Are the Bees Dying off Because They're Too Busy?

Fail to respect nature's principles and you'll have earned the consequences. Malnourished slaves cannot be good workers.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

This is one of the best articles I've seen so far on what "scientists" (ha!) have named CCD (colony collapse disorder). I've been keeping bees for about 10 years, and pretty much agree with her speculations.

Right now I've got 5 hives; two are swarms that I was called on to get this summer - they're doing fine. I NEVER use any chemicals on my bees, and they're mostly "feral" and healthy. If I DO feel the need to get more bees in the early spring, I don't order them from California, Louisiana, or Hawaii, I go to a local "big" beekeeper (S. Wisconsin) and ask him to sell me a queen and some of her bees that have over-wintered in Wisconsin. Then I know the bees are used to this climate and weather.

Honeybees won't leave brood (their babies) no matter how cold it gets, or how hungry they are. I've learned that in the past if I've gotten a queen from, let's say, California, she may have a tendency to lay eggs too late in the year, and if a cold snap comes, the bees will cluster around the brood and actually starve to death when there's plenty of honey nearby because they won't move away from keeping the brood warm.

I guess you could say in the case of honeybees, too, "local is better". At least that's been the case with my experience.

But then, I'm not looking to earn my living from honeybees - I just find them the most fascinating insect that I've come in contact with - the more I learn about them and from them, the more I could talk for hours about them. They are BEAUTIFUL. Nature's loving gift to the world.

I'm very glad honeybees have come to the attention of so many people now - this summer I heard a lot more people say, "Well, I called you because I didn't just want to kill them, I know honeybees are in trouble." So maybe some good is coming from the sadness of CCD.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Wow, very interesting article, and setting forth what seems like a credible (at least to my lay sensibility) theory behind the colony collapses that have been so extensively written about.

By the way, just as an aside, I recommend folks check out the indie film "Ulee's Gold," starring Peter Fonda, that came out in 1997. It's a drama about a Florida beekeeper, superbly played by Fonda. A very heartfelt film, elegant in its simplicity, and the kind of film that seems all too rare in the studio system.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Though I know virtually nothing about bees, other than they're amazing creatures, as all are (though I hesitate to include some aspects of humanity), I am aware that introducing unnatural &/or unanticipated stress to a social system without thorough study and experimentation is bound to cause problems. Just look at the quality of life in high intensity social settings anywhere; Baghdad, Darfur, an abbatoir, Crawford, Texas.

The only surprise here was that this didn't come out sooner. Surely those who are treating their flying livestock with what amounts to human-biased methodologies and guesswork must understand that meddling with delicate balances can only result in change. The trick is to use every measure to learn what will happen before embarking on a campaign - particularly one so naive and short-sighted that its primary goal is 'good business' (read profit).

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Thanks to all of you for the kind words about my piece; I'm glad you found it interesting.

Why is no one discussing this? I think it's for the same reason no one seriously talks about getting rid of the internal combustion engine in transportation; induced labor in medicine; and agribusiness practices in general: There's too much invested in the status quo.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

how much stress can creatures take? i suppose it's a good thing they don't suicide-bomb when pushed to extremes like some creatures.

As many times as i have been stung while playing, working, gardening i've always been facinated by bees and enjoyed their company. i plant (or allow some weeds to grow) to allow bees (bumblebees, wasps, moths) their flowers for most all seasons. I feel more like i've done a good job in my gardening when others benefit from it, not just myself. This morning I watched bumblebees thread themselves across the small blooms of hyssop i planted this spring and, of course, now wish i had planted more. Without something other than plants in my garden it just wouldn't feel like it was worth the effort. My lawn is long-gone (my house obscured by shrubs, trees and vines). F the lawnmower. I can do better than that.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Here is an interesting article with tips on how the average person can help the beesL
http://lighterfootstep.com/five-ways...ring-bees.html
Mainly, it is for those lucky enough to have a garden, what type of plants they like, etc. But there is one suggestion everyone can do, support local bee keepers by buying their honey vs. commercial honey. In Chicago we have a farmers market downtown, so I am fortunate to take my pick among several there. I think that is what everyone is getting for Christmas this year. Maybe they will find it sweeter than the compact fluorescent bulbs they got last year."

"Weight obsession is a social disease. If we cared more about CO2 than BMI there would still be time."

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

"All I want is my fair share... and that's ALL of it." (Charles Koch, Koch Industries)

Got problems with your hostile merger & acquisition operations? Get busy propagandizing!

Let's call the negative consequences of industrial-scale poor beekeeping practices... a "disorder" (CCD)! And let's flood the press with... cash! So that we can get the message to the people who count: members of the House Committee on Agriculture and the Senate Committee of Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

"Subsidies! We must have... subsidies!"

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

This article goes to show that just like humans, any creature(s) that is/are overworked by their master(s) goes to show that the business is FAILING and is a BUSINESS DESPERADO at large and must be SHUT DOWN.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

I was puzzled by the stories about all the bees dying, since my backyard seems to have tons of them. I have a large vegetable and flower garden, and there are always plenty of bees out there. The bees never bother or sting me- they are always too busy with the flowers that they came for to pay any attention to me. I don't use pesticides. so they have good nutritious food in great abundance in my back yard. I live in the middle of Indianapolis Indiana, so there is no farming within miles of me. The bees probably have a home down in the trees by the river that is three blocks away.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

I just wish some of those science-types would cobble some funding and go test the hypothesis. But sadly it seems of late that science-types are too invested in the narrowly drawn research (or funded by biotech firms) to bother with ole fashioned things such as testing out hypotheses formulated by non-science intuition.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Great Article; Nature does have it's way, and when man steps in and over-engineers the system, things usually go awry.
In the first paragraph, it is stated that "...This malady causes all the bees in a hive to seemingly vanish overnight, abandoning their brood in the nursery, as well as their stores of honey and pollen. Other bees and pests, which normally plunder deserted honey, shun these hives."
The question of why other animals that would normally plunder the hives for the honey leave these hives alone and untouched is not answered....

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Spotting a honeybee feels like a sacred moment these days. The bumblebees in Seattle do what they can, but now we have to learn how to help pollinate the zucchini and whatnot. We can break out the cotton swabs and learn to tell male flowers from female ones and do what we can in our veggie gardens, sad as that seems. (And feel like a real bumblef**k bee out there.) How fragile the circle of Nature is and what a learning experience this all is, too. It's either learn how to pick up the bee slack, or watch voluptuous plants all dressed up with no place to go drop a bunch of withered, unpollinated flowers.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

I have been gardening in California for a long time and have learned to co-exist peaceably with all kinds of buzzing and stinging critters. A couple of years ago I noticed how "friendly" the honeybees seemed and realized that these were not wild bees. They belong to a local backyard beekeeper a mile or so away, whose honey and products I now buy regularly. Eating local honey every day desensitizes you to allergies, the anti-bacterial properties help heal wounds and it tastes great too. Beeswax is a great skin softener and makes fabulous candles. Bee pollen is a nutritious food. Down with agribusiness and factory farming...back to the victory garden and the backyard beekeepers. It's not nice to mess with mother nature!!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

I read another possible explanation of this phenomenon earlier today. Here is a link to the press release.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

I had to explain to my cat that he should not chase and attempt to eat the bees that pollinate the catnip or he won't have any to enjoy next year....

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

In my own garden in midwest, I grow melons, tomatoes, beans etc.

I rarely see honeybees anymore. However I have noticed a huge increase in other native bees, including bumblebees. I have no problems with pollination. The only real problem is I am allergic to bees, and the bumblebees seem to be agressive.

However, give nature a chance, and she will adapt. There might be some problems, like for allergic humans, but as a whole things move on.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

It is all mostly about Corporate Greed, and ignoring genetic diversity. Most corporate leaders are to stupid to understand anything, and certainly wont read anything. Corporate Board rooms are places of pictures and charts, no written material. So the choice is simply the bottom line, Continue to use the known, until it doesnt work anymore. Then wonder what went wrong.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

I thought your article was interesting, but asparagus does not need to be pollinated to produce the edible spears. They come up naturely from the ground.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

I have been following this story since it broke out and am appalled at how much has been missed. A French scientist has been studying bees for over 10 years and each and every hive he has seen collapse has been infected with an Asian bee parasite. No "overworked" bees, no "cell phone radiation", just an epidemic of this parasite. The fact is that bees are shipped all over North America, and that spreads the parasite with each infected bee.

Thats what you don't know about the hives collapsing.

(I wish I had the links, but I don't have the time to search for it.)

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

This is an interesting article... it seems to be saying that along with the global warming effect and the demise of the a healthy American society, the dying off of honeybees seems to be caused by Man's greed and self indulgence. Go figure!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Thank you, Ms. Kuchinskas, for your article. I am glad that someone is finally talking about this.

I am a farmer in northeastern Nebraska. I want to tell you that bees have virtually disappeared in my area. And it seems to have really become noticeable in the last 5 years or so. This is also the about the same time that GM crops really started to be grown extensively in my area.

I raise alfalfa for dairy cattle. It used to be that when the alfalfa was in bloom, there were zillions of bees out there busily collecting nectar from the purple flowers.

My alfalfa is blooming right now. I walked through the field yesterday and didn't see a single bee. I have also talked to other farmers in the area and they have noticed the abscence of bees also.

I brought all of this to the attention of the state University Extension office. They gave me the big blow-off.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Link above by tdrake above to New yorker article provides more of the story on a more national basis than the East Bay article. my own conclusion from both articles is that agribusiness monoculture (aka unicrop) reliance on a monopollinator has left us vulnerable. I also find it very interesting that the Army is studying it but apparently the Farm bill does not contain money for USD Agriculture to study.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Good article. With all the talk raging about the possible causes of CCD, this makes the most sense. Feeding bees high fructose corn syrup is criminal. It's just another example of what happens when humans subvert the natural order of things. Imagine what the bees think about "factory farming."

Commercial honey stinks, and I don't buy it. Locally grown honey is another matter. I have fond memories of chewing on a honeycomb that was filled with natural, local honey. What a treat! For many reasons, we need to support local farmers.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

We keep hearing speculation about what is causing the loss of bees but where are the broken down statistics? Are all of the commercial hives suffering or just the one's being woke up in Feb for the almond crops? Are any of the non commercial hives having problems or are all of them doing fine? Does this problem only involve hives that are being moved about from California to Florida or does it involve hives that stay in one place? Are all of the hives that are lost gathering nectar from GM crops? I read that as a possible cause last month. Let's have a story with some analysis. Maybe if the numbers are compiled, the problem can be solved.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]