By SANDRA PHANEUF

A drastic recent reduction in the number of honeybees in the US could constitute a major threat to our food supply. While the honeybee population has been steadily diminishing in the last fifty years, the extensive losses in 2006 have caused some scientists to label this the first bee epidemic in US history. It is estimated that this year, US beekeepers lost 1/4 of their colonies which is five times the normal average. What’s more concerning is that the bee disappearances are a mystery: they leave their colonies seeking food and simply never return. Few dead bees have been found in or around the colonies, leaving beekeepers and scientists puzzled.

http://www.fourthbranchofameri...portanceofbees.shtml

Just how important are honeybees to the human diet? Typically, according to the US Department of Agriculture, these under-appreciated workers pollinate 80% of our flowering crops which constitute 1/3 of everything we eat.Their loss could effect not only dietary staples such as apples, broccoli, strawberries, nuts, asparagus, blueberries and cucumbers, but may threaten our beef and dairy industries if alfalfa is not available for feed.

“The sudden and unexplained loss of honeybee populations is an early warning sign for coming disruptions in modern agriculture,” Mike Adams, executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center claims. “The collapse of pollinators is merely a sign of things to come. Humans will either find a way to live in balance with the planet, or they may ultimately face the same fate as the honeybees.”

http://www.fourthbranchofameri...portanceofbees.shtml

“Whatever the cause is, it may effect much more than just bees,” Dr. Stone said. “The bees may be telling us of a much larger problem.” Little is known about the role, for example, that global warming may play in the picture. Warmer temperatures may have caused many of the plants that bees depend on for food to bloom a month earlier than they did in the 1970s. A National Academy of Sciences study has shown that all of our pollinators are on decline.

Don't be afraid to welcome bees into your garden.

If you haqve a garden plant a diversity of nectar and pollen producing planta that provide blooms from spring to fall.

Avoid the use of pesticides.

Thank you for this post Inda.

A healthy crop of honeybees can cross-pollinate 25 million flowers in a single day.

If we take away the bees we will lose a lot of flavours in our foods. Apples,pears, melons, squash, coffee, blueberries, cherries, nuts, cucumbers etc. will all be affected.

I hope that a solution can be found, and an answer as to why the honeybees are diminishing in such vast numbers.

Love,
yoko

quote:

Originally posted by dear yoko:
I hope that a solution can be found, and an answer as to why the honeybees are diminishing in such vast numbers.

Amen and Awomen!!!

This "Bee" a great topic!

Thank you yoko and Teo.

I hope that the bee population will recover to its normal level.

I do enjoy the rich flavours in my food and my coffee. It will be very sad if this will be lost.

Love, Inda

Yes, this is a very important topic now. I have heard through the media of this disquieting state of things.

Pollution may be the problem.

I hope this problem will be a priority task for researchers worldwide, in order of accelerating answers and solutions.

Love,
Margherita

Long life to the bees!

On the following site, where I found the above picture, there are many articles to read about this issue.

http://www.treehugger.com/file...ee_at_work_photo.php

Thank you everyone for your contribution.

Let us hope that humans will find a solution to this problem before it becomes irreversible.

Sincerely,
Gisele

Thank you for the post and the replies.

This is very disturbing.
I read somewhere that the great number of cell-phones might be partially responsible for the decline of the bee population. We certainly are putting a lot of radiation into the environment.

More information from:
http://www.america.gov/st/env-...ilerog0.1303217.html

Washington — Numbers of bees, birds and other pollinating animals are declining, posing a threat to the survival of thousands of plants used for food, fibers and medicines, according to scientists and government officials at the eighth annual international conference of the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC).

Thank you Margherita and Inda for the websites.

Love,Sue

Thank you Margherita, Gisele and Sue.

Thank you for the websites.

Here is another website dealing with the diminishing
bee population in France

http://www.cite-sciences.fr/fr...rticle=2783&id_mag=0

The history of bees runs parallel to that of mankind. Since the dawn of humanity, man has prized honey. Today, this nectar has become rare, because the bees are not well.
In France over the past thirty years, the bee population has been diminishing and becoming increasingly fragile. The blame can be placed squarely on man’s shoulders: the industrial exploitation of nature, the excessive addition of chemicals to produce better quality honey in greater quantities. The quest for more has backfired.

Once again, an ecosystem is in danger. It is not only the bee but the whole complementary chain linking animal to plant life that has been disrupted. No bees means no pollinisation, which means the disappearance of certain plant species, which in turn means the disappearance of certain animal species…

Thank you for the post.

The world is truly becoming a sad place with everything disappearing.

Praying for a solution to be found to save the bees.

Love,
Vicky