Honeybee decline

[ladybugger]

Are you worried about the decline in bee colonies? Some are dying off, almost inexplicably. What are you doing to help with the bee population? I know of some companies that make donations if you buy certain products. What do you think is causing their decline? I believe it has to do with GMO plants and pesticides and other man-made problems.

 

[ChanellG]

Pesticides are definitely a culprit, but so are ignorance and fear. Just yesterday someone was saying to me about how they had blasted a wasp to prevent it from forming a nest on a window screen. What this person didn't understand was not only were they doing damage that has a trickle down effect, but that they were also poisoning themselves in the process.

I pointed out a benefit of wasps to my mom when she was battling tomato hornworms. Shortly after she emailed me a photo with the subject "wasps are our friends."

If people want to help bees and other pollinators the best thing (short of keeping hives) is to build or buy bug houses and place them somewhere in the corner of the yard. Having lots of nectar flowers around is helpful as well.

 

[zigs]

We've got problems in the UK, number of different factors. varroa mite, sudden colony collapse, neonicotinide pesticides that confuse the bees.

Real lack of pollination this spring. Only seen 2 honeybees in my garden. Fortunately there are quite a few bumblebees now.

Different problems in the Cities, too many roof top & back garden hives, so there's not enough flowers to go round.

 

[claudine]

When I was a child, there were lots and lots of honeybees in my garden, I remember them very clearly, it was fun to watch them. Now, I only see them from time to time and yes, it really worries me

 

[ChanellG]

I am only seeing a few bees here and there, but it's more than I had been seeing up until now. I think as more and more people maintain gardens and choose to not use pesticides the bee populations can have a chance to come back. I'd love to keep bees, but it's a lot more work than I'm able to commit to right now.

 

[headfullofbees]

There are three particular ways I try to help bees:

1) I don't reach for either the weedkiller or the lawnmower as soon as I see clover flowering in the lawn.
Bees love it.
2) I have a small patch at the back of my garden which I allow to grow a little more freely, as a small suburban sanctuary. (Frogs especially like there, and overwinter in my greenhouse, but it's there for all sorts of wildlife)
I do have some cornflowers in there, and they are there especially for bees.
3) My herb garden. Bees are always to be found there, whether its because of the chives flowering (previously) the sage (flowering now) or the oregano (to come).

 

[Ian]

Until we moved house, I'd hardly seen any bees... however we've got loads of them in our garden at the moment - oddly they're all over the laurel hedge like a rash (and it hasn't even flowered).

I re-painted the fence behind the hedge a couple of weeks ago and there must have been around 5-10 within a couple of meters, so there must be something they like about it. Thankfully it kept them from bothering me .

 

[zigs]

Must be something they like on the Laurel Ian, maybe honeydew from aphids?

Walked outside clutching my bright yellow tobacco pouch today, a huge bee went straight for it, must have thought it was something good

 

[happyflowerlady]

We still ave some bees here, but I think there are not as many as we used to see. I have been reading that Monsanto has been using chemicals that are killing the bees, and have seen stories in the news of places where they are finding huge amounts of dead bees all in one place.
I am not fond of the wasps, they and yellow jackets seem to have a really bad attitude, but regular bees are not usually aggressive as long as they are not being bothered.

 

[claudine]

I don't like wasps either. They're agressive and in my opinion very nasty. When I was a child, one wasp stung me three times. Poor honeybees won't attack you if you don't bother them and they die after stinging.

 

[ACSAPA]

Pesticides are definitely a culprit, but so are ignorance and fear. Just yesterday someone was saying to me about how they had blasted a wasp to prevent it from forming a nest on a window screen. What this person didn't understand was not only were they doing damage that has a trickle down effect, but that they were also poisoning themselves in the process.

I pointed out a benefit of wasps to my mom when she was battling tomato hornworms. Shortly after she emailed me a photo with the subject "wasps are our friends."

If people want to help bees and other pollinators the best thing (short of keeping hives) is to build or buy bug houses and place them somewhere in the corner of the yard. Having lots of nectar flowers around is helpful as well.

What are the benefits of wasps? Some wasps built a nest inside my mailbox and every time I reached in to get my mail, they stung me. So I think wasps are jerks and I feel like I had no choice but to destroy that nest in my mailbox so that I could get my mail.
Every time I reached in to get my bills, I would cringe because I knew I was probably going to get stung again. They had to go.

 

[ChanellG]

What are the benefits of wasps? Some wasps built a nest inside my mailbox and every time I reached in to get my mail, they stung me. So I think wasps are jerks and I feel like I had no choice but to destroy that nest in my mailbox so that I could get my mail.
Every time I reached in to get my bills, I would cringe because I knew I was probably going to get stung again. They had to go.

Aside from being pollinators, they are natural predators to other unwanted insects and caterpillars like the dreaded tomato hornworm.

You may need to treat your mailbox to discourage them from nesting there. Do you have a set of tongs in your kitchen? Use those to reach for the mail to avoid getting stung. I know you're planning on moving so maybe you won't have to put up with the wasps in your mailbox much longer.

 

[ChanellG]

We still ave some bees here, but I think there are not as many as we used to see. I have been reading that Monsanto has been using chemicals that are killing the bees, and have seen stories in the news of places where they are finding huge amounts of dead bees all in one place...

I saw something earlier today on Facebook about beekeepers suing the EPA over the agency not doing enough to protect the bees from pesticide use. The link was to the real farmacy website, which for some reason McAfee doesn't like so it always puts up this page warning me not to go there. I was still able to find out some info though on a different site that also had tips for protecting bees:
Four Steps to Help Protect the Bees

If you would like to learn more about the economic, political and ecological implications of the worldwide disappearance of the honeybee, check out the documentary film Vanishing of the Bees. If you’d like to get involved, here are four actions you can take to help preserve and protect our honeybees:

1. Support organic farmers and shop at local farmer's markets as often as possible. You can "vote with your fork" three times a day. (When you buy organic, you are making a statement by saying "no" to GMOs and toxic pesticides!)
2. Cut the use of toxic chemicals in your house and on your lawn, and use only organic, all-natural forms of pest control.
3. Better yet, get rid of your lawn altogether and plant a garden or other natural habitat. Lawns offer very little benefit for the environment. Both flower and vegetable gardens provide excellent natural honeybee habitats.
4. Become an amateur beekeeper. Having a hive in your garden requires only about an hour of your time per week, benefits your local ecosystem, and you can enjoy your own honey!

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Here's a link to the full article:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/05/07/neonicotinoids-affect-bees.aspx

 

[TheBrit]

There is a massive decline in the honey bee all over the world.The UK and I believe Europe have bought in a ban on pesticides for the next two years while the bee population is monitored. Although they are not the only factor in the honey bee decline pesticides are believed to be a major contributing factor.

 

[Karen Watson]

Zigs has the correct answer: In North America varroa mite was found in over 99% of boxes where colonies had disappeared. So breeders had to import bees from remote locations. Now the colonies are having trouble reestablishing due to loss of habitat.