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March 27, 2024, 12:55:24 pm Mark says: Shocked Shocked Shocked Shocked  When Hamas spokesman Abu Ubaida began a speech marking the 100th day of the war in Gaza, one confounding yet eye-opening proclamation escaped the headlines. Listing the motives for the Palestinian militant group's Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, he accused Jews of "bringing red cows" to the Holy Land.
December 31, 2022, 10:08:58 am NilsFor1611 says: blessings
August 08, 2018, 02:38:10 am suzytr says: Hello, any good churches in the Sacto, CA area, also looking in Reno NV, thanks in advance and God Bless you Smiley
January 29, 2018, 01:21:57 am Christian40 says: It will be interesting to see what happens this year Israel being 70 years as a modern nation may 14 2018
October 17, 2017, 01:25:20 am Christian40 says: It is good to type Mark is here again!  Smiley
October 16, 2017, 03:28:18 am Christian40 says: anyone else thinking that time is accelerating now? it seems im doing days in shorter time now is time being affected in some way?
September 24, 2017, 10:45:16 pm Psalm 51:17 says: The specific rule pertaining to the national anthem is found on pages A62-63 of the league rulebook. It states: “The National Anthem must be played prior to every NFL game, and all players must be on the sideline for the National Anthem. “During the National Anthem, players on the field and bench area should stand at attention, face the flag, hold helmets in their left hand, and refrain from talking. The home team should ensure that the American flag is in good condition. It should be pointed out to players and coaches that we continue to be judged by the public in this area of respect for the flag and our country. Failure to be on the field by the start of the National Anthem may result in discipline, such as fines, suspensions, and/or the forfeiture of draft choice(s) for violations of the above, including first offenses.”
September 20, 2017, 04:32:32 am Christian40 says: "The most popular Hepatitis B vaccine is nothing short of a witch’s brew including aluminum, formaldehyde, yeast, amino acids, and soy. Aluminum is a known neurotoxin that destroys cellular metabolism and function. Hundreds of studies link to the ravaging effects of aluminum. The other proteins and formaldehyde serve to activate the immune system and open up the blood-brain barrier. This is NOT a good thing."
http://www.naturalnews.com/2017-08-11-new-fda-approved-hepatitis-b-vaccine-found-to-increase-heart-attack-risk-by-700.html
September 19, 2017, 03:59:21 am Christian40 says: bbc international did a video about there street preaching they are good witnesses
September 14, 2017, 08:06:04 am Psalm 51:17 says: bro Mark Hunter on YT has some good, edifying stuff too.
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Mark
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« Reply #30 on: July 03, 2013, 03:39:09 am »

Ecosystem crisis: Bees dying by the millions in Canada – cause unknown

 Local beekeepers are finding millions of their bees dead just after corn was planted here in the last few weeks. Dave Schuit, who has a honey operation in Elmwood, lost 600 hives, a total of 37 million bees. “Once the corn started to get planted our bees died by the millions,” Schuit said. He and many others, including the European Union, are pointing the finger at a class of insecticides known as neonicotinoids, manufactured by Bayer CropScience Inc. used in planting corn and some other crops. The European Union just recently voted to ban these insecticides for two years, beginning December 1, 2013, to be able to study how it relates to the large bee kill they are experiencing there also.Local grower Nathan Carey from the Neustadt, and National Farmers Union Local 344 member, says he noticed this spring the lack of bees and bumblebees on his farm. He believes that there is a strong connection between the insecticide use and the death of pollinators. “I feel like we all have something at stake with this issue,” he said. He is organizing a public workshop and panel discussion about this problem at his farm June 22 at 10 a.m. He hopes that all interested parties can get together and talk about the reason bees, the prime pollinators of so any different plant species, are dying. At the farm of Gary Kenny, south west of Hanover, eight of the 10 hives he kept for a beekeeper out of Kincardine, died this spring just after corn was planted in neighbouring fields. What seems to be deadly to bees is that the neonicotinoid pesticides are coating corn seed and with the use of new air seeders, are blowing the pesticide dust into the air when planted. The death of millions of pollinators was looked at by American Purdue University. They found that, “Bees exhibited neurotoxic symptoms, analysis of dead bees revealed traces of thiamethoxam/clothianidin in each case. Seed treatments of field crops (primarily corn) are the only major source of these compounds. Local investigations near Guelph, led to the same conclusion. A Pest Management Regulatory Agency investigation confirmed that corn seeds treated with clothianidin or thiamethoxam “contributed to the majority of the bee mortalities” last spring.
“The air seeders are the problem,” said Ontario Federation of Agriculture director Paul Wettlaufer, who farms near Neustadt. This was after this reporter called John Gillespie, OFA Bruce County president, who told me to call Wettlaufer. Unfortunately, Wettlaufer said it was, “not a local OFA issue,” and that it was an issue for the Grain Farmers of Ontario and representative, Hennry Vanakum should be notified. Vanakum could not be rached for comment. Yet Guelph University entomologist Peter Kevan, disagreed with the EU ban. “There’s very little evidence to say that neonicotinoids, in a very general sense, in a broad scale sense, have been a major component in the demise of honeybees or any other pollinators, anywhere in the world,” said Kevan. But research is showing that honeybee disorders and high colony losses have become a global phenomena. An international team of scientists led by Holland’s Utrecht University concluded that, ”Large scale prophylaxic use in agriculture, their high persistence in soil and water, and their uptake by plants and translocation to flowers, neonicotinoids put pollinator services at risk.” This research and others rsulted in the Eurpean Union ban. The United Church is also concerned about the death of so many pollinators and has prepared a “Take Action” paper it’s sending out to all its members. The church is basing its action on local research. The Take Action paper states among other things, “Scientific information gathered suggests that the planting of corn seeds treated with neonicotinoids contributed to the majority of the bee mortalities that occurred in corn growing regions of Ontario and Quebec in Spring 2012.” Meanwhile Schuit is replacing his queen bees every few months now instead of years, as they are dying so frequently. “OMAFRA tells me to have faith. Well, I think it’s criminal what is happening, and it’s hard to have faith if it doesn’t look like they are going to do anything anyway,” Schuit says. –The Post

http://www.thepost.on.ca/2013/06/19/bees-dying-by-the-millions
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« Reply #31 on: July 25, 2013, 10:38:16 am »

Scientists discover what's killing the bees and it's worse than you thought

As we've written before, the mysterious mass die-off of honey bees that pollinate $30 billion worth of crops in the US has so decimated America's apis mellifera population that one bad winter could leave fields fallow. Now, a new study has pinpointed some of the probable causes of bee deaths and the rather scary results show that averting beemageddon will be much more difficult than previously thought.
 
Scientists had struggled to find the trigger for so-called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) that has wiped out an estimated 10 million beehives, worth $2 billion, over the past six years. Suspects have included pesticides, disease-bearing parasites and poor nutrition.
 
But in a first-of-its-kind study published today in the journal PLOS ONE, scientists at the University of Maryland and the US Department of Agriculture have indentified a witch's brew of pesticides and fungicides contaminating pollen that bees collect to feed their hives. The findings break new ground on why large numbers of bees are dying though they do not identify the specific cause of CCD, where an entire beehive dies at once.
 
When researchers collected pollen from hives on the east coast pollinating cranberry, watermelon and other crops and fed it to healthy bees, those bees showed a significant decline in their ability to resist infection by a parasite called Nosema ceranae. The parasite has been implicated in Colony Collapse Disorder though scientists took pains to point out that their findings do not directly link the pesticides to CCD. The pollen was contaminated on average with nine different pesticides and fungicides though scientists discovered 21 agricultural chemicals in one sample. Scientists identified eight ag chemicals associated with increased risk of infection by the parasite.

Most disturbing, bees that ate pollen contaminated with fungicides were three times as likely to be infected by the parasite. Widely used, fungicides had been thought to be harmless for bees as they're designed to kill fungus, not insects, on crops like apples.
 
"There's growing evidence that fungicides may be affecting the bees on their own and I think what it highlights is a need to reassess how we label these agricultural chemicals," Dennis vanEngelsdorp, the study's lead author, told Quartz.
 
Labels on pesticides warn farmers not to spray when pollinating bees are in the vicinity but such precautions have not applied to fungicides.
 
Bee populations are so low in the US that it now takes 60% of the country's surviving colonies just to pollinate one California crop, almonds. And that's not just a west coast problem - California supplies 80% of the world's almonds, a market worth $4 billion.
 
In recent years, a class of chemicals called neonicotinoids has been linked to bee deaths and in April regulators banned the use of the pesticide for two years in Europe where bee populations have also plummeted. But vanEngelsdorp, an assistant research scientist at the University of Maryland, says the new study shows that the interaction of multiple pesticides is affecting bee health.
 
"The pesticide issue in itself is much more complex than we have led to be believe," he says. "It's a lot more complicated than just one product, which means of course the solution does not lie in just banning one class of product."
 
The study found another complication in efforts to save the bees: US honey bees, which are descendants of European bees, do not bring home pollen from native North American crops but collect bee chow from nearby weeds and wildflowers. That pollen, however, was also contaminated with pesticides even though those plants were not the target of spraying.
 
"It's not clear whether the pesticides are drifting over to those plants but we need take a new look at agricultural spraying practices," says vanEngelsdorp.

http://www.sott.net/article/264307-Scientists-discover-whats-killing-the-bees-and-its-worse-than-you-thought
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« Reply #32 on: July 25, 2013, 02:32:00 pm »

Quote
we need take a new look at agricultural spraying practices," says vanEngelsdorp.

That's an understatement!
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« Reply #33 on: August 15, 2013, 11:41:59 am »

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Millions of dead bees in Quillón and Liucura High
8/9/13

Since May, when they killed millions of bees, beekeepers and Liucura Quillón Alto, located near the river Itata in the Bio Bio region, seeking solutions to continue with their work.  But SAG, state agency headed by Anibal Ariztía nationwide, does not respond to the emergency that extends to other communities in the region.  Some beekeepers lost all their bees, and others, who were no drawers, only contemplate the flaming centrifugal honey extraction purchased by themselves or in some cases, supported by INDAP.  Not being evaluated so far the influence of the disappearance of these millions of bees in pollination required for fruit crops in the region.  Until last year, the official version was that in Chile SAG had no incidents that show that the country also lived global collapse syndrome of bees.  While government policy Sebastián Piñera continues with the slogan "Chile Food Power", the reality is otherwise contaminated food, high prices of fruits and vegetables for Chileans, and threats to the seed farmer, whose announced privatization further obscures this critical scenario.

 As demonstrated in this incident, the small crop farming only negative externalities agro-export model, intensive use of agrochemicals.  Instead, multinationals like Monsanto, Pioneer and Bayer, producing hybrid and transgenic seeds, but also pesticides, redoubled their lobbying for new privileges through the draft Plant Breeders Act pending in Congress that guarantees delivery unpublished your business, including the prohibition of exchange and store of seed and the right to own the seed patents, to bring to justice those who use their seed producers, accusing them of "piracy".

 Possible Causes

 Beekeepers related mortality of these millions of bees with toxic insecticide application recently banned in Europe, which remain legal in Chile: Poncho (trade name of the active ingredient clothianidin), Gaucho (Imidacloprid) produced by Bayer and Syngenta, and other pesticides used in grape and cherry crops.  Another cause of the plague, as beekeepers, pesticides spraying is carried out in the plantations sector, 80% of which are from Celco and remaining Hosain Senator Sabbath.  A third case mentioned is that foods like fructose and pads vitaminizadoras, supplied officially recommended bees and are made with genetically modified corn that poisons bees.

 Transgenics in the Bio Bio

 By ignorance, beekeepers do not include the issue of GM crops, but in the region of Bio Bio, in Yungay, Los Angeles and other communities in the 2012-2013 season were grown transgenic 3019.23 hectares of experimental and / or certification export.  Of these 2,222 acres are certified transgenic rapeseed, transgenic corn are 431 and there are 125 acres of transgenic soybeans (seed Certification 2012-2013 www.sag.cl ).  According to scientists researching the subject, bees have a "fatal attraction" that leads them to travel greater distances than the usual to make it to the corn flower in search of pollen, transgenic here.  The Bio Bio region ranks third in production of transgenic seeds export, with the regions of Maule and O'Higgins those in the first and second place in the ranking associated with a high use of agrochemicals such as glyphosate (Roundup) and other pesticides

 Maria Elena Rozas, coordinator of Pesticide Action Network RAP-Chile, commented: "The Agriculture and Livestock should have a ban and / or immediate suspension of the use of imidacloprid, clothianidin, fipronil Thiametoxam and responsible for the death large number of families of bees, pollinating insects and birds, and banned in Europe.  The inaction on this issue seriously endangering continue these beneficial insects and biodiversity.  The authority has powers to apply the precautionary principle, and emulate what was done in April this year by the EFSA European health authority in that regard.  Among the reasons for the European ban are the risks posed by these pesticides in pollen and nectar crops attractive to bees. "

 Millions Lost

 Nearly a thousand crates of bees, which in the post-harvest holding about one hundred thousand individuals per drawer miscarry from the first week of May 2013, according to Juan Carlos Abarzúa, one of the beekeepers affected, current president of Quillón Beekeeping Committee.  A box of bees has a value of between 55 and 60 thousand dollars, so that the direct losses reach sixty million pesos, excluding future losses (profits) for the low production of honey.  At the time of producing many offspring are born and total population per drawer should reach skirting the 180-200000 bees.

 Given the ecological disaster, they told beekeepers four Prodesal officials of local, dependent on each other, in the municipalities of Quillón and Bulnes.  The SAG in its report says that the plague is caused by the varroa a mite.  Juan Carlos Abarzúa, of the town of Santa Clara in Liucura Alto, refutes: "No samples were taken that will ensure that.  We have the proper and authorized treatments themselves.  This is not to recognize that large forest piecework sprayed without warning nor warning.  We also know of a fly that was introduced to him to eat pine moth.  But we wonder, this fly has to mutate and what will you eat?  This fly was supposed to die in winter!  At the same time, wild rabbits are dying, the country people thought to die from starvation after this fly them itchy eyes and go blind, bumping into trees.  For SAG, rabbits die from a fever "continues incredulous Juan Carlos Abarzúa.

 SAG Inaction

 In the meeting with agricultural officials beekeepers expressed concern about use of neonicotinoids in grapes to attack two insects, thrips and mealybugs, and the use of carbaryl in cherry.  They complained of lack of control by the SAG.  At this convening, INDAP arrived with Biomiel consultant, represented by Marcelo Rodriguez, whose approach was considered distracting for those affected.  The consultants only referred to the responsibility of the beekeepers in the care of bees, incorporating the figure of the "beekeeper absent" and attributing the millions of dead bees to inattention.

 The damage was patchy.  "Many left with zero drawer drawers I was 25 and I had total loss.  Just this year had made a significant investment: a centrifuge for extracting honey.  Another beekeeper did too, but with funds acquired a centrifuge Indap worth over 2.5 million dollars, "says Juan Carlos Abarzúa, adding that beekeeping requires much attention as investments to succeed is very high.

 Abarzúa continues: "The July 5 meeting was conducted with representatives beekeepers affected Indap, and Mr. Pedro Burgos, SAG official Bulnes city and municipal officials in charge of the respective Prodesal.  We asked them for health analysis they were doing and had no answer.  Neither explained why SAG continues to authorize the use of insecticides that are harmful to bees, as we are informed that clothianidin and tiametoxan are neonicotinoids that kill bees and were banned in other countries for that, but they did not give us answers our concern. "

 In the meeting held in July emanated not proposed solutions, and a month later only concerned beekeepers were summoned to form a Beekeeping Committee, whose characteristics do not know.  Juan Carlos Abarzúa also criticized the role of the consultant Biomiel and added: "It hurts the indolence on the part of the authorities with regard to sustainability in our country and the planet.  Without bees there is no future.  We do not ask for replacement of bees, but clarity about what is going to adopt appropriate measures.  No sampling sani secretariats to give a technical or scientific answer. "

 The latest incidents of death of bees globally occurred in early July this year in Elmwood, in the Canadian province of Ontario, where 37 million bees found dead.  In turn, the British Beekeepers' Association said in a recent report that the past year saw the largest loss of bees in its history, while in Gerona, Catalonia, beekeepers have also lost millions of bees.  David Schuit, who runs a bee farm in Elmwood, states were responsible for a loss of 600 hives insecticides family of 'neonicotinoids', manufactured by the multinational Bayer.
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« Reply #34 on: August 20, 2013, 01:00:15 pm »

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Cause massive mortality bumblebee still unclear
8/13/13


AMSTERDAM - The article in The Echo South has a lot loosened by readers about the death of a large group of bumblebees in Buitenveldert in Amsterdam last week.  On Dichtbij.nl many people responded and they were not always agree with each other.  According to some, it was precisely because of the nectar of the linden blossom, others doubted that and still being in the direction of RoundUp.  According to District South is not the use of RoundUp.

 Southern District responded as follows: "There is no relationship between mortality and bumblebee RoundUp.  It is used for the end of June last at the RoundUp herbicide.  Whether and when this year comes another round is not yet clear and discussed in the DB (Executive Committee, ed). "

 According to beekeeper Oscar Quite the mortality in this time of year is not unusual and it include the nectar of the lime tree.  That emit an odor that bees coming, but because the blossoms bloomed and / or there is not enough nectar, the bees die.  Also, according to him there are other causes.  The district agrees that argument.  The complete reaction of beekeeper is free this article to read.

 In their comments let readers know that they believe that the mass mortality is due to the lime trees blossom.  F.  van Beek: "There are several reports of hundreds of dead bees entered under linden trees.  The mass mortality is an annual and ancient phenomenon.  The drones die from hunger.  The lime trees where mortalities have enough nectar for the large number of insects that comes at the attractive scent of the trees. "

 Mr.  Bill: "The lime blossom smells throughout the day but gives only nectar from 17.15 to 19.00.  And that does not know the drones and fly as long as their fuel (nectar) that allows.  Many will not make it and if their fuel runs out they die of hunger.  This is an annual event. "
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« Reply #35 on: August 21, 2013, 01:51:24 pm »

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fg1.globo.com%2Feconomia%2Fagronegocios%2Fnoticia%2F2013%2F08%2Fmilhares-de-abelhas-morrem-em-propriedade-de-bauru-sp.html
8/16/13
Thousands of bees die property of Bauru, SP

 Property master does not know what happened.
 By early accounts, prejudice goes from R $ 500 thousand.


On the ground, the bees are killed and dozens of hives are empty.  The cause of mass death is still unknown, but leaves the producer intrigued.

 The boxes, according to the agronomist Vitor Carvalho, are scattered throughout the plantation for over four years and until today he had not seen anything like it.

 The wild insects are essential for the cultivation of thousands of feet of avocado, a type of avocado widely used by international cuisine, which produces Vitor on the farm in Bauru , in São Paulo.  Bees are responsible for pollinating, which is the transport of pollen from one flower to another.

 Every three months, an average of 30 pounds of honey are produced per hive.  With the loss of 51 boxes and thousands of dead bees, which will directly reach the production of avocado, Vitor calculates a loss of R $ 500 thousand.

 For bee expert UNESP Botucatu, Ricardo Orsi, several factors may have caused the death of bees.  "They could have gone to get food in a radius of a mile or two and some other contaminated source has affected all of them.  Another possibility is the aerial spraying, "he says.

 The farmer went to a police station and recorded Bauru a police report.  The case will be investigated.
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« Reply #36 on: August 22, 2013, 05:03:14 pm »

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The wild insects are essential for the cultivation of thousands of feet of avocado, a type of avocado widely used by international cuisine

Uh yeah, commercial grow operations designed solely out of the love of money. It's a loss, sure, but it's a loss to commercial operations, not the food industry in general.

Big difference between people growing food on their property for their consumption, and commercial operations that are selling the stuff all over the place for a profit.
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« Reply #37 on: August 26, 2013, 07:16:16 pm »

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.sjzcity.com%2F2013%2F33437.shtml

After spraying insecticide onion ground next to bee deaths batch 

 Shijiazhuang Urban Network Date :2013 -8-20 

After spraying insecticide onion ground, the only network across the hordes of bees began to die.  Four days later, beekeepers say, 106 boxes of bees died nearly 90 percent.  Onion owner was wondering, this is his second spraying, why did all right the first time?

 Ground covered with dead bodies bee swarms

 These days, towns and villages gray wall Luquan Lee Kang village always stand before their own beehive, do nothing.

 From the start at 20:00 on the 15th, Kang began raising bees FCL FCL dead, rescue did not know how to save.

 To yesterday, four days later, Kang calculated, 106 boxes bees died nearly 90 percent.

 Reporter walked into apiary, an acid smell nostrils, beehives scattered outside some flying bees, on the ground there is a layer of bee corpses.

 "Hot days, which is dead bees and hive rotten smell." And Liu Kang with beekeeping, and now hive bad, not to go the rest of the bees, but also will not live long.

 This means that Kang Jiaming revenues all gone, four or five million estimated loss of money.

 Next door to spray pesticides suspected culprit


 Kang recalled the incident the same day 14 am, next door to the ground with onion farmers to spray pesticides, is highly toxic "dichlorvos" and "dimethoate" night bees began to die.

 Yesterday afternoon, the reporter contacted the onion growers Qin, he admitted that on the 15th day did spray the medicine, "10 days before the first spraying, I told beekeepers in advance, he said no problem." So, Qin President felt that the bees only appeared in the second spraying killed him nothing.

 Luquan City Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Plant Protection staff told reporters, "dichlorvos" and "dimethoate" belongs to pesticides, the bees are very sensitive to these drugs.  Currently, Mr. Kang has an alarm.

 "Dichlorvos" and "dimethoate" how much power and other pesticides?  Hebei Academy of Agricultural Sciences Plant Protection Lin Jieshao high share, as long as the spraying of pesticides in certain "safe period", the pesticide can be self-decomposition.  Public consumption before, many times after washing should not cause harm to the body.
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« Reply #38 on: August 26, 2013, 07:19:01 pm »

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.qq.com%2Fa%2F20130819%2F007608.htm
8/19/13
300 boxes of beekeepers bees mysteriously died or were exposed to pesticides (Figure)

August 17 7:00 pm, the town of Yiyang County beekeepers Master Li Jinping call our hotline (18837996211) reflect Yiyang County West River bridge near a large bee deaths, over 10 beekeepers suffered heavy losses, bees The cause of death is still under investigation.

 Mass death of bees, beekeepers losses

 Aug. 17 8:00 am, reporters came Yiyang county west of the Yellow River near the bridge in Master Li's leadership, the reporter saw a beehive piled on the ground in front of a lot of dead bees.  Master Li said, he was in the morning of August 16 found dead bees, the thought that a big problem, but also no more care.  Available on the 17th morning, he found that more than half of the bees are dead.  "According to this rate, my more than 130 boxes of bees will soon die according to a beehive calculate the market price of 800 yuan, more than 130 boxes bee losses over 100,000 yuan." Master Li says with exasperation.

 "This time the loss can be too great, the whole family we expect these bees live on it." Master Li said anxiously, he knew more than 10 nearby beekeepers have also appeared in such a situation, "all add up to less There are also 300 cases. "

 The cause of death is unknown, or through contact with the spraying of pesticides

 For more than 300 boxes of bees within a short time a large number of deaths, Master Li is considered the beginning of the temperature being too high.  But not a lot of bees found in other places after the death of Master Li suspect that their bees may be poisoned to death, so he dialed 110.

 "This road came just a few days played pesticides, bees are likely to be poisoned." Raised more than 40 boxes of bees master Zhai told reporters, roadside green belt was just a few days before spraying pesticides, bees are may be exposed to these roadside flowers, was dead.

 5 o'clock yesterday afternoon, the reporter interviewed Yiyang County Green Office a staff member surnamed Zhang.  The staff member said that the Green Office does not organize workers spraying pesticides, but near a company in order to sterilization drugs sprayed on the lawn.  "As for the cause of death and this is the bees, but also on the need for further investigation." The staff member said, spraying place relatively far from the hive, you can not jump to conclusions.

 As of press time, Master Li told reporters that most of his bees dead, but the cause of death has not yet find out.

 Hit big, low profits, beekeeping is not easy Mengshengtuiyi

 Master Li said that beekeepers, beekeeping is now relatively low profits, with his more than 130 boxes of bees into the calculation of the scale of farming, the best year for profits nor more than 100,000 yuan, profits are generally four or five million, subsistence can, but you want to get rich is difficult.

 "18-year-old started to raise bees, I am 53 years old, have been kept for 35 years." Said his master Zhai beekeepers beekeeping is the figure of freedom, dealing with bees than 30 years, and my heart has generated feelings.  "Now beekeeping transportation costs are too high, plus the state of the environment is not ideal, you want a good place to find a sufficient pollen has become increasingly difficult." Zhai said the master, now few young people are willing to beekeeping, his son prefer to go out to work after graduation, they were reluctant to follow him beekeeping.  See the mass death of bees raised, coupled with the high cost of bees now, Zhai master also considering whether or not to continue beekeeping.

 For the large number of deaths of bees, Yiyang County Animal Husbandry Secretary Han Gensheng said that compared with pigs and other meat industry, beekeeping does not belong to the leading industry, government's current efforts to support really is not enough.  "We will carry out an investigation report to the higher authorities, hoping to give some support to beekeepers." Han Gensheng said.
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« Reply #39 on: September 10, 2013, 06:27:33 pm »

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Lantian: several one million bees died mysteriously(China)
9/5/13

WASHINGTON (Reporter Li Xiaobo) went to watch the best breeding bees can Hua Xu Lantian County town has more than ten households beekeepers worried: Bees are mysteriously killed.

 Basically has no bee hive

 Yesterday morning, the town of Hua Xu Dan Village Zhaowei Chun family's yard, 40 beehives surrounded by a rectangle.  Ground everywhere dead bees, beehive opened one by one, which is only ten bees, "per case in previous years, almost 30,000 to 50,000 bees, and now some boxes on the left of the queen bee."

 Zhaowei Chun said that early in August, taking into account the neighborhood has no nectar can be taken, he bought a sugar, ready to look good reward hard work of bees.  But he gradually found beehive bees fly out after fly about 1 m above the direct fall to the ground, or even just out of beehives began crawling on the ground, did not seem fresh wings.  "It feels like a stomach ache, take the hind legs holding his stomach, twitching rolling on the floor." Zhaowei Chun immediately realized that bees are sick, "the home are usually prepared with erythromycin, a hundred of these drugs to kill bacteria, added sugar where sprayed on bee spleen. "But Zhaowei Chun done all this did not play a role," the ground more and more bees, sweep sweep are endless, also four or five days, almost all of the bees died finished. "

 Involved in the investigation of local agricultural sector

 And their local beekeeping different Zhaowei Chun, near the village of Tang An East peace until August 28 from Jingbian flowering rush back, "Just came back good, after three or four days something wrong." Has 15 years of beekeeping An experienced peace said.

 Ann Peace raised 120 beehive, the bees died mysteriously phenomenon is that he has never seen before, "We are basically raised the Italian bee." Ann says peace, no more than two bees death situation, "the Italian bee right bee mite resistance is weaker, but now we are more attention, but also to discover and disposed of, will not easily lead to death. Another popular saying is poor drainage, but are generally in early spring or late autumn to appear , causes most of the problems are because of the feed. "bees now it can not find the cause of death.  So far, their losses in ten million or so.

 It is understood that the beekeepers suffered losses in the 15 or so, at least a few one million bees have died.  Yesterday afternoon, Lantian County Farm Bureau Office Wang Hongbo said that at present has received beekeepers reflection, because beekeeping is not a local leading industries, there is no relevant professional and technical personnel, it has to make a written report to the Agriculture Commission in Xi'an apply for the municipal, provincial relevant departments to organize and coordinate professional and technical personnel to investigate the cause of death to bees.
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« Reply #40 on: September 11, 2013, 09:48:24 pm »

http://worldtruth.tv/37-million-bees-found-dead-in-elmwood-canada/
37 Million Bees Found Dead in Elmwood Canada
7/8/13

Local beekeepers are finding millions of their bees dead just after corn was planted here in the last few weeks. Dave Schuit, who has a honey operation in Elmwood, lost 600 hives, a total of 37 million bees.

“Once the corn started to get planted our bees died by the millions,” Schuit said. He and many others, including the European Union, are pointing the finger at a class of insecticides known as neonicotinoids, manufactured by Bayer CropScience Inc. used in planting corn and some other crops. The European Union just recently voted to ban these insecticides for two years, beginning December 1, 2013, to be able to study how it relates to the large bee kill they are experiencing there also.

Local grower Nathan Carey from the Neustadt, and National Farmers Union Local 344 member, says he noticed this spring the lack of bees and bumblebees on his farm. He believes that there is a strong connection between the insecticide use and the death of pollinators.

“I feel like we all have something at stake with this issue,” he said. He is organizing a public workshop and panel discussion about this problem at his farm June 22 at 10 a.m. He hopes that all interested parties can get together and talk about the reason bees, the prime pollinators of so any different plant species, are dying.

At the farm of Gary Kenny, south west of Hanover, eight of the 10 hives he kept for a beekeeper out of Kincardine, died this spring just after corn was planted in neighbouring fields.

What seems to be deadly to bees is that the neonicotinoid pesticides are coating corn seed and with the use of new air seeders, are blowing the pesticide dust into the air when planted. The death of millions of pollinators was looked at by American Purdue University. They found that, “Bees exhibited neurotoxic symptoms, analysis of dead bees revealed traces of thiamethoxam/clothianidin in each case. Seed treatments of field crops (primarily corn) are the only major source of these compounds.

Local investigations near Guelph, led to the same conclusion. A Pest Management Regulatory Agency investigation confirmed that corn seeds treated with clothianidin or thiamethoxam “contributed to the majority of the bee mortalities” last spring.

The air seeders are the problem,” said Ontario Federation of Agriculture director Paul Wettlaufer, who farms near Neustadt. This was after this reporter called John Gillespie, OFA Bruce County president, who told me to call Wettlaufer. Unfortunately, Wettlaufer said it was, “not a local OFA issue,” and that it was an issue for the Grain Farmers of Ontario and representative, Hennry Vanakum should be notified. Vanakum could not be rached for comment.

Yet Guelph University entomologist Peter Kevan, disagreed with the EU ban.

“There’s very little evidence to say that neonicotinoids, in a very general sense, in a broad scale sense, have been a major component in the demise of honeybees or any other pollinators, anywhere in the world,” said Kevan.

But research is showing that honeybee disorders and high colony losses have become a global phenomena. An international team of scientists led by Holland’s Utrecht University concluded that, ”Large scale prophylaxic use in agriculture, their high persistence in soil and water, and their uptake by plants and translocation to flowers, neonicotinoids put pollinator services at risk.” This research and others rsulted in the Eurpean Union ban.

The United Church is also concerned about the death of so many pollinators and has prepared a “Take Action” paper it’s sending out to all its members. The church is basing its action on local research. The Take Action paper states among other things, “Scientific information gathered suggests that the planting of corn seeds treated with neonicotinoids contributed to the majority of the bee mortalities that occurred in corn growing regions of Ontario and Quebec in Spring 2012.”

Meanwhile Schuit is replacing his queen bees every few months now instead of years, as they are dying so frequently. “OMAFRA tells me to have faith. Well, I think it’s criminal what is happening, and it’s hard to have faith if it doesn’t look like they are going to do anything anyway,” Schuit says.
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« Reply #41 on: September 21, 2013, 02:45:21 pm »

http://www.mndaily.com/news/campus/2013/09/15/u-investigates-sudden-slew-bee-deaths
9/15/13

U investigates sudden slew of bee deaths

Researchers from the U’s Bee Lab suspect pesticides are responsible.


Thousands of Minneapolis honey bees began dying off late last week due to apparent pesticide poisoning.

The University of Minnesota Bee Lab and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture are conducting tests to verify whether pesticides were the actual cause.

Minneapolis resident Mark Lucas noticed the bees he and his family keeps in their back yard behaving strangely Wednesday night, shaking on the edge of the hive and falling to the ground.

“They just come spilling out of the hive like they’re drunk,” he said.

Lucas’ hive was one of at least three hit in the Kenwood neighborhood, north of Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis.

The MDA took samples from hives Friday to test for pesticide contamination. Pesticide is suspected because of the way the bees died, said Becky Masterman, co-coordinator of the University’s Bee Squad, a division of the Bee Lab that educates and mentors local beekeepers.

Beekeepers suspect that a pesticide was used in the area and bees brought it back to their colonies after pollination.

“This was in no way on our radar,” Masterman said, because the colonies were known to be healthy
.

One of the Bee Squad’s colonies was also affected by the incident, said Bee Squad co-coordinator Jody Gerdts.

The Bee Lab is conducting its own tests in hopes of getting results faster than the MDA, which could take up to six months, Gerdts said.

More timely results will allow the squad to spread the word about the incident to local beekeepers, who have been vocal about the incident on social media and worry that it could affect them, she said.

“If it waits six months before we can say anything, then the story’s gone,” she said.

The Beez Kneez, a Minneapolis-based honey bee education organization that delivers honey by bike, lost one colony over the weekend and is worried more colonies could be affected.

A typical Beez Kneez colony consists of 40,000 to 50,000 bees at this time of year, said co-owner Kristy Allen. The Beez Kneez owns 45 hives in the Twin Cities area. Though losing a colony could result in revenue loss, Allen said there’s also an emotional side to the incident.

“It’s livestock, but they’re very important,” she said.

Bees are indicators of environmental health, Gerdts said, and the fact that pesticides could have potentially been used incorrectly is “scary.”

“There [are] things that are out there that are being applied to our landscape that can do more harm than perceived good,” she said.

The bee deaths are part of the bigger issue of keeping pollinators healthy, as they contribute to food production, Masterman said.

The Bee Squad is using social media to raise awareness about pesticide contamination.

Lucas said his family will get new bees if his colony is completely wiped out. When he was a child, Lucas’ grandmother kept bees in Elk River, Minn., and he said he’s been interested in them ever since.

He became a certified beekeeper through the University and started building his colony last May.

His kids were hesitant to go into the backyard with the bees at first, he said, but later became very involved in the process — taking pictures and collecting larvae alongside him.

“It was a really interesting thing for our family to experience together,” Lucas said.

In the meantime, Lucas said, he’ll be spreading the word about the “unintended consequences” of the choices people make in their yards — such as fertilizer use — and their effect on the neighborhood.

“It’s crazy how much it’s really all tied together,” he said.
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« Reply #42 on: September 22, 2013, 04:40:21 am »

Quote
“If it waits six months before we can say anything, then the story’s gone,” she said.

Exactly, which is just what the government and their chemical producers want.

Next thing we know, they'll come out with nano-bot bees, tiny UAV's that go around pollinating commercial crops. The government has already authorized unmanned drones in US airspace, which was expected so the government can operate their own fleet of drones. Technologically, it's theoretically possible to build and operate "nano-bees". I expect that whatever they propose, it will be some kind of replacement, rather than a saving of the bee populations. Can you patent a bee? Some geneticists say yes, but in reality, effectively no. Doesn't take much to see where the love of money is.
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« Reply #43 on: October 18, 2013, 04:44:10 pm »

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Lost bees
10/7/13

Of ANASTASIAS SIMITSIADI

 The alarm sounding almost beekeepers across the country, as they see their production year after year to shrink without knowing the exact cause of this phenomenon.  This year, in fact, been a reduction in honey production that reaches 50% in many parts of Greece.  This percentage is greater than at least the last five years, which has led professionals to seek production of comprehensive studies.

 As estimated by scientists, factors such as temperature increase and widespread use of pesticides in crops 'visiting' the bees lead to extinction the most important pollinator on the planet.  However, they note themselves, the answer is not so simple and requires further research, as in recent years there are phenomena-such as they do not produce honeydew pines and firs in specific areas of the country that still have not been answered scientifically.

 "This year the production is less than any other year, with the reduction reaching 50% in Magnesia.  This phenomenon is not local but found almost throughout the country.  Especially in chestnut honey produced in the reduction has reached 70% compared to last year's production.  Imagine that from 10 tonnes we took last year, this year we was barely two tons, "said beekeeper and president of the Agricultural Cooperative Beekeeper Volos, Constantine Rat.  However, as stated by Mr. Rat, the same image-with the exception of Crete-presents and pine honey production, which constitutes 65% of the total honey production in Greece.

 Reduction - record
 
 The reasons for the sharp decline seen this year but also for the decreasing honey production in recent years is not due under K. Palo, with a single agent.  The same opinion is shared by the veterinarian of the Beekeepers Association of Greece (OMSE) Katerina Karatasou.  "A particular problem presents a rare variety, vamvakomelo, whose production in the Thessaly region has almost stopped the last 4-5 years.  Beekeepers now choose not to place their hives near cotton crops, and have identified several incidents of collapse of bee colonies.  Those beekeepers placed their hives near cotton crops lost 50% -80% of the bee population, "says the vet.  As she explains in cotton crops used for years neonicotinoid pesticides, which, according to many scientists, contribute to the so-called "collapse of bee syndrome", which is a symptom of the rapid loss of bees from hives.  "There are cases beekeepers who have transferred 300 beehives near cotton fields and gone with a beehive and of course not honey," says the vet OMSE.

 The use of neonicotinoid pesticides are so widespread that these pesticides are used up and the flowers can have a garden.  According to European Union directives, have launched since July revocations compound belonging to the class of particular pesticides and their use has been suspended for two years, in order to consider whether contributing to the extinction of bees.  However, some of the neonicotinoids is so powerful that can persist in soil for more than 15 years.

 Worried beekeepers

 "We can not attribute the dramatic decrease in production-which in some areas of the country as Grevena and Florina exceeds 50% - the weather, as the weather was this year in many areas of bland.  The situation is particularly worrying as we do not know exactly what is happening.  An example is the area of ​​Vytinas in Arcadia, where the firs in the last three years did not "give" honeydew, "says Paul Bagiatis, president of the Panhellenic Association of Beekeepers, Vasilotrofon - production of royal jelly and a beekeeper for 25 years in the area of ​​Thessaloniki, and adds: "We need to provide funds from the state to make scientific research throughout Greece for reasons which lead to lower production.  Right now all beekeepers marching blindly. "

 Less nectar

 As Andrew says Thrasivoulou, Professor of Apiculture at the Departments of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki important role, in addition to the extensive use of neonicotinoid drugs, plays and the warming observed over the last years in Greece.  This has as consequence the plants to secrete less nectar, which leads to less production of honey.

 According to his teacher, Aristotle, in areas such as Chalkidiki and Thassos the last 3-4 years the trees do not produce honeydew, for reasons that scientists still do not know, which is why the phenomenon investigated.  This leads to shrinkage of pine honey production, which is the main type of honey produced in the country.  Apart from phenomena such as those in Chalkidiki and Thassos, especially worrying is the fact that cases of bee losses increase.  "Many beekeepers from around the country are calling us and telling us that we are seeing strong declines in the populations of bees.  As they tell us, they do not detect dead bees in the hives, which excludes the possibility of diseases.  According to beekeepers, bees do not return to the colonies, which makes us speculate that poisoned by pesticides, "explains A. Thrasivoulou.

 
 
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« Reply #44 on: November 05, 2013, 02:24:19 pm »

Poisoned fifty hives near Fernandez

Beekeepers estimate that lost more than ten thousand dollars in honey and materials.  It destroyed an important economic resource.


Published on 23/10/2013 - Fernandez, Robles (C) Small producers around this city suffered significant losses over the poisoning of fifty hives, representing one of the most significant revenue.
 
Bee-killing occurred in an apiary located between the district and the site's Penquitas Loaj.
 
Vandals scattered with white dust, which does not release any smell, both inside and in the vicinity of the hives killing all insects within hours.
 
Beekeepers victims are Daniel Garcia (registered in the National Register of Beekeeping under No. G 0918) and brothers Ramon and Oscar Lewis, made the corresponding police station on Monday night to try to clarify this, that hurts twelve members of the families.
 
The LIBERAL was in the scene and interviewed the three producers argue that "annihilated him 50 hives with combs were ready to harvest and 20 cores".
 
"The losses are important in this first harvest, we regarded as good, we were going to get at least two drums of pure honey sold to the current value meant $ 4,200 each, plus the queens we bought from a breeder in Forres.  We must renew periodically and have a value ranging from $ 75 to $ 80, not to mention the material, including now we burn wax from the police to investigate what type of poison used and whether or not it dangerous for humans, birds or small animals, "detailed.

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« Reply #45 on: November 06, 2013, 10:46:47 am »

http://www.11alive.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=291945
Bee keeper says someone poisoned his hives
5/8/13

LULA, Ga. -- Earlier this week lifelong bee keeper Donald Kuchenmeister started seeing piles of dead bees near several of his hives.  But if he isn't afraid of the millions of bees on his farm, he can't be expected to be afraid of vandals-or a rival trying to destroy his hives. 

"I've been a commercial bee keeper for 48 years, when I lived in south Georgia it was very common for rivals to knock your hives over with a four wheeler, or shoot them,  anything to put you out of business," Kuchenmeister said.

He's not sure who apparently sprayed pesticides in his hives or why, but he knows he'll keep doing what he's done for six decades-keep tending bees and educating others about them. 

"This is basically a lost art, and people don't want to perpetuate it," Kuchenmeister said.  "And I'm doing my best to do that."

That mission is now being helped by nearly a million views for his bee keeping videos on YouTube.  He said while he's lost three to four thousand dollars from the poisoned hives-he's not going anywhere.  And even when he passes on, he'll find a way to keep his bees buzzing over him. 

"I'll be here pushing up daisies, that will keep my bees coming," Kuchenmeister said. 
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« Reply #46 on: November 06, 2013, 10:48:52 am »

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/11/bees-poisoned-china_n_1665705.html
7/11/12
15 Million Bees Killed In Suspected Poisoning In China

A police investigation is underway in Xiazhuang Village of Pingshan County in China for the fatal poisoning of 15 million bees.

Beekeeper Yang Jinfang believes rival keepers are to blame for the incident, which occurred when Yang and his partners transported 600 hives from their farms in southern China to feed on blossoms that flowered later in the season, as they've done for several generations.

Bees were wiped out in 450 of the hives, but two nearby sets of hives, kept by other beekeepers, were not affected. Experts are currently conducting tests on the sugar used to feed the bees and the hives themselves.

Yang explained his suspicions to police, Austrian Times reports:

"On the same night our guard dog was poisoned so we know it must be foul play. There are local bee keepers around here who were jealous of us and thought we were stealing their trade," said Yang.

According to Shanghaidaily.com, police are offering a reward of 10,000 yuan, the equivalent of $1,574, for tips leading to arrests of the guilty parties. Yang's loss, however, amounts to more than 400,000 yuan, or $62,810.

The news come on the heels of another bee poisoning hundreds of miles away. Late last month, the poisoning of 1200 beehives in forests around Batemans Bay in Australia resulted in the deaths of millions of bees.

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« Reply #47 on: January 23, 2014, 06:46:13 am »

Plant Virus Makes Bizarre Kingdom Jump to Honeybees

Another explanation for Colony Collapse Disorder and the rapid decline of honeybees follows a surprising discovery involving a virus that typically infects the Plant Kingdom - Tobacco Ringspot Virus (TRSV).

U.S. and Chinese researchers report their findings in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

The plant virus has somehow jumped to the Animal Kingdom, now infecting honeybees.

The first two sentences of the study abstract hold unsettling implications:

    Emerging and reemerging diseases that result from pathogen host shifts are a threat to the health of humans and their domesticates. RNA viruses have extremely high mutation rates and thus represent a significant source of these infectious diseases.

Lead author Ji Lian Li, at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science in Beijing, says:

    The results of our study provide the first evidence that honeybees exposed to virus-contaminated pollen can also be infected and that the infection becomes widespread in their bodies.

More Bizarre Findings

They already knew that bees could spread the disease to other plants through pollination. But how did it spread from the plants to the bees?

From the abstract:

    The tree topology indicated that the TRSVs from arthropod hosts shared a common ancestor with those from plant hosts and subsequently evolved as a distinct lineage after transkingdom host alteration. This study represents a unique example of viruses with host ranges spanning both the plant and animal kingdoms.

Another finding sounds similar to the Bubonic Plague scenario, except instead of fleas carrying the sickness, it could be a little mite. Varroa mites, vampiric parasites, are associated with CCD or weakened colonies. TRSV was found in their bodies but did not lead to an infection in the mites.

Mutating RNA Viruses

EurekaAlert! relays:

    Notably, about 5% of known plant viruses are pollen-transmitted and thus potential sources of host-jumping viruses. RNA viruses tend to be particularly dangerous because they lack the 3'-5' proofreading function which edits out errors in replicated genomes. As a result, viruses such as TRSV generate a flood of variant copies with differing infective properties.

    One consequence of such high replication rates are populations of RNA viruses thought to exist as "quasispecies," clouds of genetically related variants that appear to work together to determine the pathology of their hosts. These sources of genetic diversity, coupled with large population sizes, further facilitate the adaption of RNA viruses to new selective conditions such as those imposed by novel hosts. "Thus, RNA viruses are a likely source of emerging and reemerging infectious diseases," explain these researchers.

Other diseases associated with CCD, known to wipe out hives as early as 2006 include; Israel Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV), Acute Bee Paralysis Virus (ABPV), Chronic Paralysis Virus (CPV), Kashmir Bee Virus (KBV), Deformed Wing Bee Virus (DWV), Black Queen Cell Virus (BQCV) and Sacbrood Virus (SBV).

So - do findings like this serve to mitigate the responsibility of chemical pesticides on environmental health, or could they further implicate them in the results thereof?

It turns out...

...when they studied different colonies classified as either "weak" or "strong," TRSV and other viruses were more prevalent in the weakened colonies. During their studies, the strong colonies could effectively ward off most disease and, unlike their weaker counterparts, could survive the cold winters into February.

Something has weakened modern bee generations...

One study, with contradictory terms appeared to detract attention from chemicals on bee health by emphasizing that the bees are not directly killed, but are stressed.

Recently, another study, showing that chemicals did not directly kill the colony, proved that pesticides were creating smaller worker bees by retarding their growth, ultimately leading to the untimely end of a colony.

The researchers called for more surveillance of potential host-jumping events as part of insect pollinator management programs and concluded:

    The increasing prevalence of TRSV in conjunction with other bee viruses is associated with a gradual decline of host populations and supports the view that viral infections have a significant negative impact on colony survival.

Regardless of the cause, the collective immunity of pollinators is weakening at a rapid pace and bees are falling prey to invaders that previously posed less harm. Imagine the sheer disease-state of honeybees, weakened enough to become susceptible to diseases in the Plant Kingdom....

Please check out the study here for more information:
Systemic Spread and Propagation of a Plant-Pathogenic Virus in European Honeybees, Apis mellifera

http://www.activistpost.com/2014/01/plant-virus-makes-bizarre-kingdom-jump.html
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« Reply #48 on: February 16, 2014, 02:46:00 pm »

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2014/02/13/honey-price-increases-lead-to-jump-in-beehive-thefts/
2/13/14
Honey Price Increases Lead to Jump In Beehive Thefts

DIXON (CBS13) — The price of honey has jumped in the last decade, leading to a jump in beehive thefts.

That has beekeepers turning to technology to try and stop crooks from taking the hives.

Keepers like Phil Hofland hoping the latest technology will sting those thieves trying to make off with the valuable hives.

“You can come in here with a forklift and snag—I’ve seen people steal 30,000 to 50,000 in a half an hour,” he said.

Beekeepers have always been concerned about theft, and have long tried to develop ways to prevent that from happening.

But the age-old problem has a new remedy. Hofland now uses tiny GPS chips to track if one of his hives is stolen.

“If it gets moved, I get an email or a text on my phone immediately
,” the Dixon beekeeper said.


Along with the chips, Hofland also brands his boxes in hopes of scaring away those who may look to swipe the hives.

“I look at it as if my boxes are marked really good and somebody else’s aren’t,” he said. “Somebody has a choice between picking mine and somebody else’s, they are going to do that.”
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« Reply #49 on: January 19, 2015, 07:10:13 am »

Commercial bees threaten wild bees, say researchers

The trade in bees used for honey or to pollinate crops could have a devastating impact on wild bees and other insects, say scientists.

New measures are needed to stop diseases carried by commercial bees spilling over into the wild, says a University of Exeter team.

Evidence suggests bees bred in captivity can carry diseases that could be a risk to native species.

Bees are used commercially to pollinate crops such as peppers and oilseed ****.

Species of bees used for this purpose, or in commercial hives, are known to suffer from parasite infections and more than 20 viruses.

Many of these can also infect wild bumble bees, wasps, ants and hoverflies.

The study, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, reviewed data from existing studies to look at the potential for diseases to jump from commercial bees to insects in the wild.

"Our study highlights the importance of preventing the release of diseased commercial pollinators into the wild," said lead researcher Dr Lena Wilfert.

"The diseases carried by commercial species affect a wide range of wild pollinators but their spread can be avoided by improved monitoring and management practices.

"Commercial honey beekeepers have a responsibility to protect ecologically and economically important wild pollinator communities from disease."
'Drastic impacts'

Several diseases of honey bee colonies are known. They include a parasite called the Varroa mite and a virus that leads to deformed wings, which has also been found in wild bumble bees.

Vanessa Amaral-Rogers of the charity, Buglife, said the results of the study showed an urgent need for changes in how the government regulates the importation of bees.

"Wild honey bees can no longer be found in England or Wales, thought to have been wiped out by disease," she told BBC News.

"Now these studies show how diseases can be transmitted between managed honey bees and commercial bumble bees, and could have potentially drastic impacts on the rest of our wild pollinators. "

A study last year on a sample of commercial bumble bee hives imported into the UK found 77% were contaminated with up to five different parasites, with a further three being found in the pollen that was brought in with them, she added.

Commenting on the study, Prof David Goulson of the University of Sussex, said: "It's vitally important that we look after the health of both wild and managed bees.

"We have to be very careful we don't spread diseases from one continent to another."

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« Reply #50 on: April 27, 2015, 12:25:01 pm »

Bees Addicted to Nectar With Harmful Pesticides, Study Finds

Bees have been increasingly getting addicted to neonicotinoids pesticides, used for seed dressing of rapeseed, according to a new study.

The study conducted by researchers from Institute of Neuroscience at Newcastle University stated that the pesticides could affect the wild bees, interfering with their growth and reproduction.

"The fact that bees show a preference for food containing neonicotinoids is concerning as it suggests that like nicotine, neonicotinoids may act like a drug to make foods containing these substances more rewarding," said lead author of the study, Geraldine Wright, from the Institute of Neuroscience at Newcastle University.

Researchers noted that the bees are unable to taste the pesticides, and therefore are oblivious of their presence. However, the addictive properties of the neonicotinoid, causes the bees to get hooked to the substance.

"If foraging favor to collect nectar consisting of neonicotinoids, this can have a knock-on unfavorable influence on whole colonies as well as on bee population," added Wright.

 "Our findings imply that even if alternative food sources are provided for bees in agricultural landscapes where neonicotinoid pesticides are used, the bees may prefer to forage on the neonicotinoid-contaminated crops. Since neonicotinoids can also end up in wild plants growing adjacent to crops, they could be much more prevalent in bees' diets than previously thought," said Jane Stout, Professor of Botany and Principal Investigator in the School of Natural Sciences at Trinity College Dublin

The study was published in the journal Nature.

Read more at http://www.newseveryday.com/articles/14746/20150427/bees-addicted-nectar-harmful-pesticides-study-finds.htm#LAUvPuuTtpZv217H.99

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« Reply #51 on: May 16, 2015, 11:42:26 am »

40% increase in Honeybee deaths reveals unknown flaw in our agro-ecosystems

Its not unknown!! Its called Monsanto!!!

Last year, we heard that the bee colony losses had become slower. The decrease was not a significant one, but this slowing down was surely reassuring for nature lovers around the globe.

Professor Dennis van Engelsdorp, who teaches entomology at the University of Maryland, said that the news of decrease in the rate of bee colony losses is just better than what most expected it to be. Prof. Engelsdorp was the leader of the team that conducted a survey of the bee population.

The data gathered by the survey team suggest that the last year has seen the destruction of 23% bee colonies. It’s less that the average loss taking place between 2005 and 2013, which is 30%. However, still the news cannot be categorized as “good news”.



Summary of the total colony losses overwinter (October 1 – April 1) and over the year (April 1 – April 1) of managed honey bee colonies in the United States. The acceptable range is the average percentage of acceptable colony losses declared by the survey participants in each of the nine years of the survey. Winter and Annual losses are calculated based on different respondent pools. Credit : Beeinformed

It’s true that scientists have revealed that they have progressed in the fight against the Asian mite responsible for the death of many American bees; however, they have also said that there’s nothing to be elated about at this moment.

According to Jeff Pettis, a coauthor of the above mentioned survey, facts collected during a period of one year cannot be regarded as trends. Here, it must be mentioned that Pettis is the head of the Beltsville-based federal bee research laboratory.

Now, it has been proved that Pettis was right. Engelsdorp along with his co-researchers from the Bee Informed Partnership just revealed that the past one year has witnessed destruction of over 40% honeybee hives. The number is still preliminary; however, already it marks the 2nd highest annual bee colony loss ever if all the recorded data is considered.

University of Georgia’s Keith Delaplane, a coauthor of the study, said that this ongoing bee problem is indicating that something is wrong with our agro-ecosystems. Delaplane added that people are noticing the problem only in honeybees as keeping a count of these creatures is very easy.

The researchers haven’t pinpointed any particular cause of the demise of the bees. They said that colony collapse disorder, which is often linked to mass deaths of honey bees, cannot be regarded as the obvious reason behind this sharp increase in the rate of bee hive destruction. According to them, the destructions might be caused by a combination of factors including poor nutrition, extreme weather conditions, pesticides, and so on.

http://www.thehoopsnews.com/2015/05/16/5145/40-increase-in-honeybee-deaths-reveals-unknown-flaw-in-our-agro-ecosystems/
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« Reply #52 on: June 08, 2015, 11:28:33 am »

http://rt.com/news/265600-bees-alzheimer-aluminium-pollution/
'Bees with Alzheimer’s?' Aluminium pollution linked to dementia in bees
Published time: June 07, 2015 14:15

The decline in the bee population could be caused by the insect’s high contamination of aluminum, a chemical element implicated as a factor in Alzheimer's disease in humans, a new study has found.

It's believed that a number of factors are likely to be involved in the decline of bees: from a lack of flowers to attacks by parasites. But biologists at Keele University and the University of Sussex in the UK decided to find out whether aluminum, the "most significant environmental contaminant of recent times," could prove to play the key role in the insect’s decline.

READ MORE: 40 percent of US honeybee population lost over year, as mysterious die-off accelerates

Previous research had suggested that when bees forage for nectar they don't avoid nectar which contains aluminum. So researchers measured the content of aluminum in bee pupae taken from naturally foraging colonies in the UK.

They found levels of the metal content in bee pupae that ranged from 13 to 193 ppm [parts per million.] In humans, brain aluminium content in excess of 3 ppm "might be considered as pathological with possible contributions towards neurodegenerative disease including Alzheimer’s disease," the study, published in the journal PLOS One, said.

Researchers say that a number of human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels resulting in “acid rain” and the mining of aluminium ores to make aluminum metal and salts, have contributed to the thriving biological availability of this "non-essential metal."

As a result, fish, trees, crops and humans have all been affected by aluminium. Evidence suggests that bees are not immune to its increasing prevalence, with analysis from Brazil having previously indicated that "pollen is heavily contaminated with aluminium."

“Aluminum is a known neurotoxin affecting behaviour in animal models of aluminum intoxication. Bees, of course, rely heavily on cognitive function in their everyday behaviour and these data raise the intriguing spectre that aluminium-induced cognitive dysfunction may play a role in their population decline – are we looking at bees with Alzheimer’s disease?” said Professor Chris Exley, a leading authority on human exposure to aluminium, from Keele University.
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« Reply #53 on: December 22, 2015, 07:10:22 pm »

US wild bee numbers decline as land is converted for biofuel

Wild bees in the US have declined in many farming areas according to the first national effort to map their numbers.

The study suggests that between 2008 and 2013, the numbers of wild bees went down across almost a quarter of the US.

The researchers say that the conversion of land to grow corn for biofuels is a key element in the decline.

If the trend continues say the scientists, it could drive up costs and destabilise crop production.

Wild bees play an important role in pollinating many US crops and plants. It's estimated that they contribute around $3bn to the value of agriculture every year.

In 2014, President Obama issued a memorandum calling for an assessment of the state of honey and wild bees across the US, in the face of an increasing number of threats such as colony collapse disorder.

To map the abundance of wild bees across the country, this model combines a number of databases with expert opinion.

The results show that numbers of wild bees likely declined by 23% between 2008 and 2013 in key agricultural regions in California, the Midwest, in Great Plains states and in the Mississippi river valley.

The study also showed that 39% of US croplands that depend on pollinators are suffering a significant mismatch between the demand for pollination and the supply of bees.

Land for fuel

The most important reason for the decline in numbers according to the authors is the increased demand for biofuels, which has seen more land turned over to growing grains. US law requires that all gasoline sold contains at least 10% ethanol, mostly made from corn.

In the areas that have seen the most serious reduction in wild bees, there have been 200% increases in the amount of corn planted.

REST: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35153196
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« Reply #54 on: December 26, 2015, 06:04:55 pm »

America’s Wild Bee Populations Are Dwindling at Alarming Rates

“It’s clear that pollinators are in trouble,” cautioned Taylor Ricketts, lead author of a study mapping the decline in pollinator populations by researchers with the University of Vermont, published Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Despite Ricketts’ rather restrained statement, the study’s findings clearly indicate the pollinators — specifically, wild bees — aren’t the only ones in trouble. According to the study:

“If losses of these crucial pollinators continue, the new nationwide assessment indicates that farmers will face increasing costs — and that the problem may even destabilize the nation’s crop production.”

 
Between 2008 and 2013, wild bee populations across the contiguous U.S. declined an alarming 23%, according to the research team led by UVM’s Gund Institute for Ecological Economics researcher, Insu Koh. Perhaps even more gravely, 39% of all croplands that depend on native pollinators — more than $3 billion of the U.S. agricultural economy — “face a threatening mismatch between rising demand for pollination and a falling supply of wild bees.”

Following a June 2014 presidential memorandum warning about the “significant loss of pollinators, including honey bees, native bees, birds, bats, and butterflies,” the White House called for a “national assessment of wild pollinators and their habitats” — which led to this study and its stunning findings.

Some of the most vital farmlands in the U.S., the researchers discovered, could be seriously jeopardized if the decline in pollinator populations can’t be reined in and reversed. One-hundred-thirty-nine counties “in key agricultural regions of California, the Pacific Northwest, the upper Midwest and Great Plains, west Texas, and the southern Mississippi River valley” were identified by the study to “have the most worrisome mismatch between falling wild bee supply and rising crop pollination demand.”

Those counties tend toward either of two issues: they grow specialty crops that are heavily dependent on pollinators, or they grow very large quantities of crops that aren’t as pollinator-dependent. But of marked concern are areas with crops both most heavily dependent on pollinators — such as pumpkins, watermelons, pears, peaches, plums, apples, and blueberries — that are also experiencing sharp declines in the supply of pollinators and increased demand for them.

“These are crops most likely to run into pollination trouble,” Ricketts, who is also director of the Gund Institute, explained, “whether that’s increased costs for managed pollinators, or even destabilized yields.”

While threats to bees and other pollinators from pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and disease may be widely known and reported about, the researchers found a striking parallel between bee population decline and something activists have been warning about for years:

 monoculture. Loss of natural habitat could be the most insidious and understated cause for concern found in this study:

“In 11 key states where the new study shows bees in decline, the amount of land tilled to grow corn spiked by 200 percent in five years — replacing grasslands and pastures that once supported bee populations. ‘These results reinforce recent evidence that increased demand for corn in biofuel production has intensified threats to natural habitats in corn-growing regions,’ the new study notes.”

 This is particularly distressing, considering wild bees provide some crops with the majority of their necessary pollination, while in crops more heavily dependent on managed pollinators, wild bees’ pollination assistance can increase yield. Researchers are hopeful the study’s mapped results will lead to aggressive conservation efforts. This mapping was the first of its kind. As Koh said, “Now we have a map of the hotspots. It’s the first spatial portrait of pollinator status and impacts in the U.S.”

“By highlighting regions with loss of habitat for wild bees, government agencies and private organizations can focus their efforts at the national, regional, and state scales to support these important pollinators for more sustainable agriculture and natural landscapes,” said Rufus Isaacs of Michigan State University, one of the co-authors of the study.

“Most people can think of one or two types of bee, but there are 4,000 species in the U.S. alone,” Ricketts explained. “Wild bees are a precious natural resource we should celebrate and protect. If managed with care, they can help us continue to produce billions of dollars in agricultural income and a wonderful diversity of nutritious food.”

Hopefully, this sounding of the alarm bells will be heeded with the seriousness it deserves.

http://theantimedia.org/americas-wild-bee-populations-are-dwindling-at-alarming-rates/
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« Reply #55 on: June 04, 2016, 07:38:30 pm »

msn.com/en-us/news/us/africanized-bees-kill-two-dogs-in-west-texas-injure-owner-with-more-than-50-stings/ar-BBtRn3e?ocid=spartandhp
Africanized bees kill two dogs in West Texas, injure owner with more than 50 stings
6/4/16

A swarm of Africanized bees killed two dogs in Midland and injured the dogs’ owner, stinging the man more than 50 times in a frenzied attack.

James Roy of Midland went outside to check on his dogs on Thursday and thought the two dogs were fighting, but they were in fact being attacked by a swarm of bees. The two dogs, Susie and Sammy, were stung more than 1,000 times, according to News West 9, and the dogs later died at a veterinarian’s office in Midland.

The dogs were rescued just under a year ago, Roy told News West 9.

The swarm then attacked Roy, chasing after him as he ran for help. The bees ultimately stung him more than 50 times, the West Texas TV Station reports.

A neighbor and some contractors were nearby and helped him by using a water hose to douse the bees on his body.

An expert spoke with the TV station and said there’s no way to prevent this type of bee, but large groups of bees should be avoided. If there’s a hive nearby, an expert should be called to remove it from the area.

Africanized honey bees, or killer bees, descend from southern African bees imported to the Americas in 1956 by Brazilian scientists trying to breed a honey bee that can adapt better to the South American climate, according to DesertUSA.

The website reports these types of bees are super sensitive to noise and vibrations, with some even responding viciously to random triggers, such as stimuli from vehicles, equipment and pedestrians.

Their venom isn’t more potent than honey bees, but they attack in far greater numbers, making their stings much more of a threat.
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« Reply #56 on: June 25, 2016, 06:28:13 pm »

Bees are dying at alarming rate in the US: 60% of colonies dying off in Pennsylvania and 44% nationwide

No Bees.... NO FOOD!! Also how does evolution explain that?

http://strangesounds.org/2016/06/bees-are-dying-at-alarming-rate-in-us-60-percent-of-colonies-dying-off-pennsylvania-44-percent-nationwide.html
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« Reply #57 on: August 16, 2016, 10:57:04 pm »

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/18-study-bees-finally-sheds-184100396.html
An 18-year study of bees finally sheds light on something that may be wiping them out

August 16, 2016

For years, there's been suspicion that a class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids are bad for bees. The chemicals, which farmers apply to their crops to keep away insects that munch through their harvests, are among the most used bug-killers out there.

But ecologists have worried the chemicals also affect the insects that help support harvests.

Bees have been mysteriously disappearing in what's called colony collapse disorder, which some scientists believe neonicotinoids are contributing to.

That's a problem because the pollination work bees do is hugely valuable. Commercially managed honeybees produce about $15 billion in value for the US alone and wild American bees another $9 billion.

There's finally a study that tries to actually parse out the effects neonicotinoids have on bees in the wild. It looks at 62 different wild bee species in the UK.

That's important because while only three species of bees and bumblebees are kept by beekeepers and used commercially, experts believe there are closer to 250 wild species in the UK and 4,000 in the US. And while we don't manage them, we do benefit from their pollination.

The new study, which was published August 16 in the journal Nature Communications, also looks at an 18-year timespan that begins before neonicotinoids were introduced in 2002. That means the researchers could actually establish a baseline for how bees were doing before farmers began widely using the chemicals.

Neonicotinoids are used particularly on rapeseed, one variety of which is turned into canola oil. During the month or two they bloom, the flowers turn swaths of the British countryside a shocking yellow.

Some bees like the flowers; some don't. So the scientists were able to divvy bees up by their taste for rapeseed, then look at how their populations changed over almost two decades of surveys.

For a few bees, the scientists estimate about a fifth of their population declines was due to neonicotinoids.

That's not enough to kill off bees taken by itself. But pesticides aren't the only challenge bees are facing. Climate change, differences in how we use the land and what plants they can feed on, and parasites and diseases that infect bees are also putting a dent in populations.

And it doesn't necessarily mean we should stop using neonicotinoids cold turkey. "It needs to be taken in a very holistic perspective, you can't just say as long as we can save the bees everything else can go to hell, that's not where you want to be at," lead scientist Ben Woodcock told the BBC.

Both the Environmental Protection Agency, which regulates pesticides in the US, and the European equivalent are already in the process of re-evaluating their rules for neonicotinoids.

The study isn't quite the gold standard of science, since the researchers were just watching what happened from changes already in place rather than carefully controlling circumstances so that pesticide exposure was the only difference between groups.

But that kind of study is really hard to do in ecology — and getting a long-term, large-scale look at a range of species is better information than we've had before.
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« Reply #58 on: October 01, 2016, 05:40:35 pm »

http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/01/us/hawaii-bee-species-endangered/index.html
10/1/16
Bees placed on endangered species list -- a first in the US

(CNN) — The United States is on a mission to save some of its busiest workers: bees.

In a first for bees in the nation, seven bee species native to Hawaii are now protected under the Endangered Species Act.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service said it added the yellow-faced bee species to the federal list of endangered species Friday night after years of research concluded they are under threat.

The rule is effective October 31.

Bees pollinate plants producing fruit, nuts and vegetables, and are crucial for the nation's food industry.

This is one of the seven bee species protected under the Endangered Species Act.

This is one of the seven bee species protected under the Endangered Species Act.

They have declined sharply in recent years due to various factors, including habitat loss, wildfires and loss of genetic diversity.

"Native pollinators in the US provide essential pollination services to agriculture which are valued at more than $9 billion annually," said Eric Lee-Mäder, pollinator program co-director at the Xerces Society, which was involved in petitions calling for the protection of the bee species.

During pollination, insects, birds and bats transfer pollen between plants, which allows them to make seeds and reproduce.

Listing the bees allows authorities to provide recovery programs and get funding for protection.
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« Reply #59 on: January 11, 2017, 08:08:26 pm »

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/bumblebee-listed-as-endangered-species-for-first-time/ar-BBy7rvN?OCID=ansmsnnews11
Bumblebee listed as endangered species for first time
1/10/17

A bumblebee is now on the endangered species list for the first time in a "race against extinction," the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Tuesday.

The agency placed the rusty patched bumblebee on the list because of a dramatic population decline over the past 20 years. Since the late 1990s, the population of the species has plummeted 87%.

Named because of the rust-colored marks on its back, the bee was once common and abundant across 28 states from Connecticut to South Dakota. Today, the bee is only found in small, scattered populations in 13 states.

“Our top priority is to act quickly to prevent extinction of the rusty patched bumblebee," wildlife service Midwest regional director Tom Melius said in a statement. "Listing the bee as endangered will help us mobilize partners and focus resources on finding ways right now to stop the decline."

Bees are responsible for pollinating most of the plants that require insect pollination to produce fruits, seeds and nuts. Like other bees, rusty patched bumblebees pollinate important crops such as tomatoes, cranberries and peppers.

It's not just the rusty patched bumblebee that is struggling in the U.S. Other species have experienced dramatic declines in recent decades. The reduction is believed to be caused by a combination of habitat loss, disease, pesticide use, climate change and an extremely small population size.

The endangered designation is made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act for species at risk of becoming extinct throughout all or a portion of their range.

Environmental groups praised the designation, including the group that originally petitioned for the listing in 2013, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation: "We are very pleased to see one of North America’s most imperiled species receive the protection it needs,” said Sarina Jepsen, director of endangered species for the group.

Environment America’s Christy Leavitt said that “protecting the rusty patched bumblebee and all bees is essential for our ecosystem and our food supply. If bees go extinct, it’s simple: no bees, no food," she added.

“Today’s Endangered Species listing is the best — and probably last — hope for the recovery of the rusty patched bumblebee," said Rebecca Riley, and attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Bumblebees are dying off, vanishing from our farms, gardens, and parks, where they were once found in great numbers."

People can help boost the rusty patched bumblebee population by growing a garden or adding a native flowering tree or shrub to yards and minimizing pesticide use, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said. Leaving some areas of the yard unmowed in summer and unraked in fall can also help since bumblebees need a safe place to build their nests and overwinter. Additionally, try leaving some standing plant stems in gardens and flower beds in winter.

This is the first bee of any type in the continental U.S. to be placed on the list. In September, the Obama administration designated seven species of bees in Hawaii as endangered.
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