Why are honey bees disappearing from their hives in alarming numbers?

Question

Recently I heard a reputed source say that nearly two thirds of comercial honey bee hives have been discovered to be empty . Bee keepers, getting ready to transport their hives to almond groves (in California) found their bee's had vanished!

Is this as disatrous as it sounds?

Bees are the main source if not the main way of pollination in this country so are their any solutions to this mystery?

The article said that this new problem had little to do with the "vampire mite". Any other ideas????

Answer 1

EFFECTS OF AGRICULTURAL AND OTHER PESTICIDES.

Honey bees are susceptible to many of the chemicals used for agricultural spraying of other insects and pests.

Many pesticides are known to be toxic to bees. Because the bees forage up to several miles from the hive, they may fly into areas actively being sprayed by farmers or they may collect pollen from 'contaminated' flowers.

Carbamate pesticides, such as Sevin(R)-Carbaryl (C12H11NO2)can be especially pernicious since toxicity can take as long as two days to become effective; allowing infected pollen to be returned and distributed throughout the colony. Organophosphates and other insecticides are also known to kill honey bee clusters in treated areas.

Pesticide losses may be relatively easy to identify (large and sudden numbers of dead bees in front of the hive) or quite difficult, especially if the loss results from a gradual accumulation of pesticide brought in by the foraging bees. Quick acting pesticides may deprive the hive of its foragers, dropping them in the field before they can return home.

Insecticides that are toxic to bees have label directions that protect the bees from poisoning as they forage. To comply with the label, applicators must know where and when bees forage in the application area, and the length of residual activity of the pesticide.

Some pesticide authorities recommend, and some jurisdictions require, that notice of spraying be sent to all known beekeepers in the area so that they can seal the entrances to their hives and keep the bees inside until the pesticide has had a chance to disperse.

This, however, does not solve all problems associated with spraying and the label instructions should be followed regardless of doing this. Sealing honey bees from flight on hot days can kill bees.
Beekeeper notification does not offer any protection to bees, if the beekeeper cannot access them, or to wild native or feral honey bees.
Thus beekeeper notification as the sole protection procedure does not really protect all the pollinators of the area, and is, in effect, a circumventing of the label requirements. Pesticide losses are a major factor in pollinator decline.

SUSEPTIBILITY OF THE BEES TO DISEASES.

Kindly click on the link below to know the details--

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diseases_of_the_honey_bee

COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER.

Colony Collapse Disorder (or CCD) is a honey bee disease, disorder or syndrome that describes the massive die-off affecting an entire colony. It is apparently limited to colonies of the Western honey bee in North America.

The cause of the syndrome is not yet well understood and even the existence of this disorder remains disputed. CCD may be environmental, or may be caused by unknown pathogens or by mites or associated diseases. CCD is possibly linked to pesticide use though several studies have found no common environmental factors between unrelated outbreaks studied.

Limited occurrences resembling CCD have been documented as early as 1896, and this set of symptoms has in the past several decades been given many different names (disappearing disease, spring dwindle, May disease, autumn collapse, and fall dwindle disease).

In none of the past appearances of this syndrome has anyone been able to determine its cause(s). Upon recognition that the syndrome does not seem to be seasonally-restricted, and that it may not be a "disease" in the standard sense (in that there may not be a specific causative agent), the syndrome was re-named

From 1971 to 2006 approximately one half of the U.S. honey bee colonies have vanished, but this decline includes the cumulative losses from all factors such as urbanization, pesticide use and tracheal and Varroa mites. The rate of attrition is alleged to have reached new proportions in the year 2006 and attribution has been made to the CCD phenomenon

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

The most current (February 2007) concern is called "Colony Collapse Disorder". What separates this disorder from other known colony ailments is that no remains are found around the colonies. Instead, scientists assume the bees have flown away from the hive before dying. Another oddity is that no stronger bee colony swoops in and overruns the weakened hive.

Answer 4

CHEM-TRAILS, planes spraying nasty chemicals in the air. Einstein once said:

"If the Bee Disappeared Off the Face of the Earth, Man Would Only Have Four Years Left To Live"

Answer 5

Could be , we, the people, are poisoning our planet? Think about it and then read Revelations in your bible. No need to worry about it, life is only temporary.
Unless of course, you can come up with a way to stop people from trashing their planet!

Answer 6

A tiny parasite, colloquially known as a 'vampire mite,' is devastating honeybees.

Answer 7

Bee's swarm,could be pesticides.There are measures that can be taken to stop swarming.