More studies on dying bees.

[zazen999]

Scientists discover what’s killing the bees and it’s worse than you thought – Quartz

[veggiechicken]

That's bad
There's this too about Bumblebees.BAN ALL BUMBLEBEE IMPORTS
We'll be lucky if there are any pollinators left in a few years time

[FB.]

I've long suspected that to be the case; bees would cope much better with parasitic infections if the bees weren't already weakened from chemical residues picked up from plants they visit.

I don't think it's only contaminated pollen though; contact insecticide could be picked up by bees landing on leaves of sprayed plants, or even when bees land on plants nearby which may have been contaminated by wind-drift or rain-splash.

Even more interesting, is if there are residues in pollen, there will be residues in honey - and probably in the fruit and veg produced by the plants which the bees picked up the chemical from. It's very possible that humans ingesting traces of agro-chemicals will be slightly weakening our body's defences too.

Not to mention that mass-produced crops are generally less nutritious (puffed up with water, synthetic fertilisers, hormone sprays for maximum crop weight without consideration of crop nutritional value)

[chris]

I just hope all the corporate a**eholes suffer once they've realised it was their fault in the first place.

[marchogaeth]

So FB (or someone else) please can you enlighten me as to how much pesticide and fungicide are used in commercial fruit production these days? (I realsie bees don't just get their pollen on these crops.)

I will, yet again recommend Dave Goulson's book A Sting in the Tale as a fascinating (entertaining) and informative read. However, although he is quite damning of the trade in bumble bees as pollinators, he was quite sanguine about the level of parasites/diseases they were likely to carry. He was involved in checking some of the producers' quality control. I'd be sad to think he'd been bought off or maybe standards have really slipped as they have had to up their production so much in the last few years.

Here are a couple of other links from the Bee Conservation Trust Web site,
http://bumblebeeconservation.org/ima...y_18-07-13.pdf

http://bumblebeeconservation.org/ima...aper_final.PDF

I keep coming across statements on the need for bees to pollinate glass house tomatoes and yet on this thread we say the don't need bees. I wonder what the difference in yield really is?

I'm not surprised by this news and did flag up my concern earlier this year when someone on here announced that they were going to buy a hive to stick in their garden just so they had bees. They thought it was a good thing to do. (Enough, I'll go and praise the ones I have got in the garden - lots of little red taled males around today!)

[juniker]

I have just noticed below a Buddleia bush on the drive, lots of dead Bumble Bees and quite a few which are in the process of dying. Some are even dead on the flowers. What is it in Buddleias that could be causing this. I know Bumble Bees are in decline but this indicates this bush might be causing severe problems.

[Soylent Green]

This is so very sad. I have only just learnt also that Monsanto has a new voice of approval in the form of Richard Dawkins! Apparently Monsanto is being hampered in its research into feeding the starving of Africa. It's all down to those pesky organic food eating types speaking out against GMO's. How can organisations like this have such power over the natural world! They know what damage they are causing yet they want to increase the world's pain

[marchogaeth]

I have just noticed below a Buddleia bush on the drive, lots of dead Bumble Bees and quite a few which are in the process of dying. Some are even dead on the flowers. What is it in Buddleias that could be causing this. I know Bumble Bees are in decline but this indicates this bush might be causing severe problems.

No idea, could be pure chance, budldleia are "the butterfly bush" after all. Try putting a very shallow dish of water on the ground near the bush. It could just be that the bees are travelling vast distances to reach the bush and then running out of steam.

[veggiechicken]

I've just been standing next to a selfseeded buddleia - its heaving with bees of all sorts and a few butterflies (Peacock, whites and Red Admiral). When I say heaving, every flower spray has at least one insect on it and the noise is deafening, especially as there's a lavender bush a couple of feet away - also covered in bees.

[Herbsandveg]

Many thank to everyone who responded to my enquiry. I really do appreciate all of your comments, and have been given very much food for thought over which I'll ponder for many a day...

Thank you again to all...

[veggiechicken]

Ermmmmmm ^^^^ Is this on the right thread Herbs?

[Herbsandveg]

Hello VC,

I think it's on the right thread in that I was thanking someone who answered my question, but I'll g back in make it clear in a couple of ticks...

[Herbsandveg]

All

Just to clarify; I was thanking all who answered my original query on bees. Apologies if I confused anyone...

Graham

[Two_Sheds]

So, in a nutshell, it's what we long suspected: " a witch’s brew of pesticides and fungicides [are] contaminating pollen.
When researchers collected pollen ...and fed it to healthy bees, those bees showed a significant decline in their ability to resist infection by a parasite called Nosema ceranae."

[jayjaybee]

No idea, could be pure chance, budldleia are "the butterfly bush" after all. Try putting a very shallow dish of water on the ground near the bush. It could just be that the bees are travelling vast distances to reach the bush and then running out of steam.

Funnily enough there is a large saucer full of water on the ground underneath the tre, so I don't think thirst is the problem, ther is also a pond 10 feet away, but thanks for the advice