Do you REALLY love wheat, corn, and rice?
I mean do you really, REALLY love wheat, corn, and rice? I hope so, because it may be ALL we have to eat if the Colony Collapse Disorder isn't reversed -and soon.
"If the current rate of disappearance continues, the honeybees will be completely gone by 2035."
If you eat fruit, nuts, and vegetables this affects you. Even if you don't eat honey, you are reaping the benefits of the bee's work. While the exact cause of CCD is not yet known, it is obvious that much of what we are doing as a society is causing severe stress on pollinators. Insecticides, massive single-crop farms, and non-native lawn-based landscaping all contribute to weak colonies. Everyone is waiting with bated breath to see what this winter brings for the bees, if the CCD continues they think they are close to the main viral culprit -but it is still an incredibly complex problem.
But there are ways you can help. You can keep and monitor bees -yes, even in the city, in fact that's one of the best locations as pesticides are not allowed. You can plant flowers and fruiting plants that attract pollinators (just don't use pesticides and chemical fertilizers!). And you can write your senators and congressmen to fund much needed honeybee research. Our wonderful variety of nutritional foods is at stake!
/rant
As for my bees, well, I think they're doing okay. Pastor still hasn't been out since he added the super, but it's now probably too cool to open the hive very long for inspection. I still see them coming and going when the day warms up, and perhaps two of every ten enter with pollen -but I don't know if that's good or bad. I had hoped to attend the meeting of the local beekeeper's association tonight, but the Nature bee episode was on and I didn't want to miss it. *angst* But I hope to go next month and regularly after that. I'm not really interested in getting honey from my hive, I'm mainly interested in keeping it healthy and fed, and hopefully I can glean some useful knowledge from the association. Plus I want to plant lots of lavender and sunflowers next year! *fingers crossed for the bees*
"If the current rate of disappearance continues, the honeybees will be completely gone by 2035."
If you eat fruit, nuts, and vegetables this affects you. Even if you don't eat honey, you are reaping the benefits of the bee's work. While the exact cause of CCD is not yet known, it is obvious that much of what we are doing as a society is causing severe stress on pollinators. Insecticides, massive single-crop farms, and non-native lawn-based landscaping all contribute to weak colonies. Everyone is waiting with bated breath to see what this winter brings for the bees, if the CCD continues they think they are close to the main viral culprit -but it is still an incredibly complex problem.
But there are ways you can help. You can keep and monitor bees -yes, even in the city, in fact that's one of the best locations as pesticides are not allowed. You can plant flowers and fruiting plants that attract pollinators (just don't use pesticides and chemical fertilizers!). And you can write your senators and congressmen to fund much needed honeybee research. Our wonderful variety of nutritional foods is at stake!
/rant
As for my bees, well, I think they're doing okay. Pastor still hasn't been out since he added the super, but it's now probably too cool to open the hive very long for inspection. I still see them coming and going when the day warms up, and perhaps two of every ten enter with pollen -but I don't know if that's good or bad. I had hoped to attend the meeting of the local beekeeper's association tonight, but the Nature bee episode was on and I didn't want to miss it. *angst* But I hope to go next month and regularly after that. I'm not really interested in getting honey from my hive, I'm mainly interested in keeping it healthy and fed, and hopefully I can glean some useful knowledge from the association. Plus I want to plant lots of lavender and sunflowers next year! *fingers crossed for the bees*