In a recent study researchers outlined one major factor that may be playing a big role in Colony Collapse Disorder(CCD); stress. This isn't the stress that comes from time commitments, agendas, deadlines, financial burdens or trying to cram five hours worth of work into three but it is the stress from external sources forcing the bees to react so that they might survive. These environmental forces are things such as pesticides, parasites and habitat loss. With these forces being introduced at breakneck speeds, older worker bees are dying because of the stress and the younger workers have to pick up the pace. Since the younger bees are inexperienced and not as wise, the colony can suffer from their lack of performance. This is where known science ends and speculation begins.
In the search to find a cause to CCD, scientists and beekeepers have put blame on each of these forces but have not been able to fully place all of the blame upon one or all of them. If we are to consider that all of these factors play a role and that another overriding force increases the probability that the bees would die then we can assume that this additional factor is the catalyst to the imminent demise of the colony. But when the colony is healthy (i.e. not being affected by pesticides, habitat loss or parasites) then it can withstand the blow of being tested. These tests can come from many avenues including loss of queen, human initiated bee sprays and hive disruption.
CCD is when a colony of bees disappears; not die off but is gone with no trace of the bees. Where are they going you might ask? No one knows but it is our duty to fix what is happening. Not a beekeeper? Oh that's cool because if you eat fruits, vegetables and nuts while enjoying a flower garden then you are doing your part. But awareness and action are the most important steps in helping to get an upper hand on CCD.
Action steps are important for us non-beekeepers. The first thing that we are to do is build habitats for bees through what we eat. This can be done in our backyard gardens but it should be done on commercial levels too. Our food production is a vital source of a bee's food and by encouraging locally grown food we are bringing pollination into our communities. Also we can build native wildflower beds that enable the bees to forage for three seasons of the year. (Seeds can be found here.)
It can't be said enough, don't use pesticides. It is easy; really easy, just stop using them. If bugs are invading your garden and yards then find plants that you can plant that will fend them off. (A good list can be found here.)
As far as parasites go, we leave that up to the beekeepers. There are tools and techniques that have been developed over the ages that limit the effect of these buggers.
These factors need addressed because, let's face it, you can't put Prozac in a bee box and expect the bees to not be stressed. Life happens but we have to do our part in helping the most vulnerable aspect of the food chain. If we increase a healthy, natural and native food source for the bees then they will have a better chance at survival.
Info from the tax collectors can be found here.
A leader in the field of swarms and beekeeping can be found at meadowsweetbees.com
Watch this video for a great perspective on the urban discussion of beekeeping!
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Where are all the bees?
Long time since I posted but I have been going through a lifestyle change in my eating patterns and in my thinking about the world. In a recent article, I read that honeybees are in a dire situation this year and this has been of great concern to many farmers and beekeepers. In a report by the UN, around 70 percent of our food is required to be pollinated in order to grow and bees account for about 75% of all pollination done within the food crops (according to the USDA). So in reality bees are critical for just over half of our food production in the world.
Why do I bring this up? Well there is a long history of bees mysteriously disappearing over the past century but since late 2006 we have seen a vast change in bee colonies. Numerous reports of large amounts of colony population death became more common than earlier seasons. Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD is essentially the severe die off of worker bees in a hive and thus no workers, no honey. The EPA has given a broad outline of what they are doing and have observed in regards to CCD.
What does this mean for us? Well if one of the links in a chain is weakening what usually happens to that chain?: It breaks. If the pollination capabilities of bees become so limited that our food growers have seen a major difference and essentially raising food prices in response, then we are greatly affected by this disease.
What should we do? Step 1: Educate ourselves. Learning about what corporations are doing to help solve the problem and what are government is doing in response to the news of this problem will make us aware of what is being done. Step 2: Action. One of the key pieces of evidence that is pointing towards a conclusion is the direct correlation of using pesticides and the death of worker bees. We have to stop the aimless usage of harmful chemicals in and around our homes because there are far greater repercussions than just limiting a small number of ants in your kitchen. Step 3: Support environmental efforts that promote beekeeping practices and support researchers in their fight to find a solution to the problem of the disappearing honeybee.
So in past posts, I have talked about this problem before but I bring it up again because I am afraid for the future of organic and heirloom plants. With the ever-present GMO hybrid plants out there, pollination is not required for the production of a harvest-worthy fruit or vegetable. These 'corporations' have taken pollination out of the equation when it comes to food because they don't want us growing our own food. They want us to buy food that came from their plants [that have patents on] and are essentially untested in humans. Whether they are responding to the collapse of bee populations or they themselves are the root cause of the disappearance of bees, these corporations are ruining food and they are killing the human race. We have to stand up for ourselves and what God gave us! Our food should be natural and pure and not messed with in a laboratory. If the bees die then so will our organic and heirloom plants. We need bees in our gardens and on the farms that produce our food so we can produce viable seeds for future plantings and seasons.
Many things in this crazy world upset me but one of the major stickers in my mind is the initiative these corporations have taken to control everything in our lives. They have become the backbone of government agencies that control the industries and have essentially made the laws so that they will one day have control over all food production. Well I am starting with a garden and I stand by organic growers in my region. All of these local farmers know how important bees are so they are well aware of this situation. Stand with me in buying organic local food this season and when the temperature hits the freezing mark in the fall, do your best to support organic growers in our country.
Peace,
Ryan
Why do I bring this up? Well there is a long history of bees mysteriously disappearing over the past century but since late 2006 we have seen a vast change in bee colonies. Numerous reports of large amounts of colony population death became more common than earlier seasons. Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD is essentially the severe die off of worker bees in a hive and thus no workers, no honey. The EPA has given a broad outline of what they are doing and have observed in regards to CCD.
What does this mean for us? Well if one of the links in a chain is weakening what usually happens to that chain?: It breaks. If the pollination capabilities of bees become so limited that our food growers have seen a major difference and essentially raising food prices in response, then we are greatly affected by this disease.
What should we do? Step 1: Educate ourselves. Learning about what corporations are doing to help solve the problem and what are government is doing in response to the news of this problem will make us aware of what is being done. Step 2: Action. One of the key pieces of evidence that is pointing towards a conclusion is the direct correlation of using pesticides and the death of worker bees. We have to stop the aimless usage of harmful chemicals in and around our homes because there are far greater repercussions than just limiting a small number of ants in your kitchen. Step 3: Support environmental efforts that promote beekeeping practices and support researchers in their fight to find a solution to the problem of the disappearing honeybee.
So in past posts, I have talked about this problem before but I bring it up again because I am afraid for the future of organic and heirloom plants. With the ever-present GMO hybrid plants out there, pollination is not required for the production of a harvest-worthy fruit or vegetable. These 'corporations' have taken pollination out of the equation when it comes to food because they don't want us growing our own food. They want us to buy food that came from their plants [that have patents on] and are essentially untested in humans. Whether they are responding to the collapse of bee populations or they themselves are the root cause of the disappearance of bees, these corporations are ruining food and they are killing the human race. We have to stand up for ourselves and what God gave us! Our food should be natural and pure and not messed with in a laboratory. If the bees die then so will our organic and heirloom plants. We need bees in our gardens and on the farms that produce our food so we can produce viable seeds for future plantings and seasons.
Many things in this crazy world upset me but one of the major stickers in my mind is the initiative these corporations have taken to control everything in our lives. They have become the backbone of government agencies that control the industries and have essentially made the laws so that they will one day have control over all food production. Well I am starting with a garden and I stand by organic growers in my region. All of these local farmers know how important bees are so they are well aware of this situation. Stand with me in buying organic local food this season and when the temperature hits the freezing mark in the fall, do your best to support organic growers in our country.
Peace,
Ryan
Monday, March 15, 2010
Bee Ignorance
I received an email with these pictures and statements.
These are honey bees and if handled properly, they can be removed without a mass genocide of one of the most important links in the food chain.
I feel that people are not educated enough about our environment, that they make very bad decisions and then think that it is perfectly okay. Bees are extrememly important to the pollination of flowering plants, including the nuts, fruits, and vegetables that we eat every day. If one were to come upon a hive like this, you should contact a beekeeper and they would then remove the queen into a wooden bee box and the others would follow, once in the box, the bees would be transported to a farm to help pollinate crops and their honey would be collected for sale to you and me.
http://s57.photobucket.com/albums/g206/Batman1228/Bee%20killing/
" I knew there were bees coming from under the cover and knew they would need to be killed.
Now I know these bombs aren't for bees, but I thought I'll suffocate/smoke them out. So here is the weapon of choice and delivery system.
"I thought I was pretty smart (hehehe), designed to be easily maneuvered underthe cover of darkness... so then I release the weapon of buzz destruction. OMG! the sound from under the cover was incredible!!! Then I ran like crazy....
Coming back few min's later to see the death toll.
"I continued to remove the cover and to light the bbq to give it a clean when I noticedsome fatty looking substance on the top of the side shelf thing.... Bit weird. I always clean it before I put it away for winter and no way was therefat there before, so I began to wonder...
NO... it can't be, could it?
I slowly removed the rest of the cover only to find this …
Can you imagine what would have happened if Ihad just whipped the cover off?"
These are honey bees and if handled properly, they can be removed without a mass genocide of one of the most important links in the food chain.
I feel that people are not educated enough about our environment, that they make very bad decisions and then think that it is perfectly okay. Bees are extrememly important to the pollination of flowering plants, including the nuts, fruits, and vegetables that we eat every day. If one were to come upon a hive like this, you should contact a beekeeper and they would then remove the queen into a wooden bee box and the others would follow, once in the box, the bees would be transported to a farm to help pollinate crops and their honey would be collected for sale to you and me.
http://s57.photobucket.com/albums/g206/Batman1228/Bee%20killing/
" I knew there were bees coming from under the cover and knew they would need to be killed.
Now I know these bombs aren't for bees, but I thought I'll suffocate/smoke them out. So here is the weapon of choice and delivery system.
"I thought I was pretty smart (hehehe), designed to be easily maneuvered underthe cover of darkness... so then I release the weapon of buzz destruction. OMG! the sound from under the cover was incredible!!! Then I ran like crazy....
Coming back few min's later to see the death toll.
"I continued to remove the cover and to light the bbq to give it a clean when I noticedsome fatty looking substance on the top of the side shelf thing.... Bit weird. I always clean it before I put it away for winter and no way was therefat there before, so I began to wonder...
NO... it can't be, could it?
I slowly removed the rest of the cover only to find this …
Can you imagine what would have happened if Ihad just whipped the cover off?"
Friday, March 12, 2010
Solar Homesteading
This guy seems to be going in the right direction but a few formalities need to be addressed. Good videos and good info.
http://www.youtube.com/user/solarcabin
http://www.youtube.com/user/solarcabin
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
New solar panel on the way and a few interesting websites
The website that posted this video is a pretty good one. http://www.growandmake.com
and also this is a cool reference site. http://green.wikia.com/wiki/Wikia_Green
After I get the solar charger in a few days I will test it and give a review.
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