Honey bee crisis

My father used to keep bees, and I am wondering if any DU'ers have first-hand knowledge of this growing problem.

http://vegetablegardens.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_honey_bee_crisis_of_2007

"The honey bee crisis in the United States has been escalating for several years, rising to "unprecedented" levels of honey bee losses between Oct 2006 and Feb 2007."
...

"Approximately 80% of all insect pollination is accomplished by honey bees. According to the University of California at Davis publication “Don’t Underestimate the Value of Honey Bees,” the remaining 20% of other insect pollinators are drastically reduced in number as well, making one wonder if the problem is the varoa mite or something else affecting the broader insect world."

I hope it helps.

Global warming is getting a lot of press these days, but no bees could be just as potentially devastating.

It's something to worry about. Birds and bees dying....very, very tragic.

that the bees were on a comeback. This looks like a new or mutated problem.

you may listen to the Science Podcast, at this link:

http://vegetablegardens.suite101.com/article.cfm/science_news_article

go a little halfway down the page and click on:

”Pollination in Trouble,” an Interview with Dr. William “Bill” Kunin, University of Leeds, a co-author of the study.

and it's a significant problem. Commercial bee operations are reporting up to an 80% loss of colonies (colony = a hive). One operation in Michigan lost 12,000 colonies out of 13,000.

It's being caused by a combination of poor/limited queen genetics (as with most commercial livestock, queens are inbred for certain characteristics), dangerous mite genetics (developing resistance to medication) and stressful environmental conditions (crappy weather among others). (American Bee Journal, March 2007, pg 177)

FWIW, here's 10 crops from a list of 108 that require insect pollination. Other insects besides honey bees can and do pollinate, but honey bees are the most efficient. Commercial bee operations rent the colonies to farms and agribusinesses. Hundred of thousands of hives are transported around the country.

Alfalfa (essential for cattle)
Almonds
Apples
Cabbage
Cucumbers
Onion
Peaches
Pears
Carrot seed
Celery seed

BBC article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/science/nature/6400179.stm?ls

Should I call my local county extension agent. Where do I go to get advice.

Also, google beekeeping societies/clubs. It's quite possible there's one in your area. Attend the meetings and ask questions. Two good starter books: Honey Bees & Beekeeping, Keith S. Delaplane and The Beekeeper's Handbook, Diana Sammataro and Alphonse Avitabile. The second one is a bit more technical, so start with the Delaplane. Magazine: American Bee Journal, non technical solid general information.

You won't be able to start hives this season. All the package bees were bought out last fall.

I will definitely go order these books though. and check out the societies. thanks.

Four to six weeks before the appropriate plants in your area produce nectar, ie honey flow. Here in New England, the season starts 1 May.

One suggestion. Before you even dig into the books, find a club or a local beekeeper and pick their brains.

Well, your season should be about the same as ours - late April, early May.

wasps or carpenter bees around by me for a couple of years and I live in the "woods" away from highways and major roads.

It is troubling because I thought it was a mite infestation that was causing it.

the last time I got stung, it was by a yellow jacket, and I HATE yellow jackets, eleven years ago.

My husband just inspected his four hives; three didn't make it. Probably the weather, wet, cold spring, dry summer, long fall so no plants, but the girls stay active and two blasts of very cold weeks this winter - about the worst combo possible.

We won't know about disease until he does a close inspection later in the spring. Still too cold to leave the hives open for any length of time.

:cry:

I grew up picking fruits and vegetables spring through fall, and even winter sometimes for potatoes.
As a society, we are losing sense of what it takes to grow crops and keep them abundant. Bees are our best friends (next to bats, for, that eat pesky mosquitoes).

so a quick inspection is necessary. The survivors will be fed sugar water until honey flow starts.

Bee keepers have been trying to draw attention to the potential problem for years. As a wise woman once said, nothing gets done in this country until someone dies -- or a lot of someones.