SOCALROCKER

It is a mystery causing heated debate in the world of beekeeping: What's wrong with the bees? Why are they suddenly and without warning leaving their colonies -- and disappearing almost overnight -- by the millions in the United States, Canada and Europe?
Nationwide, there are 2.4 million bee colonies that are used in agriculture to pollinate everything from almonds to fruits to flowering plants. Beekeepers estimate that 600,000, about 25 percent of the colonies, have been affected by the mysterious disappearance.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that 27 states from New York to California are now affected by the bee mystery.California almond growers may have the most to worry about. Pollination of California's vast almond groves is the main event of beekeeping nationwide. It takes about one million colonies of bees to pollinate the almond trees; in total that's about 30 billion bees -- many of them trucked in from across the country.

Ice cream maker Haagen-Dazs is donating $$$ to the University of California, Davis, to research a decline in the bee population.
If all of our bees dissapear we will only have chocalate or vanilla ice cream says haagen-Daz sales offices I heard this morning.

Our fruit crops need all the bee's to keep polinating and keeping production up for all the industry.I need some bees for my fruit trees in my backyard how about yours.


SOCALROCKER

mskitty38583

i have seen more bees in the last 5 weeks then i did last time this year. hopefully the are on the rebound.

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lorax

There's a good discussion of the subject HERE.

For my two cents, the bee population (all types of bees) in South America has barely been affected by whatever's causing the decline up North. I'd say that maybe pesticide use coupled with untested GMO cropping might be a factor - down here the saying is "if you're using chemicals, you're doing it wrong" and almost all of the countries have rejected GM crops.

This, coupled with an abnormally cold winter season may be taking a toll on the bees.

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