last time in history global populations of bees vanished?

Question

When was the last time in history that we saw global populations of bees vanish?

Answer 1

It is not all the bees who are vanishing, but only the bee-keeper's bees (?) Aren't there still wild bees left?

We humans cause the demise of thousands of species of insects every year.
Here's an article that offers some suggestions about the disappearing bees:

What's happening to bees,
and what are the ramifications to food supplies?

Bees pollinate up to one third of our food plants, and in recent months, bee colonies have been mysteriously collapsing.

Up to 70% of bees on the East coast have disappeared, and about 50% in other parts of the country. One recent news account from New Hampshire says this: "The problem, called colony collapse disorder, already has hit beekeepers in 24 states, part of Canada, and several European countries. Many bees seem to disappear, with few to no bodies of dead bees found near the hives. The remaining bees, meanwhile, show mysterious symptoms. "

What's the Cause?

Several theories are circulating, including these:
• Cell phone transmissions
• Pesticides
• Viral Infections or Fungus
• Genetically Modified Plants
• Magnetic Pole Reversal

There have been losses in bee colonies before, usually from diseases or pesticides. Some reports say that the current situation is more of the same. But there are some important differences. No dead bodies, for one thing. And no other physical clues. Transcripts from the Congressional hearings are posted online, but offer no conclusive answers.

Nationally, a Cornell University study said the value of bee pollination is $14.7 billion annually. One scientist from Mississippi says, that “Ultimately CCD will affect fruit and vegetable production if we don’t have adequate pollination forces,” Collison said. “Bees pollinate many plants that affect wildlife and birds, so it’s not just the human diet that would suffer if bee populations are decimated.”

The Christian Science Monitor suggests that new agriculture policies are needed: "For many entomologists, the bee crisis is a wake-up call. By relying on a single species for pollination, US agriculture has put itself in a precarious position, they say. A resilient agricultural system requires diverse pollinators. This speaks to a larger conservation issue. Some evidence indicates a decline in the estimated 4,500 potential alternate pollinators – native species of butterflies, wasps. and other bees. The blame for that sits squarely on human activity – habitat loss, pesticide use, and imported disease – but much of this could be offset by different land-use practices."

The Sierra Club points out that the government has no national database of bio-engineered crops and therefore no precise way to study the impact of genetically modified food on bees. Writing to the Senate, the Sierra Club said, "Considering that loss of honeybee pollinators can leave a huge void in the kitchens of the American people and an estimated loss of 14 billion dollars to farmers, it would be prudent to use caution. If genetically engineered crops are killing honeybees, a moratorium on their planting should be considered."

Answer 2

"Limited occurrences resembling Colony Collapse Disorder (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). Most recently, a similar phenomenon in the winter of 2004/2005 occurred, and was attributed to Varroa mites (the "Vampire Mite" scare), though this was never ultimately confirmed. 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—that there may not be a specific causative agent—the syndrome was renamed."

"From 1971 to 2006 approximately 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, tracheal and Varroa mites and commercial beekeepers retiring and going out of business, and has been somewhat gradual."

"Apparently, CCD was originally found only in colonies of the Western honey bee in North America, but European beekeepers have recently claimed to be observing a similar phenomenon in Poland, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain, with initial reports coming in from Switzerland and Germany, albeit to a lesser degree."

"Colony Collapse Disorder" : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_Collapse_Disorder#Apocryphal_quote

Answer 3

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/03/03/State/Scientists_ask__Where.shtml

From the last section: "Beekeepers have reported several smaller but equally mysterious collapses in the past, vanEnglesdorp said. In the 1980s, invasive mites from South America all but wiped out the feral bee population and contributed to a steep decline in U.S. beekeeping."