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Author Topic: This year marks the highest losses of honey bee populations in the U.S.  (Read 30663 times)

Offline Jim134

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.

We had extremely dry in 2003. Then in Finland, Sweden and in North Germany  66% hive losses were very common.  it was quite large climatic area.

2 years ago (?) I read about isle of western  coast of USA, where they lost 90% of their hives.It was in news that it was very dry there.



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It was Vancouver Isle of Canada 2010
 
Vancouver Island beekeepers say 90 per cent of their hives have been wiped out by a lethal combination of disease and a long summer last year.
 
Vancouver Island is home to a quarter of all the honeybees in British Columbia, but commercial operations were devastated over the winter by a high mortality rate for honeybees.

Finski........
This is Canada not the USA.


       

           BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)


This is not my Quote


       BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)
"Tell me and I'll forget,show me and I may  remember,involve me and I'll understand"
        Chinese Proverb

"The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways."
 John F. Kennedy
Franklin County Beekeepers Association MA. http://www.franklinmabeekeepers.org/

Offline Finski

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This is not my Quote


       BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

Neither mine.
Whose is it?
.
.
Language barrier NOT included

Offline greenbtree

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Here in Iowa we had major drought last year.  Followed by a cold, long Spring, with no occasional warm days.  My losses are huge this year, it may be as high as 75%.  Can't tell for sure yet, still not warm enough to open the hives on any days, willows and red maples are just starting to bloom, so it is very hard to tell early robbing from hive survival.  Finally supposed to reach close to 60 with sun today, I am hoping there will be enough pollen out there for me to tell which hives are bringing in, and not just taking out.

JC
"Rise again, rise again - though your heart it be broken, or life about to end.  No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend, like the Mary Ellen Carter rise again!"

Offline Jim134

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  Finski  did you post this ???

Reply #11,Reply #16



        BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)
"Tell me and I'll forget,show me and I may  remember,involve me and I'll understand"
        Chinese Proverb

"The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways."
 John F. Kennedy
Franklin County Beekeepers Association MA. http://www.franklinmabeekeepers.org/

Offline Finski

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  Finski  did you post this ???

Reply #11,Reply #16


Never!
.
Language barrier NOT included

Offline D Coates

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I just watched it.  It was pretty depressing, but misery sells. It seemed heavy on the sky is falling of sensationalism that uses stats and info that were anecdotal not scientifically based.  With that type of reporting you can then lead your audience to the conclusion you want to promote.  It being Dan Rather "reporting" does not help as it's been proven he's willing to ignore some obvious truths if it gets in the way of a good story.

   I have been doing bees for the lasts 56 years from World War II to about 1983 before
Varroa mites the USA had about 5 million hives after Varroa mites the number of hives are about 2.5 million 1984 to now.
   In 1960 to 1980 my winter losses were about 3% to 5% after Varroa mites winter losses are about 25% or so.

   I do not know if the sky falling or not just look at the numbers and you tell me but I can only tell you what happened to me and yes I have kept the bees on the same property for all these years.


             BEE HAPPY Jim 134  :)



Yes, bee numbers have declined as have the beekeepers (until recently, but those are mostly non commercial).  What are you getting at?
Ninja, is not in the dictionary.  Well played Ninja's, well played...

Offline D Semple

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We are in the drought area and my losses are > 50% this year also. One yard in particular that had very little fall forage around it only had 3 surviving hives out of 17. I won't be wintering bees over there again.

Worse the feral colonies have really taken a hit, I know of only 2 colonies alive out of 20 or so that I watch, so swarms here are going to be in short supply.


Bummed.

Don





Offline Jim134

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Yes, bee numbers have declined as have the beekeepers (until recently, but those are mostly non commercial).  What are you getting at?

The USA have only 1/2 many bees now as in 1955 or so.



            BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)
"Tell me and I'll forget,show me and I may  remember,involve me and I'll understand"
        Chinese Proverb

"The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways."
 John F. Kennedy
Franklin County Beekeepers Association MA. http://www.franklinmabeekeepers.org/

Offline Bush_84

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The drought likely has something to do with the rough winter, but here in Minnesota I believe th bigger issue was the winter weather.  We never got those nice days for bees to break cluster and cleanse/rearrange stores.  Not only that but we had some bad cold streaks.  I don't care what everybody says, a week straight of highs of 0 f and lows of -30 f cannot be good for bees.  So long stretches of bitter cold matched with zero days of cleansing flight weather makes for poor overwintering of colonies. 
Keeping bees since 2011.

Also please excuse the typos.  My iPad autocorrect can be brutal.

Offline 10framer

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jim, agriculture has changed since 1955.  in the south east we grow more pine trees than anything now.  this means a lot of natural forage is simply gone as well as a lot of crops that the bees used.  we don't have the plants to sustain the populations that we had 60 years ago.  there is way more going on that gmo and new pesticides.  if ddt didn't wipe them out i don't think nicotine based pesticides can.  add mites and beetles plus various viruses and the fact that bees from every state get crammed together in california where bees from one region are exposed to (and carry home) strains of those pests and viruses.  beekeeping is killing the bees as fast as anything.

Offline derekm

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This is all getting too much like the "Sheep look up"  by John Brunner.
If they increased energy bill for your home by a factor of 4.5 would you consider that cruel? If so why are you doing that to your bees?

Offline D Coates

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Yes, bee numbers have declined as have the beekeepers (until recently, but those are mostly non commercial).  What are you getting at?

The USA have only 1/2 many bees now as in 1955 or so.



            BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

Yes, you stated that prior and I accepted the given.  But what's your point?
Ninja, is not in the dictionary.  Well played Ninja's, well played...

Offline 10framer

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This is all getting too much like the "Sheep look up"  by John Brunner.

i don't think america is going to burn just yet.  i do think that aside from the mid west and some of our mountain ranges we've changed the face of the continent an awful lot over the last 200 years and it hasn't been for the better.  
as far as the honeybee issues go, i think the average beekeeper here has probably learned to expect 20 percent losses or more due to mites and beetles and the really big losses are mostly if not all found within the migratory pollination industry.  i also think we really messed the bees up through what is basically line breeding over the last 100+ years.  we bred a lot of diversity out of the honeybee and that is biting us in the posterior now.  

Offline Jim134

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Yes, you stated that prior and I accepted the given.  But what's your point?

D Coates.......

Why must there be a point???
The USA has lost 2.5 million hives sense the 1950s THIS is a fact not my opinion.



       BEE HAPPY Jim 134  :)
"Tell me and I'll forget,show me and I may  remember,involve me and I'll understand"
        Chinese Proverb

"The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways."
 John F. Kennedy
Franklin County Beekeepers Association MA. http://www.franklinmabeekeepers.org/

Offline D Coates

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To me?  Yes.  Why say something if there's no point?  So the US has lost 2.5 million hives since the '50's, you've stated this 3 times now.  So what?
Ninja, is not in the dictionary.  Well played Ninja's, well played...

Offline dfizer

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I think the "point" is that there are far fewer bees now than years ago... just goes along with the theme in the subject line.  I found it interesting and compelling.  I often give talks about beekeeping to my sons private school and this fact or as you call it point only adds to the concept that bees may be struggling.  It may encourage others go get involved and take up beekeeping... get my point?

Could it be that you are being a bit argumentative? Arguably, one could very well ask what your point was in asking what his point was... 

It's ok to lighten up a bit sometimes!~   8-)

David

Offline Jim134

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The USA have only 1/2 many bees now as in 1955 or so.

            BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)



They are a lot less pollinators to pollinate food crops and I believe the U.S.A.  Population has gone up a lot since the fifties.


            BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)


"Tell me and I'll forget,show me and I may  remember,involve me and I'll understand"
        Chinese Proverb

"The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways."
 John F. Kennedy
Franklin County Beekeepers Association MA. http://www.franklinmabeekeepers.org/

Offline Jim134

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D Coates.....
Maybe you can understand this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zOibhTS8-o




                BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)
"Tell me and I'll forget,show me and I may  remember,involve me and I'll understand"
        Chinese Proverb

"The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways."
 John F. Kennedy
Franklin County Beekeepers Association MA. http://www.franklinmabeekeepers.org/

Offline D Coates

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I watched the "news" article the first time but thanks for the excerpt.  I knew there was a point you were trying to make.  What the beekeeper is claiming is anecdotal.  As soon as there's an actual shortage of food due to bees not being able to set crops then the claims will get some traction.  Until then it's merely another boy crying wolf.  CCD, Neonics, GMO, HFCS, monoculture's, bee shortages, blah blah blah, yet the shelves always seem to be stocked of whatever we want. 

People eventually get numb to all the doom and gloom claims people push about the sky falling, Mr. Blather and this article are no exception.

Dfizer, I assumed that's what Jim134 was beating around the bush at, but assuming can get you in trouble.  Do you now see my point?  I too do presentations at the school my children attend as well as BSA, I promote others getting into beekeeping and help local newbees if they request it.  But when asked about this kind of gobbledygook I roll my eyes, voice my opinion, and change the subject back to actual beekeeping.

Ninja, is not in the dictionary.  Well played Ninja's, well played...

Offline Jim134

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I watched the "news" article the first time but thanks for the excerpt.  I knew there was a point you were trying to make.  What the beekeeper is claiming is anecdotal.  As soon as there's an actual shortage of food due to bees not being able to set crops then the claims will get some traction.  Until then it's merely another boy crying wolf.  CCD, Neonics, GMO, HFCS, monoculture's, bee shortages, blah blah blah, yet the shelves always seem to be stocked of whatever we want. 

People eventually get numb to all the doom and gloom claims people push about the sky falling, Mr. Blather and this article are no exception.

Dfizer, I assumed that's what Jim134 was beating around the bush at, but assuming can get you in trouble.  Do you now see my point?  I too do presentations at the school my children attend as well as BSA, I promote others getting into beekeeping and help local newbees if they request it.  But when asked about this kind of gobbledygook I roll my eyes, voice my opinion, and change the subject back to actual beekeeping.


D Coates....

You may have watched it but did you understand it ???
Do you now see my point?



              BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)
"Tell me and I'll forget,show me and I may  remember,involve me and I'll understand"
        Chinese Proverb

"The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways."
 John F. Kennedy
Franklin County Beekeepers Association MA. http://www.franklinmabeekeepers.org/