Are you at all worried about the bees?

Question

I believe that every living creature on the planet has a purpose, even some of the seemingly nasty ones. I'm surprised that there doesn't seem to be a great deal of concern over the bees. So are you worried about what will happen to our ecological system?

Answer 1

I am very worried for our bees.  Some plants rely solely on bees for pollination (orchids).  Without bees, or to take it a step further, or other insects around, flowers remain unpollinated and plants discontinue.  A lack of diversity in plant life leads to an even greater lack of diversity in wildlife.  It also raises the risk of mass disease, infestation, and extinction of the remaining plants.  It's not uncommon for entire cornfields to be lost to a disease, simply because there are no other plants there to prevent the disease from jumping from one stalk to the next.  I guess it sucks knowing this much, because you get to watch your world die, knowing that each and everything that dies off before you, has it better, because they won't suffer like we will.

Answer 2

Bees are not nasty creatures.  As a matter of fact, they are very sweet (pun intended)

I work for the Federal Government and am acutely aware of the bee problem.  I can't reveal details, because there is some Privacy Act information, but let me say that in the recent past, the US has been importing millions of bees from Australia and New Zealand, just to keep up with the collapse of the local hives.

Losing all bees could be a major ecological disater.  I don't foresee that we will lose our agriculture, but we will have to begin an impractical and costly hand-pollination process that will make our fresh produce very expensive and make us accelerate the immigration reform.

The two major suspects at this point  are wireless technologies and a parasitic mite.  It is not clear yet why this is happening, and the answers sometimes bring more questions to the table.

If the culprit is our wireless technology, maybe giving it away might not be necessary.  We could probably change the frequencies we use to a setting that does not interfere with the bee's homing devices.  Hopefully by doing that we won't start eliminating other creatures, leading whales to their deaths or sending birds migrating in the wrong direction.

If the problem is an invasive species like the mite, then we are in for a rough drive, because it will also infest the imported bees.  Invasive species, although not as mentioned as global warming, might be as serious of a problem, if not more.

One thing I can say is that there is a great deal of concern in the US Department of Agriculture and in the Department of Homeland Security over this situation.  It is just not being covered that much in the press.

Answer 3

There is good evidence cell phone transmissions may disrupt bee patterns are any of you willing to give them up?

We wont last 4 years without honney bees.

Answer 4

Yes I am very concerned about the bees. Insects will be some of the first to go extinct from toxins, viruses and bacteria. They are smallest and are the begining of it moving up the ecosystem.

Answer 5

We have to stop using wireless technology, because the frequencies of these technology is the reason why bees die before they get back to their hive, thus causing their population. Being dissappointed won't do anything good for these great insects. We can do less I know that, because we can't stop people from using their cellphones. If there would be a program for the bees then we should join those, so that we can atleast help. Donations for protecting the bees will help.

Answer 6

You should be worried more about why these bees are disappearing-because of the pollution in the air slowing them down from reaching their homes. We are destroying our earth and everything in it more everyday. All we can do is pray now-and pray hard.

Answer 7

I am very concerned about the disappearing bee population.  They are a vital link in our food chain.  There disappearance will have far reaching consequences for us all.  I am also concerned that it may be an environmental issue that will filter down to humans as well.

Answer 8

Yeah, I'm worried.

Answer 9

no, I don't worry about bees

Answer 10

Do I think about the bee situation everyday...NO. BUT do I think about it and other bad situations often, yes sir. I post stuff like that all over myspace hoping others will get the message and take it seriously. The sad thing is a lot of people don't read or watch the news etc. so they are not in the "know."

Answer 11

Yes, very much so.

There will be a decline in food crops.

Loss of many plant species.

Honeybees were brought to the United States in 1620. They have suffered die-offs before, but Never on the current scale.

I don't think most people care or worry over what is ultimately going to happen if a solution isn't found; and that is heartbreaking. Plant Loss, Famine....... !

Answer 12

I'm so glad you brought this up, the two species I'm (& we all should be) concerned about now, (among many) is bees and frogs.

Think about it, the major pollinator for over 86% of US food production and the number one consumer of pests are both dying off in HUGE numbers!

The mear idea of what that would do to us is staggering. Imagine major food shortages, a collapse in most every economy tied to lumber, flowers, clothing, food production, medicines (82% is made w/a flowering plant as its main ingredient), etc., etc. As well as swarms of roachs, flies, fleas, ants...and pretty much anything else on the diet of frogs.

SCARY!

I heard about this a while back and am in the prcess of planting as many flowers and providing as much of a good habitat for bees around my home as I can.

I only hope they find a solution to this soon.

Thanks for letting me answer your question.

Answer 13

Having grown up during the cold war I would have thought that a nuclear war was going to end the world as we know it. I never would have thought it would be the extinction of Honey Bees. Without pollination our agriculture will fade away to a dribble from the river of food that we can produce.

Can you imagine USA looking like Bangladesh? Starving children with swollen bellies and flies on their faces, not enough energy to swat them away. Man kind can not pollinate our crops artificially. We rely on bees for that. Fruit trees will become extinct because they can not produce.

Why the bees are becoming extinct I do not know, I think no one does for sure. Do the Mexican Killer bees have anything to do with it? Or is it just a coincidence that some bees have become aggressive and others are dieing out? What other trends are there that we don't know about?

Do you think it is a terrorist plot?