Ross’s Recent Comments

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  Voluntary Abandonment

  I think I can offer a couple comments in response to the questions above.

  Bees have definately been known to choose voluntary exile.  Such instances occur when the hive is over-run by small hive beetles (SHB) for instance.  In the case of Colony Collapse Disorder however, there is typically a queen and a handfull of very young bees that is all that is found left in the collapsed colony.  
  There is a CCD Working Group that has been collecting dead bees, honey, pollen, and frames of wax from hives that are believed to have fallen to CCD.  They have even taken healthy hives from the same bee yards to study and released a Preliminary Report back in December basically saying that there was no obvious single cause.  I don´t think we know much more than that now either, which leads me to think that it is the culmination of numerous stresses to the hive`s immunity that is weakening the bees to the point where they are succumbing to something like neonicotenoids or GMOs, when they can usually tolerate these things to a better extent when they are not in a weakened state.  

  My suggestion to anyone who wants to keep their bees from "dissappearing" is to simply do everything you can to support the health and immune system of the hive.  Very much like we need to do to take care of ourselves...eliminate the immune suppressing activities and enhance immune boosting things in order to give the bees (and ourselves) the best possible chance in life. In this way, the bees have much they can teach us.

  Ross

  On So far, small-scale, local-minded beekeepers have dodged hive collapse. posted 2 years, 7 months ago 19 Responses

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  HFCS

  Absolutely Tom. It is my understanding that not only is all corn syrup contaminated with genetic material (even organic corn has been shown to have a small level of contamination) but the process of manufacturing HFCS itself generates a some sugar molecules that are toxic to honey bees.  Apparently there are different types of HFCS and certain types impact the bee's immunity less than others. Add to this, the fact that when exposed to high temperatures HFCS degenerates and additional toxins are created by the molecules that matamorphosize in the corn syrup. Thus, while regular corn syrup can be expected to adversely impact the immune system of the bee, "bad batches" that have sat out in the hot sun too long will kill off even more hives than the HFCS feeding beekeepers normally experience as part of their "business".  Large scale commercial beekeepers are well aware of this "bad batch" danger but I assume that the low cost of the syrup when compared to other sugars and the reduced laber involved with feeding hives seems to offset the risks in their minds.

  Ross

  On So far, small-scale, local-minded beekeepers have dodged hive collapse. posted 2 years, 7 months ago 19 Responses

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  Bee-ing

  Natural pollenators have been on the decline too...for years due to the same things that effect honey bees, pollution, loss of habitat, climate change, pesticides, etc.
  The key thing about bees is that they are very prolific and typically establish hives of 30,000 individuals or more.  This allows them to outcompete other pollinators simply by the magnitude of their overwhelming numbers.  They also tend to stick to one type of flower during their foraging trips which makes them ideally suited to help the industrial ag businesses cover up for the fact that they have wiped out the majority of the natural pollinators through the use of industrial ag techniques.  
  I tend to agree that it is likely a combination of many things that has lead to the sudden and alarming number of bee conlonies collapsing in the past year or so.  The most interesting symptom is that affected hives have no older bees in them, dead or alive.  This seems to point to the fact that as the older foraging bees leave the hive, they lose their way and are unable to navigate back home.  Two things have been shown to affect bees in this manner...GMOs and a class of pesticides called neonicotinoids (related to nicotine).  Like GMO's, neonicotinoids are systemic and kill target pests that feed on the sap (or any other part of the plant). [One correction from above: BT toxins are what have been engineered into every cell of the GMO plant, not the BT bacteria). Interestingly enough, neonicatinoids are often used to coat the seeds of corn, cotton and canola (three of the main GMO crops).  My guess is that this is the last straw this is breaking the honey bee's back- after their immune systems have been weakened by an innumerable number of other insults.  Beekeepers that keep their operations at a "human scale" and manage their colonies in ways that enhance the bees immunity rather than compromise it are not being affected (so far) and hold the answer to the future of the ancient craft of apiculture.  I spell all this out and more in a book I am blessed to be publishing this summer through Chelsea Green called: Natural Beekeeping: Organic Approaches to Modern Apiculture.  Hope you forgive this shameless act of self promotion....

  Ross

  On So far, small-scale, local-minded beekeepers have dodged hive collapse. posted 2 years, 7 months ago 19 Responses