off either.

We definitely need to find the cause of this and then figure out a solution.
 

So

Lifer
Jul 2, 2001
25,923
17
81
Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
The implications of the spread are alarming. Most of the world's crops depend on pollination by bees. Albert Einstein once said that if the bees disappeared, "man would have only four years of life left".

That Albert Einstein was a pretty smart guy. I'd bet he's not far off either.

We definitely need to find the cause of this and then figure out a solution.

Right, because Einstein never made any mistakes, especially talking about a topic outside his expertise *cough*quantum physics*cough*...
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,534
911
126
Originally posted by: So
Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
The implications of the spread are alarming. Most of the world's crops depend on pollination by bees. Albert Einstein once said that if the bees disappeared, "man would have only four years of life left".

That Albert Einstein was a pretty smart guy. I'd bet he's not far off either.

We definitely need to find the cause of this and then figure out a solution.

Right, because Einstein never made any mistakes, especially talking about a topic outside his expertise *cough*quantum physics*cough*...

You do realize that bees are responsible for pollinating most of our crops right? :roll:

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that if the bees die we have a real big problem on our hands.