Do you mean wild or domestic bees?
Bees do have problems with Varroa which is a parasitic mite that can weaken the hive. In large enough numbers it can wipe the hive out. This is controlled in domestic bees by the keeper.
My garden is full and many different types of bee so I would have to say that I don't think they are dying out.
2007-08-26 00:33:29
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answer #1
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answered by Gardengirl 5
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Yes it has been in the newspapers here in Central Fla. There are various reasons for the deaths. So I plant flowers that the honeybees like and I have bee visitors daily. It is not much but at least it is something. Mybe if more people planted flowers that bees liked we could help them make a come back..
2007-08-26 01:07:39
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answer #2
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answered by flautumn_redhead 6
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This decline in the world wide bee population is more serious than global warming. Scientists have calculated that if bees die out and we lose their value as polinators, mankind will be extinct in a little over 6 years. Food for thought.
2007-08-26 03:53:52
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answer #3
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answered by Duffer 6
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Albert Einstein made the statement "If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would only have four years left to live." He was speaking in regard to the symbiotic relationship of all life on the planet. All part of a huge interconnected ecosystem, each element playing a role dependant on many other elements all working in concert creating the symphony of life. Should any part of the global body suffer, so does the whole body.
Many people would be surprised to know that 90% of the feral (wild) bee population in the United States has died out. Recent studies in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands have shown that bee diversity is down 80 percent in the sites researched, and that "bee species are declining or have become extinct in Britain." The studies also revealed that the numbers of wildflowers that depend on pollination have dropped by 70 percent. Which came first, the decline in wildflowers or the decline in pollinators, has yet to be determined. If bees continue to die off so would the crops they support and with that would ensue major economic disruption and possibly famine.
In the US, bee keepers are experiencing unprecedented die offs of bees some losing as much as 80% of their colonies. Commercial beekeepers in 22 states have reported deaths of tens of thousands of honeybee colonies. So far the cause remains unexplained and somewhat mysterious. It is being called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and is causing agricultural honeybees nationwide to abandon their hives and disappear and raising worries about crops that need bees for pollination. It's a kind of mass suicide in the bee world. "There have been cases where there have been these die-offs of bees before, but we have never seen it to this level," said Maryann Frazier, a Pennsylvania State University entomologist. "One operation after another is collapsing."
Bees have done quite well for millions of years, in the last 60 years that began to change. In recent years, beekeepers have been losing 25 percent of their hives each winter. Thirty years ago, the rate was 5 percent to 10 percent, said Keith Tignor, the state apiarist for Virginia.
The unusual phenomenon was first noticed by eastern beekeepers starting last fall. Researchers, including some connected with the Penn State University College of Agricultural Sciences, have identified some of the possible contributors, but have not yet found a single cause. Initial studies on bee colonies experiencing the die-offs have revealed a large number of disease organisms, with most being "stress-related" diseases but without any one agent as the culprit. Climate chaos and extreme weather seem to be a major factor.
I would say yes..according to many articles I have read online..Here is text copied from one site
2007-08-26 00:47:15
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answer #4
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answered by pcbeachrat 7
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Yes, the British bee is slowly becoming extinct and commercially fruit growers are importing in bees from Europe for pollinating their trees and fruit bushes.
2007-08-26 09:34:06
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answer #5
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answered by Big wullie 4
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It has been reported that the honey bee population is declining. I know a beekeeper who says his hives are not as prolific as they had been in past years. Some say it has to do with cell towers, who knows.
2007-08-26 00:50:57
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answer #6
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answered by professor grey 7
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No, I don't think they are dying out. My cousin has a very healthy honey bee hive right now.
2007-08-26 00:22:16
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answer #7
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answered by Anonymous
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along with the Varroa mite, there's this....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_Collapse_Disorder
there IS a problem or two... our hope is that the bees recover and that man finds out what's wrong before the problems become to much to overcome and we lose our pollinators....
2007-08-26 00:45:49
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answer #8
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answered by meanolmaw 7
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i havent seen that many this year i think it must be all the rain
2007-08-28 08:49:55
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answer #9
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answered by Anonymous
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No. They are not listed as endangered.
2007-08-26 00:24:30
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answer #10
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answered by Anonymous
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