Bees

[In the Kitchen]

Now they are talking about the bees on the local news stating that they are not returning to the hives and this beekeeper has lost more than 10 hives already. She said this is how she makes her living and is worried about the general affect over how it will affect our lives. Bees may be a nuisance to some but are very important in everything growing.

My brother gave me the important bit of trivia that said Einstein had said when society loses the bees there will not be life for man. I think he was supposed to be pretty smart and hence my brother likes to remember what he has said.

I never would have believed that I would see bees being eliminated. They are worried that they will not be able to find the reason. They have even blamed cell phones. Often people use so many chemicals to get rid of weeds and other unwantd growth but could this be harming us in the long run? We are finding out that food that looks like a picture isn't really healthy. I still believe and will always think that food source need sun and rain in order to get the true value out of them. My opinion. The more natural things are the better to me. Even the farmer I buy most of my vegetables from has said he doesn't want to be around when they pave over his ground to build a house or shopping mall. Sounds so sad to me.

My ex was beekeeper and now I feel guilty how I resented the bees so much. Maybe would have been different if he wouldn't have brought them into the house?

 

[Constance]

Our bees are being decimated by the varroa parasite, a tick-like mite that hitch-hiked here from Asia.
At first, the mites were killed by using miticides, but they've developed immunity to those now, and bee keepers are losing bees by the thousands.

I saw only bumble bees in my garden for several years, but the last two years I have begun to see a few honey bees again.

 

[sattie]

ITK.... not sure what to say except that we are our own worst enemy. Capable of so much, but never really think through our actions/reactions till the damage is already done.

I have been watching a wonderful series on the Discovery channel called Planet Earth... I am sure some of you have watched this amazing show. A couple of weeks ago, there was an episode where they were tracking polar bears and talking about how they had to swim further for food. This one male that they were following had swam soooo far that he burned most of his energy and did not have enough energy to kill the walarusus that were right in front of him. That bear let out such a pitiful cry before curling up right there next to them and dying of starvation. And to think we are responsible for that in some way shape or forum just breaks my heart.

It is not to say that everyone needs to carry that kind of guilt around on their hearts, but I sure do. I think about everything I do these days and the impact that it has on our world and other people.

Sorry guys, don't mean to be such a "Debbie Downer", just watching that polar bear really hit a nerve with me and I totally see what ITK is saying.

 

[In the Kitchen]

Constance & sattie

There is saying, it starts with one! So now there are three of us who know about this and if this would only get attention of more people maybe lives in the future would be saved. Einstein had his theories and I would not want to doubt too much of what he said.

People think this life will go on forever w/o their help. WRONG! My brother has also told me we will be paying more for water and he wasn't talking about the bottled water. Also he said if only people could live to be 100 they would surely notice definite difference. I am not 100 yet and I notice definite change. For instance, what everyone notices green bananas! My grandmother told me they weren't any good and she hasn't been around for some time.

Thanks for your comments and appreciate your opinions. Who is that character that said 'the sky is falling'?

 

[CherryRed]

Have any of you read The Secret Life of Bees? It's a great novel. I finished it about a month ago. It's actually about this girl's search for her mother and everything that happens to her along the way, but some of the central characters in the story are beekeepers. A main focus of the book is on appreciating the small stuff instead of taking it for granted. It goes into all sorts of detail regarding how bees have their own social structure and individual needs, just like humans do. The parallells the author draws between the "bee world" and that of her characters are very well developed. Reading this thread just reminded me of that. It's definitely worth picking up if any of you have free time.

 

[Claire]

My husband is violently allergic to bee/wasp/hornet stings so I don't encourage them, as beneficial as I know them to be. I'll chose my husband over the bees any day. So all of you out there with kids, plant those flowers.

Yes, I read The Secret Life of Bees and highly recommend it. For those of you who love Sherlock Holmes, try The Beekeeper's Apprentice as well!

 

[In the Kitchen]

Husband

IClaire if I had a good husband I would feel the same way. Wouldn't want any harm to come to him.

Strange thing about that is when my ex had the bees a neighbor was stung. He must have had allergic reaction as he was rushed to hospital. Week later the man passed away. He was elderly it is true and my ex kept saying how do you know it was one of my bees? I didn't. But I sure didn't want someone to feel threatened by them. Isn't this something to admit? to this day I still feel it was our fault. Who knows if he may have passed away anyway but I truly felt sorry. I don't know what kind of man I married. Thank heavens I have my dogs. Much more considerate.

However, the threat of no bees really does make one wonder if we will have to start importing more food where they still have the bees? Hope it doesn't come to that.

I am planning on getting these books if they are as good as you say. Appreciate the suggestion.

 

[redkitty]

Just read this and had to post for you!

Bees _ and Our Diet _ on the Brink

 

[shpj4]

I really feel awful about the bee population not returning to their hives.

 

[VeraBlue]

Einstein said if we lost bees, mankind would be gone in 4 years. No pollination, no plants. No plants, no feed for animals/humans. No feed for animals, no animals to eat. No animals or plants to eat....and you are looking at the very real prospect of soylent green.

It's quite possible the fish could survive. Mayhaps we all should start thinking about gills and plankton.

 

[sattie]

Einstein said if we lost bees, mankind would be gone in 4 years. No pollination, no plants. No plants, no feed for animals/humans. No feed for animals, no animals to eat. No animals or plants to eat....and you are looking at the very real prospect of soylent green.

It's quite possible the fish could survive. Mayhaps we all should start thinking about gills and plankton.

That may not even be suitable anymore.. they have been talking about the levels of plankton dropping at alarming rates. What the heck is going on????

 

[StirBlue]

It was probably the product and method that was used to get rid of the killer bees back in the 80's or 90's. The exterminator told me that his chemicals might not actually kill the bugs but that it would cause them not to nest or breed and they would die off.
Even with the cooler temperatures, we have more than our fair share of bees already this year. Maybe they are just migrating to greener places.

 

[michen_122]

To be honest, this was all news to me reading through here! I'll be honest, I had a hive in my attic and I gassed the little guys right out, so I guess I'm part of the problem :P Interesting quotes from Einstein too, its funny the little things that make the big things possible

 

[VeraBlue]

That may not even be suitable anymore.. they have been talking about the levels of plankton dropping at alarming rates. What the heck is going on????

Perhaps even the fish are on the same 'supersize me' diet as a lot of the world, too...?

 

[In the Kitchen]

Einstein said if we lost bees, mankind would be gone in 4 years. No pollination, no plants. No plants, no feed for animals/humans. No feed for animals, no animals to eat. No animals or plants to eat....and you are looking at the very real prospect of soylent green.

It's quite possible the fish could survive. Mayhaps we all should start thinking about gills and plankton.

Thanks for reassuring me that what I quoted about Einstein was correct. My brother tells me so many things that he reads or hears that I sometimes get all the info correct. Since you have knowledge of Einstein saying this I feel better.

Since I brought up this topic, I took the time to attend a local Bee Meeting here. They all seemed to avoid discussing this and most of them felt it was a 'wait and see attitude'. People who are interested in beekeeping are of a different mindset the norm. They have a kind of thinking to preserve rather than change. I would like to have bees if I had the space. That is what most of them aim for. Lot of them had the hives located on open areas until they would own some land.

I thank you all for your attention to this thread. As I said, if it takes only one maybe we can be that one! I sure think we have to.