Bees are disappearing. Does this mean a global famine is on its way?

Okay feel free to move to the fragile earth forum, it wudn't show up on my screen for some reason).

Well, i was just thinking, and it seems to me what with bees disappearing all around the globe, (except for Australia so far), that we might just have a tiny weeny problem.

I mean, bees, as you know, are critical for pollinating a lot of plants that produce food for us. No bees, well, no food....(for many plants e.g. fruit, so on).

So our harvests may start looking somewhat thinner due to lack of bees in the near future. And there's an ever increasing global population.

Coupled with youtube vids i keep seeing about massive fish and animal die-offs,

link to youtube vid

and it begs the question - is a global famine on its way?

(and on a side note. Why, oh why, is it sooooooo hard for non computer whiz people, like myself, to embed youtube vids on this site. Not everyone is Mark Zuckerberg or whatever his name is. Cannot u make it easier??? Other forums this much trouble i do not have...)

Yes and I would blame it on the greedy money grabbing elite scum whether through advert or inadvertent means and method.

reply to post by rapunzel222


Bees, frogs ,butterflies, skunks and our rights and sovereignty as a country are all but gone . I know where you get the famine idea from and I too see it coming .

reply to post by TechUnique


Even if that's true, we are going to have to let go of blame sooner or later.

Dont worry, Monsanto will rescue us with their Geneticaly Modified bees that they some how had the forsight to know we'd be needing.

You who garden should look into keeping MASON BEES......
These small, non stniging bees live in little tubular holes drilled in a block of wood...
They will pollinate the garden to feed the eggs they lay in the tubes...which they seal up with mud...
They are easy keepers and will pollinate a large area of trees and veges for you....when fall lcomes you simply get the wood block and extract the bee eggs for saving in a non frost free fridge for next spring...simply put the eggs in a little container when it gets warm enough out, and fasten the container to the bock so they will move into it when they hatch...theyll start to pollinate your garden immediately.....
they dont make honey, they are the size of a housefyl, they dont sting, and they work hard at their job of pollination...
No unions to deal with either....

Add a few plants in your yard/garden for the other critters. I had about 10 bees on my basil plants today and others in the oregano. I worry about bees too so I make sure I offer them some non gm plants. I also keep water out and have lots of birds, bats and a toad and I'm smack in the middle of a large city.

I must chime in here.

I'm not sure where the user is from, or where all you people who don't see bee's are from...
But where I'm located (Midwest US) there are a plethora of bees.
Honeybees, Carpenter bees, Wasps, Mud Daublers, etc.
There are especially alot of honeybees gracing the edges of clover flowers in my yard.
Which means honey production will be nice and abundant in these parts.
I see no shortage in sight.

Just the other day I mistakenly walked outside in my grass without shoes...and got stung!
By a honeybee none-the-less, and it wasn't too bad, but I digress.

I see no shortage of bees here, and think that when I do, whatever year that maybe...
I will change my attitude.


Until then, long live the bees!

reply to post by stirling


What a brilliant Idea. I assume/hope they're a natural bee?

I wonder if we have them in the uk?

reply to post by VoidHawk


well someone had the forsight to build a massive seed bank half way up a mountain way above sea level in Norway if you haven't heard of it....

seeds from all over the world being stored there. Bit like Noah's ark for seeds.

Good job too, since we might just need it.

Funny tho, i don't think any of the ones they gathered for it were GMO seeds.... wonder why?...

Originally posted by havok
I must chime in here.

I'm not sure where the user is from, or where all you people who don't see bee's are from...
But where I'm located (Midwest US) there are a plethora of bees.
Honeybees, Carpenter bees, Wasps, Mud Daublers, etc.
There are especially alot of honeybees gracing the edges of clover flowers in my yard.
Which means honey production will be nice and abundant in these parts.
I see no shortage in sight.

Just the other day I mistakenly walked outside in my grass without shoes...and got stung!
By a honeybee none-the-less, and it wasn't too bad, but I digress.

I see no shortage of bees here, and think that when I do, whatever year that maybe...
I will change my attitude.


Until then, long live the bees!

edit on 3-7-2012 by havok because: Spelling...

good - i hope you're right. The more bee stings these days, the better....

reply to post by rapunzel222


I am not saying there isn't a "shortage" of bees.

But in my neck of the woods, which is farmland and country, they are a plenty.
Now with different cities there maybe less because of mans desire to cut grass weekly, thus killing the clover flowers abit prematurely, the population may differ. But I definitely don't see a shortage.

Either way...when the day comes that I don't see them buzzin' around...


I'll get worried...

Originally posted by rapunzel222


"..........we might just have a tiny weeny problem."

"............No bees, well, no food...."

".............and it begs the question - is a global famine on its way?"

I'm sorry if I missed any important details in this post. I skimmed through it rather quickly and only pulled out these^^^ sections for comment
I think I'm safe with the first two aforementioned concerns.
No tiny weenie problem and I don't eat bees.

I am not well versed in the bee eating habits of the rest of the globe, so, I can not answer the last question.

which bees are you referring to? in any case if it's honey bees i think they'll be okay.

most people place far more importance on honey bees as being the major pollinator of crops and fruits when this just isn't the case. mason bees, carpenter bees, bumble bees and many other bees, insects, birds and bats in general, do a great deal of pollinating.

Originally posted by rapunzel222
reply to post by VoidHawk

 

Bit like Noah's ark for seeds.

Funny tho, i don't think any of the ones they gathered for it were GMO seeds.... wonder why?...

It falls under the same sex species act at the time.

Originally posted by hqokc
Add a few plants in your yard/garden for the other critters. I had about 10 bees on my basil plants today and others in the oregano. I worry about bees too so I make sure I offer them some non gm plants. I also keep water out and have lots of birds, bats and a toad and I'm smack in the middle of a large city.

Are you thinking that maybe genetically modified plants could be responsible for the bee / butterfly population dying off?. Or am I saying it? I do know they are working on plants providing their own protection against insects. Could the GM plants be poisoning the bees and butterflies ?????

The quickest way to get a laugh out of mother nature,
is to try and intervene.
She will suck you in,
and then,
give you a lesson,
on what we call,
the intelligence of men.

You only have to post what comes after the equal sign. The actual link here, http:// www (dot) youtube (dot) com/watch?v=9SSsL2K4H54, you copy and paste this (9SSsL2K4H54)



Yeah, i get what you mean. Me and my friend used to go out bee hunting when we were growing up, (dont worry, we released them after catching them) but i dont see them as much as we used to now. I live here in northwest Alaska.

Originally posted by havok
reply to post by rapunzel222

 

I am not saying there isn't a "shortage" of bees.

But in my neck of the woods, which is farmland and country, they are a plenty.
Now with different cities there maybe less because of mans desire to cut grass weekly, thus killing the clover flowers abit prematurely, the population may differ. But I definitely don't see a shortage.

Either way...when the day comes that I don't see them buzzin' around...


I'll get worried...

We have thousands that show up everyday.
They come for the water.
We just have to move the water around so the animals we placed it out for,
can get some also.
In those numbers they can be intimating,
and most are African hives at this point.
The rains have started so the hives will begin to split, and relocate,
just have to keep them from setting up camp here.

While I agree that bees are missing--I know that the hive that did come slurp my water has disappeared--I would like to point out something that I've not yet seen on one of these "missing bees" threads.

Bees are not the only way plants are pollinated. Natural breezes plays a big part in that. Certainly, bees are crucial--or I should say, "insects are crucial" because there is a huge domain of those little creatures that may simply crawl around from plant to plant but yet get that vital job done.

Yet, what we are seeing--and this in my back yard also--is that the humming birds are missing. Usually, I have one male that "owns" my necter bottle(s) and many that come around to steal from it. But this year, nada. the landlord is back, but the interlopers are few and far between. And these guys also pay an important part in the ecology of the landscape. Missing a little bit here and there adds up to an imbalance that will slowly make itself known over a few seasons. Count on it.