In 2006 it was noticed in the NE that there was a problem with bees disappearing.

As most everyone knows bees are a prime pollinater of plants. Before i knew this was a world wide problem i noticed with some alarm that bee numbers were way down in my own yard. Because most of our plantings are wildlife friendly this yard hums in the spring. Last year i could count the bees any given day, this year there were no honey bees to count, and very very few bumble bees, i am not seeing any ant bees and just started seeing carpenter bees, again in reduced numbers.

i thought about posting this last week and got involved in other things. This weekend our local PBS t.v. channel ran a program about the problem. It is a problem, a major one. So it may be timely to mention it here, now.

Most flowering plants and bees have a symbiotic relationship, the plants feed the bees and the bees ensure thier fruiting and regeneration.
The program went into the physiology of a bee and they are marvelously and highly specialised for thier job.

If the bee disappears it will mean at best, hand pollination, at worse extinction of the plants dependent on thier pollination. It's estimated that 1/3 of all plants would disappear. That is staggering in it's implication. Thru the ripple affect, that would mean further extinction of species dependant on those plants. And it could be taken another step further, extinction of animals dependant on other animals in the food chain.

It seems some world governments are not all that interested, the funding is lackadaisical. As i understand it, most funding is coming from bee organisations.

The research being done seems to point to a virus of sorts, but that is still in the suspect stages....there is also evidence of a malnutrition among affected hives in spite of what has been adequet food sources in the past.

So far there is research into viruses, parasites, bacterium, herbacides and pesticides. What was not mentioned in research i thought was a glaring omission, bio engineered crops. Tho there may simply be some silence re research into that field.

Am wondering if anyone else has further information on the subject?

I took this picture last week. I think the bee was either hypnotized or dead. That is why I got so close with a 17-200 zoom lens.

I noticed there weren't too many bees, but we are slower to blossom here in the Northwest, due to cooler weather. I was thinking there would be more bees in July when it's warmer.

Attached Images

 

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It's plausible that at least some of the bees have developed a resistance to whatever has caused this problem, which theoretically should result in a resurgence of the population with disease-resistant bees.

Hopefully before anything catastrophic happens to the plants.

Death of the Bees: GMO Crops and the Decline of Bee Colonies

Death of the Bees: GMO Crops and the Decline of Bee Colonies in North America

This article contains some very important information on the bee colony problems.

Death of the Bees: GMO Crops and the Decline of Bee Colonies in North Americaby Brit Amos
Global Research.ca

EXCERPT:

Argument 4: Terminator Seeds

Lastly, ‘Leaked documents seen by the Guardian show that Canada wants all governments to accept the testing and commercialization of “Terminator” crop varieties. These seeds are genetically engineered to produce only infertile seeds, which farmers cannot replant, also to mention that the bees that are trying to collect pollen, found to have their digestive tract diseases, such as amoeba and nosema disease’8. These diseases are mainly located in the digestive tract system. After studies of the autopsy, the most alarming trait is that the lower intestine and stinger have discolored to black vs. the normal opaque color, Synominus with colon cancer in humans.

Figure 1: Extreme discoloration of intestinal tracts of bees.

‘When thoracic discs were cut from sample Georgia A-2 the musculature of bees was notably soft and discolored (A) when compared to healthy thoracic cuts (B).

This discoloration suggests that the bees were dead upon collection. When questioned the beekeeper confirmed that the bees were alive at the time of collection. Further, the tracheal system of these bees did not show signs of desiccation usually associated

with the collection of dead bees. Thoracic discs from this sample, after being placed in KOH for 24 hours, revealed peculiar white nodules”9

As seen above, it is certain that the digestive shutdown is due to hard material in the digestive tract that compromises the immune system. Circulatory problems would without doubt. Could it be that humans are going through the same process with the rise of Colon Cancer? As seen below in the comparison of the healthy Bee and the unhealthy bee, it is obvious that the bees that are ingesting GMO pollen are having severe digestive problems, so severe that the disease is terminal.

Figure 2: Digestive shutdown of the Honey Bee

The rectal contents of Georgia bees (A) were distinctly different then the contents of Pasadena bees (B). The rectal walls of GA bees were notably transparent revealing contents that looked like small stone packets (C). While Fyg (1964) describes similar stone like contents in poorly laying queens, the stones observed in the GA bees were not attached to the epithelium layer as Fyg (1964) describes. When these packets were ground and mounted, some unidentified floating objects (UFO’s) were observed. A cubic particle that resembles the cubic bodies of polyhedrios viruses (this viruses attacks wax moths) excepting that the cube observed was ~10x too big for a virus particle. There were fragments of pollen grains husks in all samples examined. All PA samples were found to have nosema spores in their rectal contents while none of the GA samples did. In two samples, epithelial cells were packed with spores.10

The North American reliance on bees for pollination is at minimum from 30 to 40%. Does it not seem obvious that the digestion of foreign genetic agriculture directly affects the digestive process of the bees. Could it also be that there are similarities in the human population digestive process? It must also be noted that this increased epidemic of the bee colony collapse has risen significantly since the use of GMO agriculture in our foods. It is also suspect in the rise of new cases of medical ailments in humans such as colon cancer, obesity, heart disease, etc... In the writers’ opinion, the inability of the bees to pass matter digestively is quite similar to the present problems in the human digestive system

Conclusion:

The proof is obvious that one of the major reasons of the bees’ decline is by the ingestion of GMO proteins. This is problematic, as there is such an increase of indigestible foods in humans and bees. The situation of colon cancer in humans is somewhat similar in occurrence. This is only a theory but leaves one to wonder what are we eating en mass. The external or complementary good of the bee is obviously a rise for a global concern. The long-term economical and environmental impact has yet to be completely understood.

The Ecological Impact of horizontal gene transfer and increase of rampant disease is not fully examined and if so, is kept silent by these Conglomerates. The Economic Impact of the Colony collapse would mean higher inflation, scarcity of agricultural goods, and ultimately the collapse of North America Agriculture Business.

The Environmental Impact of scarcity and increased demand for resources, will beyond doubt have severe repercussions for our long-term food security. The bio-diversity of the bees causes positive economic and ecological externalities. The negative externalities have yet to be fully grasped or understood.

Organic crops: still relatively untouched

The truth is that organic farming is relatively untouched as the bee crisis is concerned. Organic farming maintains the diversity of the eco-system and preserves the quality of the foods produced. The economic impact that the scarcity of bees will potentially have on our society as a whole is very worrisome. In the end, only our children will fully realize; that it was greed that destroyed our beautiful blue planet.

-END oF EXCERPT

Bee Numbers Plummet Spring is Doomed

BEE NUMBERS PLUMMET

A quarter of all Devon's bee stocks have died out over the winter, figures released at the County Show have revealed.

The Devon Association of Beekeepers has not yet had the final figures submitted, but member Brian Gant said the picture looked grim.

The losses are much greater than last year, when the figure stood at about 15 per cent.

He said: "It's bad news. There are a number of different reasons why they died out - part of it is the bad weather last summer, which means the queen bees don't mate properly. But there is also disease. The verroa mite is a big problem everywhere."

The verroa mite kills bees by sucking their blood and spreads viruses around hives.

The picture in Devon is in line with the national average for winter hive losses.

Bees have a major role within the environment and are a crucial link in the food chain. They are vital to the pollination of fruits and other plants, and in turn are important to bird life.

Mr Gant, a member of the Totnes and Kingsbridge branch, said the association was part of a national lobby to urge the Government to spend more on research on bee health.

"We are doing everything we can," he said, but added that the Government had closed a bee research facility in recent years.

He said Britain did not have the problems of America, which has suffered from a mysterious phenomenon known as Colony Collapse, which wipes out hives. Small-scale beekeepers in Britain believe the cause may lie in the industrial nature of beekeeping in the states.

Dr Mick Street, seasonal bee inspector for the National Bee Association in the South West, said the body was monitoring the situation: "Their practice of moving bees around for pollination causes stress in the bees"

Yesterday, there was strong interest in the beekeeping tent at the show, where visitors can see bees buzzing around a hive in a glass case, and sample different types of honey.

http://www.thisiswesternmorningnews....=sidebarsearch


Germany bans chemicals linked to honeybee devastation

Pesticides: Germany bans chemicals linked to honeybee devastation


Tests on dead bees showed that 99% of those examined had a build-up of clothianidin. The chemical, produced by Bayer CropScience, a subsidiary of the German chemical giant Bayer, is sold in Europe under the trade name Poncho. It was applied to the seeds of sweetcorn planted along the Rhine this spring. The seeds are treated in advance of being planted or are sprayed while in the field.

Clothianidin, like the other neonicotinoid pesticides that have been temporarily suspended in Germany, is a systemic chemical that works its way through a plant and attacks the nervous system of any insect it comes into contact with. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency it is "highly toxic" to honeybees

Pesticides: Germany bans chemicals linked to honeybee devastation | Environment | guardian.co.uk


Re: Death of the Bees: GMO Crops and the Decline of Bee Colonies
« Reply #3 on: May 27, 2008, 11:00:37 AM tz-US/NY » Reply Modify message

Liberty herbicide (also marketed as Basta, Ignite, Rely, Finale and Challenge) can kill a wide variety of plants. It can also kill bacteria, fungi and insects, and has toxic effects on humans and animals. The herbicide is derived from a natural antibiotic, which is produced by two strains of a soil bacterium. In order that the bacteria are not killed by the antibiotic that they themselves create, the strains also produce specialized enzymes which transform the antibiotic to a non-toxic form called NAG (N-acetyl-L-glufosinate). The specialized enzymes are called the pat protein and the bar protein, which are produced by the pat gene and the bar gene, respectively. The two genes are inserted into the DNA of GM crops, where they produce the enzymes in every cell. When the plant is sprayed, Liberty's solvents and surfactants transport glufosinate ammonium throughout the plant, where the enzymes convert it primarily into NAG. Thus, the GM plant detoxifies the herbicide and lives, while the surrounding weeds die.

The problem is that the NAG, which is not naturally present in plants, remains there and accumulates with every subsequent spray. Thus, when we eat these GM crops, we consume NAG. Once the NAG is inside our digestive system, some of it may be re-transformed back into the toxic herbicide. In rats fed NAG, for example, 10% of it was converted back to glufosinate by the time it was excreted in the feces. Another rat study found a 1% conversion. And with goats, more than one-third of what was excreted had turned into glufosinate.

It is believed that gut bacteria, primarily found in the colon or rectum, are responsible for this re-toxification. Although these parts of the gut do not absorb as many nutrients as other sections, rats fed NAG did show toxic effects. This indicates that the herbicide had been regenerated, was biologically active, and had been assimilated by the rats. A goat study also confirmed that some of the herbicide regenerated from NAG ended up in the kidneys, liver, muscle, fat and milk.
Genetically Engineered Crops May Produce Herbicide Inside Our Intestines
-----------------------------
According to Arpad Pusztai, PhD, one of the world’s leading experts in GM food safety
assessments, the type of stomach lesions linked to the tomatoes “could lead to lifeendangering
hemorrhage, particularly in the elderly who use aspirin to prevent [blood clots].”7
Pusztai believes that the digestive tract should be the first target of GM food risk assessment,
because the gut is the first (and largest) point of contact with the foods; it can reveal various
reactions to toxins. He was upset, however, that the research on the FlavrSavr never looked
passed the stomach to the intestines. Other studies that did look found problems.
Mice were fed potatoes with an added bacterial gene, which produced an insecticide called
Bt-toxin. Scientists analyzed the lower part of their small intestines (ileum) and found
abnormal and damaged cells, as well as proliferative cell growth.8 Rats fed potatoes
engineered to produce a different type of insecticide (GNA lectin from the snowdrop plant)
also showed proliferative cell growth in both the stomach and intestinal walls

http://gefreeaustralia.org/images/GMHealthDangers.pdf
Say No To GMOs! - August 2007a
Newsletter: Spilling The Beans - Seeds of Deception
----------------------------

The whole catastrophy of genetically modified foods and GMOs can be seen by daylight now. Companies like Monsanto gave bribes and questionable payments to officials, attempting to get their genetically modified (GM) plants approved. On Monsanto`s bribery-system, dirty tricks, pack of lies and all the little blackguards and vice-blackguards. BASF-CEO Jürgen Hamprecht tells us about his partnership with Monsanto because he believes in the 'compentence' of Monsanto in these matters. The conflict of interest among scientists at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) GMO Panel and FDA - FDA ceated health crisis - how corporations engineered the non-regulation of dangerous genetically modified foods. The FDA's "non-regulation" Of GM Foods - Humans as guinea pigs - covering up health dangers - fake safety assessments

The full catastrophy of Agrobiotechnology, genetically modified (GM) foods, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) - Press Releases Centre for Foodsafety

--------------------------
*********************
So the idea of seed banks full of non-modified seed is a really good idea given that plants cross-pollinate naturally and there is going to be a lot of DNA mixing going on with unforseen consequenses. Therefore it is wise to have a fall back reserve if things get even more out-of-hand than they already are. They know what the unregulated mass human experiment in GMO means and so they are creating a "restore point" by saving the genetic data at the outset of the running of the new program. Unfortunately they are running it on a large scale which does have many problems and will also impact the organic growers via the cross-pollination so that soon we will not have a species of plant which we use or not which does not have DNA contamination.

It is more than probable that the bee problems are caused by GMO crops as the bees are always near crops which are sprayed often with no regard for the bees close proximity. I have talked with bee-keepers who have complained about this common problem.
Perhaps the EM pollution also has something to do with it as well, but it seems more likely that the GMO crops are the real culprit.

Thanks for posting the above article.

__________________
"The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge."-- Einstein

shaw-n thank you so much for the information.

As i said when the program mentioned the areas being researched as to hive collapse i was very surprised GE crops were not mentioned as a research subject.

If it comes to the conclusion that GE crops are without a doubt responsable then the outlook can be said to be dire re crop pollinaters. As i understand it, the great resistance to the introduction of geneticly engineered crops was there is no recall of the affect they will have on those crops not lab created., ie, cross pollination with unmodified crops ( of the same species of course) will introduce the modifications to the extent eventualy there will be no natural crops left. This also has some political ramifications but tha'ts not what this thread is about.

Again thank you shaw-n

It was actually a collection of different articles which I pieced together and had posted on another forum over a couple of days of google searching.
It is a severe problem and we have only seen the beginning, worse is yet to come, which is probably why they built the seedbank in Northern Europe (i'm not certain which counrty right now) as there are cross-pollination issues which WILL happen with many negative consequences.

Another aspect to the bees decline has been linked to the wireless trend in communications which has grown so quickly. The new wifi towers (which have a huge EM footprint) when tested in Sweden caused the Emergency medical lines to overload with people phoning in with all kinds of weird medical problems immediately after the test.

Hope he's wrong. We simply have no idea how all of nature is interconnected. The adverse effect from tinkering with what we don't understand as in genetic engineering will be overcome by nature over time.. However, time for nature is very slow compared to our conception of time. While nature is fixing the problem, we could be enduring a major catastrophe.

A great topic; thanks for all the articles and information everyone. Another great resource is Mother Earth News - they have 100 articles on bees, the problem of their decline, how to have a bee-friendly garden, information on pesticides, etc.....
I discovered from reading a few of them that you can even order a tube of bees. Amazing.

Mother Earth News Magazine Search

(It's also a great online magazine for any and every topic concerning living green, home remedies, etc, etc..., and is written for the lay person.)

angeleyes...

thanks for mentioning Mother Earth News.

It is a fine source of information for all things green.

i remember when this magazine came out many years ago and was something like 13 pages and all the photos were in black and white. i contributed a few articals for them way back then. At that time subsistance living on less then 2 acres was all the rage.
Am glad the magazine has been such a success.

By the way a tube of bees, unless my information is incomplete, will not succeed without a queen.