Cidersomerset
14th June 2013, 18:05
http://static.bbci.co.uk/frameworks/barlesque/2.45.9/desktop/3.5/img/blq-blocks_grey_alpha.png
June 2013 Last updated at 01:03
Honey bee losses double in a year due to poor winter
By Matt McGrath
Environment correspondent, BBC News
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/68138000/jpg/_68138464_f0040500-beekeepers_with_honey_combs-spl.jpg
Following on from a disappointing summer, the cold winter has been very difficult
for bees
This winter's losses of honey bee colonies were the worst since records began six
years ago, according to a survey carried out by the British Beekeepers
Association.It says more than a third of hives did not survive the cold, wet
conditions. All regions of England saw dramatic declines with the numbers lost more
than double the previous 12 months.This year's poor winter, following on from a
disastrous summer, is said to be the main reason for the losses.British beekeepers
have been surveyed at the end of March for the last six years.
British Beekeepers Association
They are asked to compare the number of colonies that are still alive compared to
the numbers they had back in October. With overall losses at 33.8%, this year's
figures are the worst yet recorded. The hardest hit region was the South West
where over half of the hives were lost. "It is desperate; it is a huge loss of bees,"
Devon beekeeper Glyn Davies told BBC News."The weather last summer and this
winter, the two combined meant there was virtually a whole year when bees were
confined and stressed just because of the environmental conditions."
Queens affected
The bad weather meant that honey bees were unable to get out and forage. There
was a scarcity of pollen and nectar throughout the season. Some beekeepers
believe that the increased number of infections and disease that bees are subject to
may have made them weaker and unable to cope with the colder conditions.
"We are in a different era; quite frankly the bees haven't got the resistance and
reserves that they once did because of various illnesses and viruses," said Mr
Davies, who himself lost around a quarter of his 25 colonies.bee
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/68129000/jpg/_68129783_c0065803-honeybee-spl.jpg
Finding pollen and nectar has been extremely difficult for bees The weather also
posed problems for newly emerged queen bees - "virgin queens". The growth of
colonies depends on these bees being able to mate properly so they can lay
fertilised eggs. But the poor weather hampered these activities as well.
If the weather is changeable, a queen may not execute her mating flight properly,
Tim Lovett from the British Beekeepers Association told BBC News. "If she doesn't
get properly mated she can only lay drones, and if she is doing that, that's the
death knell for the hive."
A colony that has only drones and no workers will not survive.
Another weather-related factor that has worked against the bees is what is called
isolation starvation. Because of the cold, the bees cluster very closely together to
maintain hive temperature and consume the stores of honey closest to them.
If the weather is so cold that they can't actually move, the bees will starve -
although there may be plenty of food sources nearby. Beekeepers say that is very
bad news for honey supplies in the coming months. Late last year, the British
Beekeepers' Association reported that the honey crop was down by over 70%
compared to 2011. They do not have great hopes for a recovery this year.
"It's disastrous for honey production," said Mr Lovett. "There is a cumulative effect
because you have got to replace those hives. That is something the beekeeper now
has to do."This loss of bees was in effect far more dramatic than foot-and-mouth
was on the national beef herd. It means a great deal of work ahead for beekeepers
to get back to where they were."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22861651
====================================================
MASS BEES DIE-OFF: Global Food Crisis - Thousands Of Bees Suddenly Die In
6lELBBuWDHg
Published on 18 May 2013
The CELESTIAL Convergence | http://thecelestialconvergence.blogsp...
May 18, 2013 - UNITED STATES - As farmers get underway with their spring
planting, some bee farmers in Minnesota are already counting their losses.In the
last couple days one major producer reported that thousands of honey bees
suddenly died.In 2005, Minnesota was the sixth largest honey producer in the
nation. But since 2006, millions of bee colonies have died off in Minnesota and
across the nation.
"Whatever it is, it's affecting the nervous system of the bees," said Rand Honl of
Honl's Bees, Inc.When Honl checked on his hives Tuesday morning, it wasn't the
bees in the air that caught his attention but the ones on the ground.Bee keeping
runs in the family. Every spring Honl and his wife bring thousands of honeybees
cross-country from Texas to Winthrop, Minn. Their honey is shipped across the
country. But in more than 50 years of business, Honl has never seen this.Their bees
were fine last week, now most of the worker bees are gone.Each bee box Honl has
produces about 100 pounds of honey. Worker bees make all of the production
possible.Worker bees bring in the pollen, and Honl thinks by venturing into farm
fields his bees were hit by pesticides.
"It's something to do with farm chemicals. Right now, you know, they're planting.
They're spraying. It's got to be something to do with farm chemicals," Honl said.
And Honl believes he isn't alone. Other beekeepers across the country have reported
similar problems. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture took samples of his
dead bees, as did Bayer Crop Science, a company that makes pesticides.It's still
too early to determine what killed Honl's bees.In a statement, Bayer said: "Reports
of this kind should be carefully investigated. (We) understand the necessity for
healthy bees as pollinators for agriculture and food production."
====================================================
Who Killed The Honey Bee? (BBC Documentary)
bjef4QiKWfg
Published on 19 Nov 2012
Bees are dying in their millions. It is an ecological crisis that threatens to bring
global agriculture to a standstill. Introduced by Martha Kearney, this documentary
explores the reasons behind the decline of bee colonies across the globe,
investigating what might be at the root of this devastation.Honey bees are the
number one insect pollinator on the planet, responsible for the production of over 90
crops. Apples, berries, cucumbers, nuts, cabbages and even
cotton will struggle to be produced if bee colonies continue to decline at the current
rate. Empty hives have been reported from as far afield as Taipei and Tennessee.
In England, the matter has caused beekeepers to march on Parliament to call on
the government to fund research into what they say is potentially a bigger threat to
humanity than the current financial crisis.Investigating the problem from a global
perspective, the programme makers travel from the farm belt of California to the
flatlands of East Anglia to the outback of Australia. They talk to the beekeepers
whose livelihoods are threatened by colony collapse disorder, the scientists
entrusted with solving the problem, and the Australian
beekeepers who are making a fortune replacing the planet's dying bees. They also
look at some of the possible reasons for the declining numbers - is it down to a bee
plague, pesticides, malnutrition? Or is the answer something even more frightening?
====================================================
http://static.bbci.co.uk/frameworks/barlesque/2.45.9/desktop/3.5/img/blq-blocks_grey_alpha.png
14 June 2013 Last updated at 02:32 Share this pageEmail Print Share this page
Banned pesticides may be having wider environmental impacts
By Matt McGrath Environment correspondent, BBC News
Bees Neonicotinoid pesticides have been linked to the deaths of bees, but scientists
are now concerned about their wider impacts in the environment
Continue reading the main story
Related Stories
Bees on knees as bed bugs boom
Bad winter sees 'huge loss of bees'
Scientists divided on pesticide ban
A new report indicates that a class of pesticides linked to the deaths of bees may be
harming other wildlife species. Neonicotinoids have now been banned by the
European Union because of concerns over bee health.But this latest review of the
scientific data suggests the chemicals pose a risk to soil, water and grain-eating
birds such as partridge.Prof Dave Goulson of Sussex University has published his
assessment in the Journal of Applied Ecology."It seems to me that we may have
been focussing far too much on bees and have missed the bigger picture," he told
BBC News.
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/68162000/jpg/_68162751_168922844.jpg
Neonicotinoids are systemic poisons. They are usually applied as coatings to seeds
and as the plant grows, every part of it becomes toxic to insects and other pests.
Introduced in the mid 1990s, the chemicals, which include imidacloprid, were taken
up widely in agriculture and are now the world's most prominent group of
pesticides.
University of Sussex
But although they were heralded as having less of an impact on the environment
when they were first developed, concerns have been growing for several years
about their impact on bees.
Pervasive problems
Earlier this year, the European Union agreed to a two-year moratorium on their use
from December. It would only apply to crops that flower and that are attractive to
bees, such as oilseed rape.
Now scientists are looking to see if this group of chemicals pose other threats.
"These compounds are highly toxic to all insects," Prof Goulson said. "They are
probably pervasive in the environment, as they last a long time and because they
are in water and in soil."
In his review, the Sussex researcher found that 90% of the active ingredients in
these chemicals go into the soil and leach into groundwater. They can accumulate
in soil at concentrations far higher than those that kill bees and persist there for up
to 10 years. In water, less than one part per billion of imidacloprid is sufficient to
kill mayflies.Birds can also be affected by eating the coated seeds that might spill
during sowing. Species such as partridge need only eat a few grains to get a lethal
dose.
"When you try and weigh up the evidence, it seems that they harm bees, they
might be harming partridge, and that they are probably getting into waterways and
harming mayflies," said Prof Goulson. "And if it turns out that the benefits are
insignificant then what's the point in using them?"
Other recent studies have also shown neonicotinoids affecting the environment
more than previously thought. Research published in the US looked at the impact
on birds while in the Netherlands, data suggested a decline in aquatic
populations.Other scientists described the new work as interesting and stated that
Prof Goulson was right to draw attention to the lack of assessment about the sub-
lethal effects on insects.
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/68162000/jpg/_68162894_z8400084-red-legged_partridge-spl.jpg
Birds Eating just a few seeds coated with pesticide can be lethal for some birds
As the author himself admits, there are still many unanswered questions, especially
about the amount of damage the pesticides can do to species.
"We can show that there is pretty convincing evidence that there is a degree of
harm but how big it is, I couldn't tell you, nobody could," said Prof Goulson.Some
researchers, however, are not convinced that the threats from the use of
neonicotinoids are as widespread as the new review suggests. Prof John Pickett
from Rothamsted Research said that all commercial pesticides were rigorously
tested for impacts on non-target species.
"If you test pesticides out of context, you are likely to find all kinds of effects but
that is not necessarily indicative of a wider effect; and strict registration rules exist
that are aimed at protecting the environment," he said.
"Pesticides exist to protect our crops and food from pests and while it is very
important that scientists do this research, it is also important that we interpret the
studies carefully in a way that balances risks and benefits."
Prof Goulson said that his review looked at research from a range of sources,
including data from the agrochemical industry. He argued that we urgently needed
more work to test soils and waterways for the presence of these chemicals and the
levels at which they might be acting. "There is every reason to believe that lots of
insects are exposed to them, and we really don't know what harm they might be
doing; we should find out pretty damn quick if you ask me."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22893619
June 2013 Last updated at 01:03
Honey bee losses double in a year due to poor winter
By Matt McGrath
Environment correspondent, BBC News
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/68138000/jpg/_68138464_f0040500-beekeepers_with_honey_combs-spl.jpg
Following on from a disappointing summer, the cold winter has been very difficult
for bees
This winter's losses of honey bee colonies were the worst since records began six
years ago, according to a survey carried out by the British Beekeepers
Association.It says more than a third of hives did not survive the cold, wet
conditions. All regions of England saw dramatic declines with the numbers lost more
than double the previous 12 months.This year's poor winter, following on from a
disastrous summer, is said to be the main reason for the losses.British beekeepers
have been surveyed at the end of March for the last six years.
British Beekeepers Association
They are asked to compare the number of colonies that are still alive compared to
the numbers they had back in October. With overall losses at 33.8%, this year's
figures are the worst yet recorded. The hardest hit region was the South West
where over half of the hives were lost. "It is desperate; it is a huge loss of bees,"
Devon beekeeper Glyn Davies told BBC News."The weather last summer and this
winter, the two combined meant there was virtually a whole year when bees were
confined and stressed just because of the environmental conditions."
Queens affected
The bad weather meant that honey bees were unable to get out and forage. There
was a scarcity of pollen and nectar throughout the season. Some beekeepers
believe that the increased number of infections and disease that bees are subject to
may have made them weaker and unable to cope with the colder conditions.
"We are in a different era; quite frankly the bees haven't got the resistance and
reserves that they once did because of various illnesses and viruses," said Mr
Davies, who himself lost around a quarter of his 25 colonies.bee
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/68129000/jpg/_68129783_c0065803-honeybee-spl.jpg
Finding pollen and nectar has been extremely difficult for bees The weather also
posed problems for newly emerged queen bees - "virgin queens". The growth of
colonies depends on these bees being able to mate properly so they can lay
fertilised eggs. But the poor weather hampered these activities as well.
If the weather is changeable, a queen may not execute her mating flight properly,
Tim Lovett from the British Beekeepers Association told BBC News. "If she doesn't
get properly mated she can only lay drones, and if she is doing that, that's the
death knell for the hive."
A colony that has only drones and no workers will not survive.
Another weather-related factor that has worked against the bees is what is called
isolation starvation. Because of the cold, the bees cluster very closely together to
maintain hive temperature and consume the stores of honey closest to them.
If the weather is so cold that they can't actually move, the bees will starve -
although there may be plenty of food sources nearby. Beekeepers say that is very
bad news for honey supplies in the coming months. Late last year, the British
Beekeepers' Association reported that the honey crop was down by over 70%
compared to 2011. They do not have great hopes for a recovery this year.
"It's disastrous for honey production," said Mr Lovett. "There is a cumulative effect
because you have got to replace those hives. That is something the beekeeper now
has to do."This loss of bees was in effect far more dramatic than foot-and-mouth
was on the national beef herd. It means a great deal of work ahead for beekeepers
to get back to where they were."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22861651
====================================================
MASS BEES DIE-OFF: Global Food Crisis - Thousands Of Bees Suddenly Die In
6lELBBuWDHg
Published on 18 May 2013
The CELESTIAL Convergence | http://thecelestialconvergence.blogsp...
May 18, 2013 - UNITED STATES - As farmers get underway with their spring
planting, some bee farmers in Minnesota are already counting their losses.In the
last couple days one major producer reported that thousands of honey bees
suddenly died.In 2005, Minnesota was the sixth largest honey producer in the
nation. But since 2006, millions of bee colonies have died off in Minnesota and
across the nation.
"Whatever it is, it's affecting the nervous system of the bees," said Rand Honl of
Honl's Bees, Inc.When Honl checked on his hives Tuesday morning, it wasn't the
bees in the air that caught his attention but the ones on the ground.Bee keeping
runs in the family. Every spring Honl and his wife bring thousands of honeybees
cross-country from Texas to Winthrop, Minn. Their honey is shipped across the
country. But in more than 50 years of business, Honl has never seen this.Their bees
were fine last week, now most of the worker bees are gone.Each bee box Honl has
produces about 100 pounds of honey. Worker bees make all of the production
possible.Worker bees bring in the pollen, and Honl thinks by venturing into farm
fields his bees were hit by pesticides.
"It's something to do with farm chemicals. Right now, you know, they're planting.
They're spraying. It's got to be something to do with farm chemicals," Honl said.
And Honl believes he isn't alone. Other beekeepers across the country have reported
similar problems. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture took samples of his
dead bees, as did Bayer Crop Science, a company that makes pesticides.It's still
too early to determine what killed Honl's bees.In a statement, Bayer said: "Reports
of this kind should be carefully investigated. (We) understand the necessity for
healthy bees as pollinators for agriculture and food production."
====================================================
Who Killed The Honey Bee? (BBC Documentary)
bjef4QiKWfg
Published on 19 Nov 2012
Bees are dying in their millions. It is an ecological crisis that threatens to bring
global agriculture to a standstill. Introduced by Martha Kearney, this documentary
explores the reasons behind the decline of bee colonies across the globe,
investigating what might be at the root of this devastation.Honey bees are the
number one insect pollinator on the planet, responsible for the production of over 90
crops. Apples, berries, cucumbers, nuts, cabbages and even
cotton will struggle to be produced if bee colonies continue to decline at the current
rate. Empty hives have been reported from as far afield as Taipei and Tennessee.
In England, the matter has caused beekeepers to march on Parliament to call on
the government to fund research into what they say is potentially a bigger threat to
humanity than the current financial crisis.Investigating the problem from a global
perspective, the programme makers travel from the farm belt of California to the
flatlands of East Anglia to the outback of Australia. They talk to the beekeepers
whose livelihoods are threatened by colony collapse disorder, the scientists
entrusted with solving the problem, and the Australian
beekeepers who are making a fortune replacing the planet's dying bees. They also
look at some of the possible reasons for the declining numbers - is it down to a bee
plague, pesticides, malnutrition? Or is the answer something even more frightening?
====================================================
http://static.bbci.co.uk/frameworks/barlesque/2.45.9/desktop/3.5/img/blq-blocks_grey_alpha.png
14 June 2013 Last updated at 02:32 Share this pageEmail Print Share this page
Banned pesticides may be having wider environmental impacts
By Matt McGrath Environment correspondent, BBC News
Bees Neonicotinoid pesticides have been linked to the deaths of bees, but scientists
are now concerned about their wider impacts in the environment
Continue reading the main story
Related Stories
Bees on knees as bed bugs boom
Bad winter sees 'huge loss of bees'
Scientists divided on pesticide ban
A new report indicates that a class of pesticides linked to the deaths of bees may be
harming other wildlife species. Neonicotinoids have now been banned by the
European Union because of concerns over bee health.But this latest review of the
scientific data suggests the chemicals pose a risk to soil, water and grain-eating
birds such as partridge.Prof Dave Goulson of Sussex University has published his
assessment in the Journal of Applied Ecology."It seems to me that we may have
been focussing far too much on bees and have missed the bigger picture," he told
BBC News.
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/68162000/jpg/_68162751_168922844.jpg
Neonicotinoids are systemic poisons. They are usually applied as coatings to seeds
and as the plant grows, every part of it becomes toxic to insects and other pests.
Introduced in the mid 1990s, the chemicals, which include imidacloprid, were taken
up widely in agriculture and are now the world's most prominent group of
pesticides.
University of Sussex
But although they were heralded as having less of an impact on the environment
when they were first developed, concerns have been growing for several years
about their impact on bees.
Pervasive problems
Earlier this year, the European Union agreed to a two-year moratorium on their use
from December. It would only apply to crops that flower and that are attractive to
bees, such as oilseed rape.
Now scientists are looking to see if this group of chemicals pose other threats.
"These compounds are highly toxic to all insects," Prof Goulson said. "They are
probably pervasive in the environment, as they last a long time and because they
are in water and in soil."
In his review, the Sussex researcher found that 90% of the active ingredients in
these chemicals go into the soil and leach into groundwater. They can accumulate
in soil at concentrations far higher than those that kill bees and persist there for up
to 10 years. In water, less than one part per billion of imidacloprid is sufficient to
kill mayflies.Birds can also be affected by eating the coated seeds that might spill
during sowing. Species such as partridge need only eat a few grains to get a lethal
dose.
"When you try and weigh up the evidence, it seems that they harm bees, they
might be harming partridge, and that they are probably getting into waterways and
harming mayflies," said Prof Goulson. "And if it turns out that the benefits are
insignificant then what's the point in using them?"
Other recent studies have also shown neonicotinoids affecting the environment
more than previously thought. Research published in the US looked at the impact
on birds while in the Netherlands, data suggested a decline in aquatic
populations.Other scientists described the new work as interesting and stated that
Prof Goulson was right to draw attention to the lack of assessment about the sub-
lethal effects on insects.
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/68162000/jpg/_68162894_z8400084-red-legged_partridge-spl.jpg
Birds Eating just a few seeds coated with pesticide can be lethal for some birds
As the author himself admits, there are still many unanswered questions, especially
about the amount of damage the pesticides can do to species.
"We can show that there is pretty convincing evidence that there is a degree of
harm but how big it is, I couldn't tell you, nobody could," said Prof Goulson.Some
researchers, however, are not convinced that the threats from the use of
neonicotinoids are as widespread as the new review suggests. Prof John Pickett
from Rothamsted Research said that all commercial pesticides were rigorously
tested for impacts on non-target species.
"If you test pesticides out of context, you are likely to find all kinds of effects but
that is not necessarily indicative of a wider effect; and strict registration rules exist
that are aimed at protecting the environment," he said.
"Pesticides exist to protect our crops and food from pests and while it is very
important that scientists do this research, it is also important that we interpret the
studies carefully in a way that balances risks and benefits."
Prof Goulson said that his review looked at research from a range of sources,
including data from the agrochemical industry. He argued that we urgently needed
more work to test soils and waterways for the presence of these chemicals and the
levels at which they might be acting. "There is every reason to believe that lots of
insects are exposed to them, and we really don't know what harm they might be
doing; we should find out pretty damn quick if you ask me."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22893619