Mind Blast for the Honey Bees

[Psychicwolf]

I have seen quite a few bumblebees, and my mason bee houses are full. As always, out in the puckerbrush, the wasps and the damn yellowjackets are busy.: rolleyes:
And, OT sort of, but the Rufous Hummies are back, after wintering in Mexico, drinking at the feeders and eyeing my fuschias which just went out this week. (no blossom yet). And the Anna's stay in the PNW all year. They drink from the feeders (heated) all winter.

[majda]

I have seen quite a few bumblebees, and my mason bee houses are full. As always, out in the puckerbrush, the wasps and the damn yellowjackets are busy.: rolleyes:
And, OT sort of, but the Rufous Hummies are back, after wintering in Mexico, drinking at the feeders and eyeing my fuschias which just went out this week. (no blossom yet). And the Anna's stay in the PNW all year. They drink from the feeders (heated) all winter.

PW, last year I had Blue Throated Hummingbirds at my feeders here in Oregon. Do you have them up there yet? Earth changes you know... I believe they migrate from Costa Rica, but no way should they be this far north. And yes, we get hummers here all year now.

[Psychicwolf]

PW, last year I had Blue Throated Hummingbirds at my feeders here in Oregon. Do you have them up there yet? Earth changes you know... I believe they migrate from Costa Rica, but no way should they be this far north. And yes, we get hummers here all year now.

I looked up the Blue-throated, but I don't think I've seen one of those, Majda. I love the hummies. I can see three little Ruffie nests in one of the tree outside my bedroom window. They are like little ssoft macaroons, so delicate looking, but with all the wind I get here they still hang on.

[majda]

Yes, they're amazing little birds. I'm going through almost a gallon of nectar a day now! When you go outside on my deck, all you can hear is the 'buzzing' of their wings. It's awesome!

[Janus232]

Strange case of the missing bees
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/nort ... 389022.stm

Honey Bee Collapse Now Worse on West Coast
“It's worse than last year, and last year was worse than the year before. So, it's bad. And there are a lot of good, big beekeepers that are having a lot of problems. I think we're coming in for a big train wreck”
http://www.earthfiles.com/news.php?ID=1 ... nvironment

Bee experts visit Missoula
"It a fungus called norsemo sorana.... as of last week turned on the switch on a new instrument they can screen bees for viruses and that gives us an unprecedented new capability that we can rapidly screen and look for something we've never been able to see before"
http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Glob ... ?S=8269254

Note: Google reports, "Your search - norsemo sorana - did not match any documents"

[badspell]

I have never seen more bees than this year. Yes, honeybees! The white clover is blooming every place mowed short. There are more honeybees on my property now than when I had hives. If you walk across the yard or field barefoot. You will step on one and be stung. Stand still and in that sounds like an electric razor . Although a nuisance close to the house. I will leave an acre or two for the honeybees due to this post.

[Linnea]

Have noticed the same thing here in the NW, badspell. Maybe the bees are now thriving, and have established unregulated hives of their own - or some unique survival niche.

Men are still everywhere enslaved, yet the honey bees seem to have made a break for freedom - and survival.

[Bobbi Snow]

I have not seen ONE honey bee since the beginning of Spring, here in the Central Section of Los Angeles County. We used to have hoards of them, because we have lots of flowering shrubs and trees in my neighborhood. But their noticeable existence has dwindled over the past 5 years, and now this Spring I haven't noticed even one.

[Iris]

My son is looking to get into bee keeping. He'll be getting a hive or two as soon as he replaces his current fence (to keep neighbor kids away from the hives). So he's been going to meetings with local beekeepers. Those guys think the bee die-off may be cell phones and cell phone towers.

[Psychicwolf]

The loss of billions of bees raises questions about our pesticide controls.
Buzzzzzzzz Kill

Wednesday 30 July 2008

by: Al Meyerhoff, The Los Angeles Times

It's likely that most people have never heard of Gaucho. And no, it's not a South American cowboy. I'm talking about a pesticide.

There is increasing reason to believe that Gaucho and other members of a family of highly toxic chemicals - neonicotinoids - may be responsible for the deaths of billions of honeybees worldwide. Some scientists believe that these pesticides, which are applied to seeds, travel systemically through the plant and leave residues that contaminate the pollen, resulting in bee death or paralysis. The French refer to the effect as "mad bee disease" and in 1999 were the first to ban the use of these chemicals, which are currently only marketed by Bayer (the aspirin people) under the trade names Gaucho and Pancho. Germany followed suit this year, and its agricultural research institute said it concluded that the poisoning of the bees was because of the rub-off of the pesticide clothianidin (that's Pancho) from corn seeds.
http://www.truthout.org/article/buzzzzzzzz-kill

[badspell]

Happy to report the honeybee population in SW Missouri is thriving. I kept about five acres mowed short this year allowing the white clover to spread…… Honeybees everywhere. Although the two hives I had are now empty. I have never seen as many honeybees as I have this year. Apparently they are doing well living in the wild. Our property is surrounded by thousands of acres of hills and trees not human beings. Pesticides or cell phones are not an issue in this area. Now that I am off the road I may clean up and re-Queen my hives this spring . That fresh honey is truly missed.

Psychicwolf you remove your thread with the pictures of your goats. I was going to post a picture of my new chicks.
It's good to be home.

[SquidInk]

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[SquidInk]

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