Honeybee die off

[bwallace23350]

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/05/140515-honeybees-pesticides-usda-pollinators-food/

I know the article is old but I was looking at the bottom paragraphs.
VanEngelsdorp said measures that might help stem bee losses would include a reevaluation of pesticide use, the maintenance of clean forage for sire bees, and better control of Varroa mites, the most damaging pest to honeybees. "Everyone should buy local honey, stop spraying herbicides on their lawn, and plant a pollinator garden," he said.

Chensheng Lu, who led the recent Harvard study, is not feeling optimistic that a solution is on the horizon. "The USDA has not mentioned how it will implement measures or policies to curb the continuing losses of bee colonies," said Lu, an associate professor of environmental exposure biology in the Harvard School of Public Health. "Keep in mind that not just bees are in decline; birds, fireflies, and others are also in decline."

The USDA has announced plans to host a summit in October to discuss the nutrition and forage needs of pollinators.

Does an organic pollinating area make a big difference

[Acebird]

Does an organic pollinating area make a big difference

If you remove farms from the equation everything the bees survived on long ago was an organic pollinating area.

[bwallace23350]

True and there is ample evidence that pesticides harm bees. My bees are on 30 some odd acres of wood and pasture with my organic garden/orchard thrown in for good mix.

[Joe D]

But your bees will go up to three miles to get pollen and nectar.  And if the seed companies don't stop making the seeds GMO which can kill your bees.

Joe D

[lazy shooter]

Factor into the equation, that there were no honey bees in North America until the Europeans brought them.  Many of our wild flowers are not good forage for honey bees.

[bwallace23350]

But your bees will go up to three miles to get pollen and nectar.  And if the seed companies don't stop making the seeds GMO which can kill your bees.

Joe D

My seeds are not GMO. Well most of the land around my hives are just woodlands and perhaps maybe at the 3 mile range their are some farming fields. It should not be to much of a factor.

[bwallace23350]

Factor into the equation, that there were no honey bees in North America until the Europeans brought them.  Many of our wild flowers are not good forage for honey bees.

I was always under the impression that honeybees were pretty adaptable as to what they will eat.

[KeyLargoBees]

Why is it people refuse to understand GMO....Most people see those three letters and their mind reads "SATAN". There are so many different flavors of GMO and not all of them harm bees...as a matter of fact almost none do. As a matter of fact breeding/selecting hygienic bees to combat Varroa is producing a Genetically Modified Organism

The hype and hysteria around the term GMO has been pushed on the american public in the same way all the other fake news is spread....take a grain of truth and then repeat it often enough and people will believe.

I am not opening this up as an invitation to a flame thread but please.....do some research....the truth isnt in a Monsanto newsletter.....and the truth isn't on Mother Earth news or any of the other "back to the dirt" websites and blogs....it lies somewhere in the middle....and we as concerned citizens and beekeepers need to think more and react less :-)

[paus]

May I throw my hat in the ring?  First selecting for a trait in a controlled breeding program whether it be cattle, dogs, carrots or bees is just that "genetic selection modification".  When the DNA proper is opened so that a gene from another species is inserted, this is GMO.  Survival of the fittest is another NATURAL method of genetic selection.  Natural selection means that the healthiest or the best adapted for a given environment either is the only organism that reproduces, or reproduces more offspring.  Under the best conditions GMO organisms  are a "crap shoot" regardless of your viewpoint.
Regarding natural selection, this is the reason that I will not cut a Bee Tree unless it is necessary, I try to capture all of the swarms that I can so that I can take advantage of Natural Selection.

[bwallace23350]

I have no problem with GMO's and do think that it is a crazy media hype. The major concern for me is that most of your field plants are coated or have harmful pesticides in them.

[splitrock]

Fish genes spliced into plants is really OK?

I think that our bodies as well as our tiny bee friends system, are like finely tuned high performance engines. You put good fuel in, they run great, and last a long time. You put crappy fuel in, they don't run so well, and will need need repairs soon.

I think the creator knew exactly what He was doing when he designed all that is, and we are just fooling ourselves in thinking we are making things better, when often we are not.

Google re-called prescription drugs in the last 5 years and see how bright many of these scientists and the folks that approve what they do really are.

[Psparr]

Fish with my veggies, now your talking. If only they could somehow combine steak and beer!

[splitrock]

 You are one funny guy!

Yaaawn!!

[lazy shooter]

@bwallace:

Many of our native Texas wildflowers have pollinators other than honey bees.  For example, Bluebonnet's are our state flower, and every year there are an abundance of them.  I have never seen a honey bee on a bluebonnet.  The same can be said of Indian Blankets, gay feather and many other native flowers.  Our native flowers exists thousands of years before the advent of the honey bee. 

lazy

[bwallace23350]

@bwallace:

Many of our native Texas wildflowers have pollinators other than honey bees.  For example, Bluebonnet's are our state flower, and every year there are an abundance of them.  I have never seen a honey bee on a bluebonnet.  The same can be said of Indian Blankets, gay feather and many other native flowers.  Our native flowers exists thousands of years before the advent of the honey bee. 

lazy

That maybe so but the honey bees had to feed on something when they came here and most likely that had to be native flowers and plants. Perhaps they don't like all native flowers but htere had to be enough of them that they did like for them to grow and spread. I have a friend who is a botanist at a college. I will have to get up with him soon enough and ask him about this.

[GSF]

My bees work GMO cotton fields in the mid summer. Just more work for me, all that swarming and 3rd-4th honey pulls. I hate bees (lol)

[BobMac]

There are many things being studied that may harm the bees,

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/08/13/fungicide-bee-killings.aspx#!

[Acebird]

Factor into the equation, that there were no honey bees in North America until the Europeans brought them. 

The Europeans also brought their weeds whether intentional or not so there is plenty for them here.