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Re: Bees and assorted pollinators
GML <greg@speakeasy.org> wrote:
>There has been a lot of news about the demise of wild bees and the
>decimation of domestic hives. Some say that there is no real problem,
>merely a temporary "shortage" and that this is all a political
>smokescreen by the beekepers association because Uncle Sugar is cutting
>funding everywhere. Others say that "we" are in big trouble and that a
>minimum of 200 species of plants, shrubs and trees will be dying or
>extinct within two years.
>I'm strictly an amateur, not even a farmer. Could someone with
>credentials cut through the B.S. and tell me what is going on? I
>apologize if this is "old news".
What I've heard about the problem is that an infestation of mites is
killing honeybees by the hive. This doesn't seem to be affecting our
native bumblebee but only the nonnative honeybees that were brought to
North America by European colonization. I haven't heard about whether
African "killer" honeybees are affected or if the tiny "sweatbees" are in
danger. I understand that some hives are being safeguarded by being
sheltered in greenhouses; thereby isolating them from contaigion by the
mite infested wild hives. I am not an expert and I would like better info
on these aspects as well.
I saw some tiny bees with irridescent green thoraxes buisily working
our Echinacea blossoms, I had never noticed any such insects previously;
could it be that native insect species can handle pollination of
nonnative plants such as appletrees? The problem with mite parasitization
is that you can't help the bees with anything like a pesticide or
chemical treatment because what kills mites kills bees.
I also haven't heard much about how honeybees are being affected where
they are the native species; ie. Europe...
I will mourn the honeybee if we loose them, it will be a terrible
loss...I wonder if there is anything the average person can do here.
Bella
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