Return of the Honey Bees!

I have pretty extensive flower and vegetable gardens, which suffered over the last 2 years from poor pollination. This coincided with the much-publicized missing honey bee phenomenon, which has a number of hypothetical explanations but no hard scientific proof, so far. They've come up with vague, nondescript names for the phenomenon, such as vanishing bee syndrome and colony collapse disorder, but there's no universally accepted explanation for it. It remains a scientific mystery.

However, I've noticed this spring and early summer that my gardens are populated with probably three times as many honey bees as last year. They're everywhere.

I haven't heard anything about the honey bee problem in the news media for a long time, so I started looking for new information on the situation. Strangely, while I found a lot of old articles (from a year or two ago) about the vanishing bee phenomenon, I couldn't find any current information, except for the following:

Return of the Honey Bees

This pretty much confirmed my observations that the bees are back in town. But why isn't this story on front pages around the world? When bees were vanishing, it was a lead news story everywhere, and the eco-doomsayers were calling it the beginning of the end for humankind.

Now that the bees are returning, why aren't we celebrating?

Or is it that only bad news is good for the green movement?







[edit on 6/24/2008 by Doc Velocity]

Nature will find away. Evolution at its' finest.

I'm celebrating...

What good news! I have seen bees here in Louisville, in fact I dont think I ever noticed them disappearing. But I wonder what caused them to disappear in the first place? I was just wondering about this topic the other day too, thanks for posting!

When I think of this, two things come to mind.

1. Are they Africanized or Darwinized honey bees?

and...

2. A lot of weird and strange phenomena has been occuring this summer, maybe it is the prelude to something bigger?

I think malnutrition should be blamed for the decline of honeybee populations:

The increase of Mono agriculture is bad for honeybee populations because since only one crop is grown; honeybees do not have the full spectrum of vitamins-minerals available to them. If you ate only apples all the time, you would be dead.

Mono agriculture companies should grow wildflowers or grow more diverse crops to ensure honeybee populations receive complete nutrition so hives can thrive.

I am not sure if I am correct in this, but this could be why honeybees may be more common in the suburbs or even the cities, simply because there are more diverse ranges of flowers in suburbs (unless you live in a sanitized gated community where flowers are not allowed) or even cities with plenty of green space.


[edit on 25-6-2008 by star in a jar]

Yes, while the smaller, independent farmers and gardeners are enjoying a bee comeback, the story mentions that the large commercial operations are still waiting for the bees to return. And that made me wonder if the commercial expansion of genetically modified crops could be the culprit.

In my opinion (and in the opinion of many agriculturalists), GM crops are a huge mistake. Humans still haven't gotten it through their thick skulls that the environment is one continuous chain of interdependent Life. This chain has been tested and strengthened over millions of years to reach a balance.

Humanity's modern experiments with GM crops have the effect of strengthening just one link in that chain (or weakening all the other links, depending on how you view it).

For example, a bug-resistant GM crop may repel certain insects, making for a greater harvest; but, in repelling certain insects, we're also chasing away a food source for other insects and birds in the area, so we're unintentionally driving away several species.

There's also the question of how to contain GM crops (how to prevent cross-pollination with normal crops and wild plantlife). I mean, a bee does what a bee does, roving far and near, visiting GM crops and normal crops alike, as well as visiting countless wildflowers along the way. This is bound to spread our lab-synthesized genetic material well beyond its intended growing area, contaminating normal crops and changing the ecosystem.

Then we scratch our heads when whole species of insects go missing, or when birds fly backwards.







[edit on 6/25/2008 by Doc Velocity]

i was speaking with a bee keeper this last saturday. he told me that bees have tended to go through a cycle of decline and rebound somewhere around every 50 years so he was not surprised nor worried about it in the long run.

he did mention several things he thought could also be contributing, some have already been mentioned. GMOs, Monocrops, and Nicotine based pesticides were the main three he was worried about.

I have not seen very many bees at all this year.

However I have a good sized section of a couple hundred strawberry plants that are now in full bloom. Will wait and see how many berries we get, and watch for bees are buzzing the area.

The Main Stream Media is probably not printing return of the honey-bees stories because it lacks the doom and gloom element that most of their stale, lackluster and liberal bias writing does.


In the last couple of months, local TV has been reporting swarms of bees along the Mexican/Arizona border.


A couple of separate times during that time period I've seem quite a few pickups and cars that have run into swarms of bees and are carrying the evidence.

A few weeks back, one of my friends reported seeing a swarm of bees here in N/W Arizona.

So far, I haven't seen any around my garden, but I'm keeping an eye out.


Far as GM crops go and the touting of how they're going to save us from hunger, I don't think so.

It's my understanding that GM crops are only capable of growing about 80% of the quantity that regular crops do under similar conditions.





[edit on 25-6-2008 by Desert Dawg]

I myself haven't seen a single honey bee where I live at. I wonder if this impacts more than just honey bees? I have seen very bee and wasp type insects this year. Much less than last year.

I see bees in my yard, as I have flowers they like.
Mostly I see the big, furry guys.
Also, butterflies and dragonflies.

For those interested, plant borage, which is a bee magnet
(Please note, borage also self-seeds a lot. This time around, I will plant in a container.)
en.wikipedia.org...


And, something else I would consider: blue orchard mason bee nests.
This bee is native to most of the U.S.
According to the site

intensive agriculture and development has reduced the diversity of wildflowers and destroyed natural nest sites

www.highcountrygardens.com...
highcountrygardens.com...


[edit on 25-6-2008 by DontTreadOnMe]

Really good news. I do not have a garden but there is a tree near my house that attracts a lot of insects. I still do not see the same amount of honey bees as couple of years ago (actually by far), but there are a lot more bumble bees then usual. Hope it will change to previous proportions in the future. Bumble bee bite is much more painful.

I saw on the news (not sure if local or national...can't locate the story) of a house with a HUGE honey bee infestation. I think the comb they pulled out was to the tune of 6' by 4'.
I'll post a link when I find the story.

Well this isn't the story I was looking for but it is one of such. It's from March but YOW!

Honey Drips Out of Calif. Family's Walls



[edit on 25-6-2008 by mysterychicken]

I have seen more bees than last year too.

good news indeed.


S&F

I am delighted to know that the bees are back.

Two weeks ago I had to stop picking wild blackberries because the bees were everywhere on the bushes. I left because I felt I was intruding on their territory and did not want to do anything to make them leave.

My garden is in full bloom and I have been seeing large numbers of bees, butterflies and dragon flies. It is a beautiful sight for these tired old eyes.

Mother nature will eventually have her way.

Thankgod the bees have returned!!

I wasnt worried until I heard the saying "If all the bees on earth disappeared then the human race would cease exist within four years"

Although good to hear that bee proffesionals werent too worried bout it

The Orange and grapefruit bloom ended the first part of June here on the east coast of Florida. I was working in several different citrus groves at that time and was truly relieved seeing the amount of bees that were working.

The bee hives appeared to be full of bees and were extremely busy..

Originally posted by Doc Velocity

Now that the bees are returning, why aren't we celebrating?

Or is it that only bad news is good for the green movement?

[edit on 6/24/2008 by Doc Velocity]

Thanks so much for posting this!!

I really had been concerned, unfortunately I still haven't seen any on Long Island. Lot's of bumble bees, and also yellow jackets ("carpenter bees") which I understand are actually wasps. But no bees.

At least there's hope!


I echo your question above!! I had been given a much more dire warning about this, and for a reversal to go virtually unreferenced seems weird.


[edit on 25-6-2008 by Maxmars]

Well I am glad they are showing up in your garden, because for the first time since I have been living in my home about 10 years this spring they were missing, I was very sad about that.

No bees here just plain old yellow jackets ...... hate those things... yeah yeah they are technically indigenous but bees are just that much more useful...