Do you know that most of the US Honey Bees have died off recently?

Question

They think that genetically altered crops might be the cause, though the companies that make the seeds for these crops and most of the corporate companies that wholesale grow them ignore these claims and keep right on trucking. Do you think that this obvious display of corporate-bottom-line-greed will harm our agriculture permanently?

Answer 1

They think it is the radio waves from cell phones that are causing the death of millions of bees.

Answer 2

Though the cause has not been found for CCD yet, some thoughts are, from those in the bee keeping community, that a number of issues or working together in this problem.

Organic bee keepers (yep, there are some) say that one issue is the cleaning and chemical sanitation of hives. The chemicals used, esp. in the control of mites, is leaving a residue that hurts the bees and also may be making a stronger genetic variety of mite. This has always been an issue with any insecticide, that, like nature, the poisons don't kill all and the ones left are immune to it and stronger. They pass this on to subsequent generations. That along with the residues and weakened bee is a part of the problem. Also, these keepes give their bees antibiotics as a general preventative practice, and the problem there is, while trying to keep them well, antibiotics do the same thing I mentioned earlier. They do not kill all the disease, and the ones not killed are stronger, now immune, and pass on these genetics. Now the keeper has to play flip-flop with antibiotic families. This is the same problem as with people and this is purported to be the cause/ rise of super bacteria like the "flesh-eating" kind.  Now consider also, some bee keepers are using hives constructed with an oversize honey comb set-up that forces the bee to make a larger baby bee from the larvae laid from the queen. The thought is "busy as a bee! A BIGGER bee!". Another issue brought into play. Then also the bee keepers rent hives, this is what they do. It is big business, and a huge amount of food is produced from the pollination of bees. These hives are hauled all over the place, and that makes a huge stress on a hive. They have to then work an orchard that has been sprayed, and oiled, and dusted, etc, and though bee keepers try to be very careful not to expose their little workers to chemicals, some farm owners might not be completely "correct" in their use, or timing, or documentation of products used. An even organic growers with organic ways and materials, still have an impact on the insects. Keep in mind, a hive in nature sets up and grows in an area, and does well if the area is good for it, in nature. That hive may spread out if the area is a very good one, in nature. We put them here and there, and here and there, good or not so good, and un-naturally; they have no choice but to be forced to survive or not. Then they don't come home and the few that die in the nest are not well; they call it CCD, colony collapse disorder.

There was something mentioned about the possibility of a problem with genetically engineered crops and the bee problem. The link is not there because the problem occurs more often away from these crops, nothing to do with it.

The above information is paraphrased from an article I read in this weeks "Vitality" newspaper, but I did not get the authors name. I will update when I do.

Updated, the author was Paul Watson

Answer 3

There're also theories that changes in the Earth's magnetic field (by man, like cell towers, or natural magnetic swaps) are causing the bees to get lost and die.  There aren't enough genetically engineered crop growers to harm the bees; it must be a larger event or reason.  I subscribe to the magnetic fields notion.

Answer 4

I had not heard that theory about the cause of the bee die off.  Interesting.  I wonder if its true.  The bee die off could be a gigantic economic disaster, whatever the cause.