A bee keeper in Ontario went out to check his hives and found dead and dying bees, about 1 million dead and dying bees.
It's the pesticides, in particular the Neonicotinoids.
All around the world the danger is recognized. The neonicotinoids are deadly for bees and other pollinators. So why are we taking so long to ban them.
This particular set of bee deaths is just one more wake up call to a real ecological emergency.
https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&...cWmYKPAH5w
I really feel for the bee keepers. They are face to face with the heartbreak of bee deaths and they are very aware of what it means.
The rest of us enjoy our fruits and vegetables and seldom wonder who made it possible.
We will notice when apples are $5.00 each and some things are just not available anymore.
Indeed. In Europe there is a near-ban and France is planning to ban neonicotinoids totally. The UK has, sadly, turned back the clock with partial permision. See
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-33641646
The USA seems to be the country with the most widespread use of these toxic chemicals. The results are truly tragic, as the article you cited shows.
The use of these pesticides is terrible. Especially as there are insect predators such as Lacewings, and Ladybirds (Ladybugs) and other species which will get rid of aphids. Also I have heard that aphids will not go near anything which smells of garlic.
We cannot let bees die like this! It is vitally important.
I do not trust the major pesticide-producing corporations one bit.
Quote:We cannot let bees die like this! It is vitally important.
I do not trust the major pesticide-producing corporations one bit.
Truer words were never spoken.
The whole planet needs to wake up to the bee crisis. The EU is a real leader in this. It will be sad if England backslides. The USA has not begun to clean up the mess. Sadly it means the death of many things that migrate to Canada. We haven't totally banned the neonicotinoids here either. The cities are better than the country right now. We are in the midst of a serious crisis and few are acting and most are sort of talking about it, but not seriously.
I reminds me of neighbours who put a hot BBQ in a garage full of furniture and the mattresses caught fire. Then they stood around and yelled at each other about whose fault it was. Meanwhile the fire spread and did a lot of damage. We called the fire department for them. When there is an emergency, you need to act quickly. It no longer matters who caused it, you need to fix it.
Of course we know it is the big companies who produced the pesticides that have created the problem. They want to make money. Neonicotinoids are very profitable. Never trust a major pesticide company where profits are concerned. They don't care about consequences.
It is a terrible shame and very dangerous that humans are magnetised towards money and profits, above all else. And what do many of them spend that money on? Things we could probably live without, quite contentedly.
What we can't live without on this planet is fresh food, and the work of the bees. Those things are our basics. What good is a holiday in Hawaii without food to eat, or if someone is suffering from scurvy? What good are designer handbags or private jets without the basics that keep us alive and healthy?
(07-10-2016, 03:25 AM)Tobi Wrote: [ -> ]It is a terrible shame and very dangerous that humans are magnetised towards money and profits, above all else. And what do many of them spend that money on? Things we could probably live without, quite contentedly.
What we can't live without on this planet is fresh food, and the work of the bees. Those things are our basics. What good is a holiday in Hawaii without food to eat, or if someone is suffering from scurvy? What good are designer handbags or private jets without the basics that keep us alive and healthy?
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You are so right.
People are hearing about bee deaths and thinking that they don't eat much honey anyhow.
They are not making the connection between bees pollinating and much of our food supply. Most people don't have the imagination to see the consequences of their own actions. They certainly can't picture a world without bees.
Some of us don't want to picture a world without bees.
Hearing about a million bee deaths should be news that stays on the front page for days. There should be vigils for the bees that have died and rallies to help the ones that are still alive. We really are just not getting it are we.
Many people probably don't think about it. As far as they are concerned they are conditioned into going to the supermarket for their fruit and veg. They buy it in little packs, it all looks perfect. As far as they know, humans are in charge of the food supplies coming onto the shelves.
It is even possible some people don't actually know that there would BE no fruit and veg if it wasn't for bees and other pollinators.
And what they almost certainly don't realise is -even if they don't like their greens and rarely eat fruiit -that many other items in the supermarket are also the products of bee-pollinated crops.
And besides the impact on ourselves, which could turn out to be horrendous,....what about those bees? Bees are wonderful intelligent creative creatures and don't deserve to be treated with no thought to whether they become extinct or not.
I feel sick about the bee deaths because I like bees. I don't really eat fruit. All the berries that grow in my garden are for the birds.
We need to retrain people in their attitude towards bees. I said something to someone about not killing a bee and they said why not? They actually do not know why they shouldn't kill a bee. I doubt they would be bothered by the death of a million bees.
I can't take in the idea of a million bees dead. It is too big a number. I think I can grasp it if I think of it as the number of hives lost.
The number of bees that have died each year globally must be horrific.
I feel this need to plant more bee friendly plants. In my mind it is like sand bagging a rising river. I hope it is enough, but I have an edge of fear that it is not.