Mystery of the Bees, Karen Duncan

… Apicultors, (bee keepers), in several countries are reporting their colonies diminishing by the millions, a trend starting about four years ago.
An intriguing theory circulated the internet in 2007. Supposedly the
United Kingdom used genetic engineering to make a new strain of Brassica, (cabbage). Scientists modified the plant by adding a gene that upon ingestion, would kill specific insects. The new cabbage named Brassica bt, kills diamond-back moths and white cabbage caterpillars within forty-eight hours. By making
their primary food source poisonous, an entire insect species dies off but what
of the birds dependant on those insects for their food source?
Brassica bt is now grown worldwide. It is thought that the introduction of the
plant coincides with the disappearance of bees…
One of the most popular pesticides used today is fipronil. Consumers
know it as the active ingredient in any one of several household names: Combat, Chipco Choice, Max Force, Parathion, Regent, Termidor (for termites) and of course Frontline for fleas. Fipronil can also be found in agricultural use as Icon
TM, in Captan and Javelin, in organoposphate sprays and some fungicides.
To expand on fipronil’s dominance in pest control, it is registered in
California for use on golf courses, on soil, lawns, shrubs, may be
used in dairies, soft drink bottling plants, creameries, eating establishments,
zoos, on planes, buses and ships, in processed food and feed storage areas
and the home. Seventy more countries use fipronil for pest control but France banned it. Fipronil killed bees.
From the National Pesticide Information Center, “Much of fipronil’s success
is that it is slow-acting. When mixed with bait, an insect, (an ant or roach for
example), carries it back to the colony, and for the next three days, the kill rate is 95%. A low dose, (half the normal strength typically used), is toxic to bees.
Given its longevity on plants and pollen, it is suspected as a primary reason for dead bees. It [fipronil] ends up in honey and royal jelly.”
Excerpts from the Environmental Protection Agency report that a similar
neuro-toxin, Indoxocarb, (marketed as Steward and Avaunt), used to treat
pears, apples, cotton and corn is “highly toxic” to bees…
Most of what we know about “why” our insect friends are moving toward
extinction, is speculation. It’s hard to fault an industry that helps farmers bring
in economical, pest-free crops but if there’s the remotest possibility that “best
intentions” may someday culminate in crop failures, we might want to consider taking a step back.
Incredibly, an apicultor right in our area has found a way to make hives thrive.
Biggs resident, Malcolm Baker lost ninety percent of his bees last year – a devastating blow. After purchasing all new stock, he did alot of research and
came up with a two-prong system. First, Baker uses a fifteen second “machine” treatment that kills mites. In addition to this, he feeds his bees with a product
called Fuminol. “One pint costs $135.00″, he said, “but it makes one hundred gallons of syrup. My bees are all healthy now”. When asked what the insects
ate in the past, Baker said their food source was nature, eating honey created
by gathering pollen. It’s odd to think that when all is said and done, bees may
be dying from malnutrition – from the very plants we are growing to feed
ourselves…

GMO = pesticide reside, no? This is what I’ve come to believe, possibly erroneously. Nevertheless, until proven otherwise, it’s probably healthier to be sceptical.

Hilarious bee-sting post, esp Dog photo. “How Can I Help?” is always such a good expression!

According to my beekeeping pests book, I can get an idea of how bad the infestation is based on the amount of bees I put in the jar and how many mites I find. I double the percentage and that gives me an idea. Right now, we have less than 1% infestation.

We found four marked bees while we were checking the Kitty hive, and didn’t find any marked bees in the Olga hive. I sent emails to a university near the hives and no one there is doing any insect tagging, although, that’s not to say there isn’t a rogue entomologist out there tagging the bees.

We actually do have MN Hygenic bees, and they do help with the varroa mites, but they are not going to get rid of them completely.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, I am fascinated by the bee posts, especially the macrophotography and the stories of their behavior, but there is entirely too much work involved. And, when it comes to dumping 250 bees in a jar, shaking them up with powdered sugar, and making them all mad -

Well, better you than me, Beechick. I’m very impressed by your desire to check for mites without killing the bees, especially after your sting, but damn – you’ve got guts, girl!

Still, the purpose of educational posts like yours is not only to ENcourage people who might like to try something, it is to DIScourage those who realize it’s not for them, and what better way for me to learn that beekeeping is not for me than to read about your efforts.

Keep ‘em coming!

~Kathi