The Vanishing Bees
August 15, 2010
THE VANISHING BEES
From the dawn of human society, the nature and origin of the honeybee has awakened the curiosity and interest of man. For the past five million years, this furry insect has been a creature of special sanctity, representing many things such as the human soul, industry, cooperation and the sacred feminine. Our relationship with bees also denotes the most ancient form of agriculture. Pre-historic petroglyphs depict women on honey hunts and Ancient Egyptian farmers floated beehives on rafts down the Nile to pollinate their crops.
And yet today, we live in a state of disconnect. The average consumer has no idea where things originally come from, not even something as vital as our food. They think edibles come naturally shrink-wrapped on a shelf and that the bees are merely stinging insects that make honey, when in fact these prime pollinators are responsible for one third of the food we eat, including most of the fruits, vegetables, nuts and even alfalfa used to feed livestock. In America, this amounts to about $18 billion in annual sales.
Imagine half a million adults skipping town and leaving their children behind. Picture an opened suitcase filled with bundles of cash at a bus stop and yet no robber wants to snatch it. The apiary science mystery known as “Colony Collapse Disorder” displays these very symptoms. Not only do the bees abandon their hive, but the queen and the brood as well. Unnatural. Unheard of. Even the predators that usually raid the hive for honey stay far away. At first, this occurrence sounds like an urban legend or an exaggerated tale. Except it’s not. The situation is both dire and all too real. Bees are disappearing all over the planet and no one knows why.
CCD – Colony Collapse Disorder…what is it? It is disappearing hives, not just dead bees…but, what causes it? Is it from the habits of commercial beekeepers & the overuse of agricultural chemicals? If so – why does a thriving hive in a backyard in our area – with no ag & no hive stress suddenly experience this…
Beekeepers and scientists are still unsure what is causing the loss of so many bees, but the fact is that bees are disappearing at alarming rates all over the world. In the UK, around one fifth of honeybee hives were lost in the winter of 2008/09.
In the USA, approximately one third of hives have been lost over the last two years – around 800,000 colonies in 2007 and 1,000,000 in 2008. If bees continue disappearing at this rate, it is estimated that by 2035 there could be no honeybees left in the USA.
US hive losses have been blamed on Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a collection of symptoms including large-scale disappearance of bees from the hive, to which a singular cause cannot be attributed.
No-one knows for certain what is causing the hive losses; however there are many theories including:
- pests (such as varroa mites), viruses, bacteria and fungi
- pesticides such as neonicotinoids
- importing of non native bees unsuited to climate
- lack of nutrition and loss of habitats – related to urban sprawl and farming methods
- bad weather, including spells of particularly wet weather or sudden cold spells
- poor husbandry – for example in the USA beekeeping is a large industry, with bees trucked vast distances across the country to pollinate different crops.
A new movie is addressing this pressing subject – in a very engaging way too!
Scroll down for trailer of “The Vanishing Bees”
Here is one story…from my Bee Journal…
June 13th 2010 – Seasonal Hive Checks
I was making the rounds that day of our hives…and, eerily got a call…
David Partch’s hive is dead – gone – disappeared! A thriving colony reduced to several frames of comb with bits if pollen & some uncapped nectar. How weird. Was it the cold, rainy spring – they ate everything & then starved to death? If so – wouldn’t there be bodies in the hive? Is that hive the “swarm” that was caught in my neighbor’s yard, not so unlikely – only a couple of blocks away. The hive was a stack of ready frames, about 20 frames showing comb development, many with pollen stores, some uncapped nectar, the bottom deep box & first shallow box had been brood chamber for awhile – well developed black comb with lots of old cocoons, pollen & yet – now – with a spotty brood pattern of only a few dozen capped cells, & no queen cells.
By the time I saw it today – the wax moths are already at work in one section. 
Partch puts the exodus at after May 31st, last time they can remember seeing bees making regular forage entrances. David says he saw lots of fighting around the entrance before then, and it appeared that they were using the top as an entrance also. Some aggressive behavior toward him as well. .. I have taken the boxes home to expose them or freeze to rid the wax moths, and will create a storage until they are needed or David wants to try again. Too sad. I have taken pictures of the odd white stuff I found on several frames, in most boxes. I thought it was the cappings from the upper boxes, as they were robbed empty. Will I ever know?
See the movie, I am going to as soon as it is out!
And – here is a word on CCD – a short film from Burt’s Bees…
They are a corporation also wanting to help save the bees! I think we are all in this together..the bees are collapsing our culture & economy is collapsing…grow borage for the bees & a garden to feed yourself..NOW!
And – if you need more reasons to support the bees & use honey – here is another video (NPR) about honey – as medicine…
Honey is all right with me! In fact, I am going to open a hive this afternoon…hope I see some extra honey… I might just have a taste…
Bee well,
Annie
4 REASONS TO AVOID CORN SYRUP
February 1, 2010
4 REASONS TO AVOID CORN SYRUP
My last post pictured a basket of commercial snacks. If we had looked at the labels, chances are – they ALL had high fructose corn syrup ingredients. Here’s the story on that…
By now, you’ve more than likely seen one of the ads put out by the Corn Refiners Association. The ads tell the story of a “natural” sweetener made from corn. They go on to insinuate that high fructose corn syrup has been unfairly portrayed and that this truly American ingredient is fine in moderation. But what are the facts about high fructose corn syrup? How is it made? Is it healthy in moderation to the body and the planet? Here are the facts…
1. The Process of Making High Fructose Corn Syrup is Pretty Weird
First of all, there’s nothing natural about high fructose corn syrup and it most certainly does not exist in nature. The process starts off with corn kernels, yes, but then that corn is spun at a high velocity and combined with enzymes: alpha-amylase, glucoamylase, and xylose isomerase, so that it forms a thick syrup that’s sweeter than sugar and VERY cheap to produce. That’s why it’s poured into a huge majority of mass produced processed foods.
2. High Fructose Corn Syrup – “CAN’T STOP EATING IT”…
High fructose corn syrup interferes with the body’s metabolism so that a person can’t stop eating. It’s truly hard to control food cravings because high fructose corn syrup slows down the secretion of leptin in the body. Leptin is a crucial hormone in the body that tells you that you’re full and to stop eating. That’s why it’s so closely associated with obesity in this country. It’s like an addictive drug.
3. There Might be Mercury in Your Corn Syrup
… according to MSNBC in one study, published in the Journal of Environmental Health, former FDA scientist Renee Dufault tested 20 samples of high fructose corn syrup and found detectable mercury in 9 of the 20 samples.
4. The Environmental Impact of Corn products & High Fructose Corn Syrup!
Corn is grown as a monoculture, meaning that the land is used solely for corn, not rotated among crops. Most corn is GMO,(genetically modified) so that toxic cocktail of pesticides is used to reduce the pests which love large monoculture crops. Monocultures can deplete the nutrients in soil and lead to erosion. In addition, the pesticides pollute our soil and ground water.
Skip the High Fructose Corn Syrup
Make Your Own Snack Foods…instead of buying the prepackaged variety. This way you can control your ingredients and use safer sweeteners. You can also save some major dough and reduce the amount of packaging that your family throws away. You won’t be eating as many snacks because they take time to create. Make some homemade cookies together – it is fun!
Reference: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/avoid-fructose-corn-syrup.html
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