Survey shows US honey bee deaths increased over last year

[lovuian]

http://news.findlaw.com/ap/other/1110//05-07-2008/20080507042003_19.html

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A survey of bee health released Tuesday revealed a grim picture, with 36.1 percent of the nation's commercially managed hives lost since last year.

Last year's survey commissioned by the Apiary Inspectors of America found losses of about 32 percent.

As beekeepers travel with their hives this spring to pollinate crops around the country, it's clear the insects are buckling under the weight of new diseases, pesticide drift and old enemies like the parasitic varroa mite, said Dennis vanEngelsdorp, president of the group.

This is the second year the association has measured colony deaths across the country. This means there aren't enough numbers to show a trend, but clearly bees are dying at unsustainable levels and the situation is not improving, said vanEngelsdorp, also a bee expert with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

"For two years in a row, we've sustained a substantial loss," he said. "That's an astonishing number. Imagine if one out of every three cows, or one out of every three chickens, were dying. That would raise a lot of alarm."
more...

They are still dying and they don't know WHY

[Divine Discontent]

1. oh boy... not good.

I had a vision 2 years ago about mass non-human death that woke me up at night. Shortly after that, the pets died, and I thought that was what it must have been, but a few weeks later I read about the colony collapse, and it is only getting worse.

This is a horrible problem - the ramifications are pretty serious.

[ohioINC]

2. I miss them

I miss honey bees. I saw only a couple last year. None so far this year. I keep seeing a new kind of be that I had not noticed before. I'm told it's a wood bee. The bee colony colapses are most likely due to geneticaly modified corn

[lovuian]

3. I agree and I don't think they are being honest about this

the salmon are gone and the honeybees too now

Ugly

[Speck Tater]

4. I have 21 apple trees in full blossom in my yard.

I've been keeping an eye on them for several days and I haven't seen a single bee. I can't remember that ever happening before.

[lovuian]

5. We saw a bunch on my holly trees when they were budding

but after that they have been scarce its truly scary

[chinadoll815]

6. A lot of people think pesticides

A lot of people think pesticides are to blame, specifically nicotine based ones. France outlawed, although study results mixed. Also looking at mites, or combination of factors overly stressing bees.

[alittlelark]

7. My bottlebrush is covered w/ 'bumblebees', my lemon has yet a bee seen.

I see some young lemons, but I have yet to see bees on it. It is generally covered w/ bees this time of year. It's still wonderfully fragrant......

[BrotherBuzz]

8. I'm in the Sacramento valley and honey bees are everywhere

Right now the bees are feeding on our Cotoneaster. We have the shrubs on four sides of the house so there is a buzz everywhere. I was a beekeeper over a dozen years ago and became very attune to bee activity and I notice no change in the local bee population. They were busy early in the season when my almond trees bloomed, too, which is a good indication of strong feral colonies in the area.

I believe the colony collapse is mostly attributed to over management and overbreeding of the bees. Commercial colonies are generally pretty unimpressive underachievers on the whole. The bees often become demoralized from all the stress the are put through and suffer in strength which lowers the population and makes them susceptablel to disease. The likelihood of surviving the winter is greatly reduced. The future of honey bees lies in improving the gene pool by taping the feral bee population, just like mother nature intended.

[OmahaBlueDog]

13. What he said......

... except I never raised bees. Other than that, I agree with you completely.

[Gormy Cuss]

15. I have a beekeeper in my family who believes the same thing.

He's on the East Coast and there is no problem among the small honey producers in his area, but the commercial colonies are failing.

He has the best tasting honey that I've ever had too -- it's as if a bouquet of roses exploded in it.


I see plenty of bees in my CA yard. If anything, there are more now than there were five years ago because we have planted so many bee attractants.

[lonestarnot]

9. Bees here. I see them every day.

[Vinca]

10. I saw a honeybee yesterday which makes it 1 more than I saw last year. nt

[lovuian]

11. kick

for the bees :kick:

[OmahaBlueDog]

12. The travel seems to be a factor

I remember reading that stationary hives are not having this problem to nearly the same degree.

Also remember that the bee we know and love is a non-native species brought in from Europe.

[InvisibleTouch]

14. I've seen bumblebees this year, no honeybees yet. n/t

[ogsbee]

16. What about wild bees?

In New York City there are vastly fewer dandelions this year. Are wild annuals simply going to disappear? There simply aren't enough bumble bees. Over the last two years, in the tristate area (4 counting PA) I've rarely ever seen the same number of honeybees I used to see in fields of clover and dandelions.