The bees!! The bees!!!

[Ripster42]

Nope, it hasn't been figured out. And it's one of the biggest threats to us humans.

“If the bee disappeared off the face of the earth, man would only have four years left to live.” –Albert Einstein

Are you sure? When was the last time you actually looked into this? In the past year? Since they found the parasites (plural) that have been infecting colonies and causing hive collapse? Mainly due to the migrating bee colonies people use for pollination.

I'm not going to take a flippant quote from Einstein, from way outside his field, as a guide. Bees are a major pollinator, but not for any real staple food (grains). It's mainly fruits.

[Deleted]

Beedom?

[Puupi]

Are you sure? When was the last time you actually looked into this? In the past year? Since they found the parasites (plural) that have been infecting colonies and causing hive collapse? Mainly due to the migrating bee colonies people use for pollination.

Read a big article about it in a science magazine not so long ago.

I'm not going to take a flippant quote from Einstein, from way outside his field, as a guide. Bees are a major pollinator, but not for any real staple food (grains). It's mainly fruits.

IIRC bees are in charge of 90% of all pollination on Earth. It's not just about food, it's about all plants. Bees disappearing would not only affect our food supply, but the atmosphere, soil and water as well.

[Ayla]

Are you sure? When was the last time you actually looked into this? In the past year? Since they found the parasites (plural) that have been infecting colonies and causing hive collapse? Mainly due to the migrating bee colonies people use for pollination.

I'm not going to take a flippant quote from Einstein, from way outside his field, as a guide. Bees are a major pollinator, but not for any real staple food (grains). It's mainly fruits.

I read the same thing. It was something like flies laying eggs in them, and eat them alive and it makes them stupid. Thats why we have bees attracted to light. If you see bees attracted, they are infected

[Ripster42]

Read a big article about it in a science magazine not so long ago.


IIRC bees are in charge of 90% of all pollination on Earth. It's not just about food, it's about all plants. Bees disappearing would not only affect our food supply, but the atmosphere, soil and water as well.

You really misread that statistic. It actually is, "Some crops that rely on pollinators rely on bees for 90% of their pollination." Some crops. For not all their pollination. Because there is a business that specifically uses one insect, and uses it because it produces another product while pollinating. Look, not saying it's not a major issue, it is. It's just a problem, with a known cause (parasites), that could cause a major temporary food shortage.

[Nanaboostme]

I thought they mostly figured that out? Parasites or something. Spread because of the way some orchards contract multiple keepers to pollinate.

There hasn't been definite evidence towards these yet, no solution yet either unfortunately. So many delicious food Imma miss without our bees

[ParanoiD84]

Beedom?

Damn why didn't i think of that

[Ripster42]

There hasn't been definite proof/evidence towards these theories yet, no solution yet either unfortunately.

No solution, but it's parasites. Notice, I'm saying parasites plural. It's not a specific one. Colony collapse is thought to be an evolutionary adaptation where a colony that has been dangerously infected falls apart so it doesn't remain a source of contamination to other colonies (in a similar way that animals develop behaviors that are terrible for their personal fitness but that are over all better for their species' fitness). The problem is with the migratory colonies that intermingle on huge orchards and spread the parasites.

[Wildtree]

To bee or not to bee

[Puupi]

You really misread that statistic. It actually is, "Some crops that rely on pollinators rely on bees for 90% of their pollination." Some crops. For not all their pollination. Because there is a business that specifically uses one insect, and uses it because it produces another product while pollinating. Look, not saying it's not a major issue, it is.

"Honey bees—wild and domestic—perform about 80 percent of all pollination worldwide. A single bee colony can pollinate 300 million flowers each day. Grains are primarily pollinated by the wind, but fruits, nuts and vegetables are pollinated by bees. Seventy out of the top 100 human food crops—which supply about 90 percent of the world’s nutrition—are pollinated by bees."

http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/sustainable-agriculture/save-the-bees/

It's just a problem, with a known cause (parasites), that could cause a major temporary food shortage.

The parasites are just part of the problem (and that was figured out recently). Certain pesticides and other chemicals are another. And then there are the unknown problems, too.

It's nowhere near solved - not to mention fixed.

[Nanaboostme]

No solution, but it's parasites. Notice, I'm saying parasites plural. It's not a specific one. Colony collapse is thought to be an evolutionary adaptation where a colony that has been dangerously infected falls apart so it doesn't remain a source of contamination to other colonies (in a similar way that animals develop behaviors that are terrible for their personal fitness but that are over all better for their species' fitness). The problem is with the migratory colonies that intermingle on huge orchards and spread the parasites.

That was also my point, no hard evidence or clear proof yet, even though what you said seems the most logical so far. When you're stating things like "Colony Collapse is thought..." it's more of theories than facts even though you're not wrong in terms of adaptation and evolution

[Fayenoor]

The Loveland Pass is a beee-u-tiful drive. It does upto 12000 ft (almost) and ends in Basin/Keystone Ski Resort.

[Ripster42]

Green Peace says...

You're using green peace as a source. They're not exactly known for rational behavior, or unbiased reporting. They're known for bombings, and defacing national historic areas (Edit: World Heritage sites, sorry). Here's the type of statement they based their garbage on: As honey bees gather pollen and nectar for their survival, they pollinate crops such as apples, cranberries, melons and broccoli. Some crops, including blueberries and cherries, are 90-percent dependent on honey bee pollination; one crop, almonds, depends entirely on the honey bee for pollination at bloom time. They just see numbers and then write what looks best. That quote is also from a biased source (on the same side).

Grains currently account for the vast majority of calories consumed in the world. Wind pollinated.

That was also my point, no hard evidence or clear proof yet, even though what you said seems the most logical so far. When you're stating things like "Colony Collapse is thought..." it's more of theories than facts even though you're not wrong in terms of adaptation and evolution

The "is thought part" is hypothesis, but it's definitely parasites.

Edit: Puupi, some fungicides (the current main type of spray they're looking at, but also some pesticides and herbicides) might make the bees more susceptible to parasites, but it's only a contributing factor if they do. The main problem is still the parasites being easily spread because of migratory colonies (well, they don't naturally migrate, but people do it).

[Puupi]

You're using green peace as a source. They're not exactly known for rational behavior, or unbiased reporting. They're known for bombings, and defacing national historic areas (Edit: World Heritage sites, sorry). Here's the type of statement they based their garbage on: As honey bees gather pollen and nectar for their survival, they pollinate crops such as apples, cranberries, melons and broccoli. Some crops, including blueberries and cherries, are 90-percent dependent on honey bee pollination; one crop, almonds, depends entirely on the honey bee for pollination at bloom time. They just see numbers and then write what looks best. That quote is also from a biased source (on the same side).

Grains currently account for the vast majority of calories consumed in the world. Wind pollinated.

I used greenpeace as a source, because it was a link that I could find that had the stuff in a single paragraph.

And what do you mean by "side"? Is this a us vs. them thing to you?

- - - Updated - - -

The "is thought part" is hypothesis, but it's definitely parasites.

Edit: Puupi, some fungicides (the current main type of spray they're looking at, but also some pesticides and herbicides) might make the bees more susceptible to parasites, but it's only a contributing factor if they do. The main problem is still the parasites being easily spread because of migratory colonies (well, they don't naturally migrate, but people do it).

http://time.com/3821467/bees-honeybees-environment/
http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/05/15/new-harvard-study-proves-why-the-bees-are-all-disappearing/
"A new study out of Harvard University, published in the June edition of the Bulletin of Insectology puts the nail in the coffin, neonicotinoids are killing bees at an exponential rate, they are the direct cause of the phenomenon labeled as colony collapse disorder (CCD). Neonicotinoid’s are the world’s most widely used insecticides."

[Ripster42]

I used greenpeace as a source, because it was a link that I could find that had the stuff in a single paragraph.

And what do you mean by "side"? Is this a us vs. them thing to you?

- - - Updated - - -


http://time.com/3821467/bees-honeybees-environment/
http://www.collective-evolution.com/...-disappearing/
"A new study out of Harvard University, published in the June edition of the Bulletin of Insectology puts the nail in the coffin, neonicotinoids are killing bees at an exponential rate, they are the direct cause of the phenomenon labeled as colony collapse disorder (CCD). Neonicotinoid’s are the world’s most widely used insecticides."

It's the pro "we have to give a huge shit about bees, it's the biggest problem in the world" side (a bee lobby, and an environmental group whose resume includes terrorism and vandalism of world heritage sites) and the pro "people are working on a solution, so it's just a problem, not the biggest problem in the world" side. So essentially the sides are, "Don't trust these people because they have an agenda" and "Other people." I'm not trying to discount the problem, I'm just trying to deflate the people who are trying to blow it up into a bigger problem then it actually is.

The harvard study is correlative and has no real causation. The causation is that it makes the bees more susceptible to infections. And it's not just neonicotinoids that increase the susceptibility. Colony collapse also happens without being exposed to sprays. It's just not as common. You can also spray and not get colony collapse.

[CheeseSandwich]

Don't act like the Queen of stinging.

Oh great, now you come in here with your hive mind.

[Deleted]

Beedom?

Omg, good one! I vuw bees

but i'm scared of those future robot-drones



But would make good additions to a party, inject vodka directly into bloodstream

[enragedgorilla]

Omg, good one! I vuw bees

but i'm scared of those future robot-drones



But would make good additions to a party, inject vodka directly into bloodstream

why be afraid ? Imagine if man could not come up with a way to save the real bee's or another way to pollinate the crops that need them? You could make artificial "bees" and set them out to pollinate the crops.

[Deleted]

why be afraid ? Imagine if man could not come up with a way to save the real bee's or another way to pollinate the crops that need them? You could make artificial "bees" and set them out to pollinate the crops.

I haf thought about this as well, but they would prob shred the flowers...will take a long while probably before a drone can make a delicate landing like a bee..

[Ayla]

I haf thought about this as well, but they would prob shred the flowers...will take a long while probably before a drone can make a delicate landing like a bee..

We can perform surgery half a world away, but not create a delicate drone?