At first, it was just the whisperings of a few who could easily be dismissed as crazies, but now it has become too big to ignore. The United Nations has confirmed that honey-bee colonies are mysteriously disappearing across the globe.
After first being noticed in the US and Europe, the disappearance of managed bee colonies has spread to China, Japan and Egypt.
Why are bees important? They are pollinators and they are even more crucial now when there are mounting concerns about food sufficiency.
United Nations Environmental Programme scientists suggest a combination of factors could be responsible for the phenomenon: declines in flowering plants (think of all the disappearing gardens and lawns), harmful insecticides (think of all the pesticides sprayed all over), air pollution and the spread of pests. Read this report in the Independent, UK website.
Time we switched to sustainable organic farming, don’t you think?
| Please help to support this blog if you can. Read the commenting guidlelines for this blog. |
The disappearance of honey bees is due to ‘Colony Collapse Disorder’ or ‘CCD’.
Read the latest findings of CCD here:
http://myrmecos.net/2011/03/10/honey-bee-colony-collapse-disorder-in-context/
This reminds me of the oft-used quote by Einstein about bees: “If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left.”
When we see a beehive near our houses, what do we do? We call the Malaysian Civil Defense, the Pertahanan awam.
They do not charge a fee, but they would ask you to provide a can of Aerosol and newspapers.
They will only come at night.
Their method is to burn.
I think this mentality has to change.
The public continue to call Civil Defense, but this department will redirect to known bee keepers to take the bees alive.
I would say deforestation plays a damaging part to the dwindling population of bees. Mass burning of virgin forest for timber, replanting of different species of trees alien to cleared forest lands and heavy use of pesticides, all contribute significantly to the demise of the pollinating agents of mother nature. Another culprit is GM crops which affect the genetic make up of nature thro’ the food chain. The original grand scheme of things in Nature (or from the starting point at the Garden of Eden) work in integrated, harmonious and intelligent fashion, mutually supporting each other for life to thrive… Read more »
Sign of times…or Sign of End times would be more appropriate.
I don’t like to us the “doomsday rhetoric” but looking at the situation in the middle east and the disasters in japan, i am compelled to think so.
come to think of it, have you realise that the population of frogs are also dwindling. frogs’ sensitivity to climate/environment change is well known. after a downpour, the field near my house would be filled with a cacophony of croaking frogs. the frogs have disappeared since a few years ago (in my complacency i failed to realise when)
In Australia, honey bees are staying healthy and merry… doing what they do best… pollinating the flowers and collecting honey…hey, good for our economy, lesser competition and better prices!!
Australia does not destroy their habitat and kept a healthy environment
for their existence!..try asking the Asian countries to do likewise.
Not true. The use of inorganic fertiliser is so extensive that land and waterways salinity is a huge problem.
Pesticides and weedicides are also used extensively.
This is nothing new. I have read many reports on the dwindling population of bees, insects that are needed for pollination of crops. One other suspected factor is the widespread wireless tele-communication broadcast (proliferation of mobile phone usage, wifi…) and electronic radiation that affects the bees’ sense of navigation. Technical magnetic fields disturb the Redox system in bees, which is enormously important for all life forms. If the Redox system balance and related free radical balance are disrupted, then the bees are no longer able to orient themselves by smell, and their vital learning processes no longer function. In other… Read more »
The bees probably find that the human population doesn’t work quite the same way as theirs. Similar concept, but too many drones.