next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects
--0-2013186958-1181102079=:88273 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit The current mysterious collapse of honey bee colonies is not restricted to North America. Beekeepers in Europe and elsewhere are confronted with vanishing bee colonies as well. There are no bees in many hives, not even dead ones. Similar colony collapses happened in the past, but those where more locally restricted and could often be traced back to a infestation of colonies with the Varroa mite. What is happening right now is still unclear. Parasites, viruses, environmental stress, insecticides, electromagnetic smog, all where thrown into the debate, but to this point there is still no conclusive answer or even a hint what is currently killing bee colonies. The potential problem we are facing is not the lack of honey for our breakfast toast. The big problem is that a lot of essential crop relies on honey bees for pollination. No honey bees could mean no vegetarian food for us and no feed for animals and no steaks for us........ For those interested: Varroa jacobsoni is a parasitic mite feeding on hemolymph (blood) of the bee’s larval and adult stages. Larvae are weakened or killed, and this results in a reduced reproductive rate and less vital worker bees. Without treatment a infested colony will eventually collapse within short time. The quite unique reproductive cycle of Varroa adds to the problem, since initial infestation with a single mite can be enough to end in disaster. Varroa is a known as a threat for honey bees for over 30 years. Back then the mite managed to cross the species barrier from its original host, a Asian bees species, to Apis mellifera our honey bee. The natural host evolved with the mite and can coexist with it due to behavioral and reproductive adaptations. In honey bees only the annual treatment of bee colonies with acaricides keeps the mite population below a critical number and the colony can more or less deal with the remaining infestation and survive. One side effect is that residues of the medication can be found in honey and bees wax, especially if beekeepers overdose to “be on the safe side”. Despite export restrictions, treatment, and all efforts to breed mite resistant bee lines varroatosis seems to be a global problem! The catch is that over time mites develop resistance to some of the current “medications” and colonies suddenly collapse without warning. In such cases hives populated in the Fall where empty in Spring, despite treatment. Right now the question remains if Varroa is again a player in the current bee crisis and if other stress factors on top of it may have pushed many colonies over the edge. Time may tell...... Ulli P.S. Bumble bees and other bee species are not infected by Varroa, and many other honey bee parasites and pathogenes will not bother them. However, other can but are unlikely to be transmitted. P.P.S. Hummingbirds can not replace bees as pollinators for a number of reasons. Plants are specialized for certain types of pollinators, some are even species specific. They just anatomically don't match, pollen wouldn't be picked up, or deposited in the wrong spot. Nectar of insect plants have different sugar concentrations from those serving hummers, and just like a diesel engine would not run on gasoline for very long a hummer wouldn't get the right fuel on those stations. There is a possibility that hummers visiting apple or other blossoms are picking insects up (source protein and fat for them and their offspring). A honeybee colony has 50000-60000 workerbees, even if only part of them are out foraging (and pollinating) at a given time there wouldn't be enough hummers to do their job. Similar is the number imbalance comparing honey bee and bumble bee colonies ~ 1:100 at best --------------------------------- Never miss an email again! Yahoo! Toolbar alerts you the instant new Mail arrives. Check it out. --0-2013186958-1181102079=:88273 Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit The current mysterious collapse of honey bee colonies is not restricted to North America. Beekeepers in Europe and elsewhere are confronted with vanishing bee colonies as well. There are no bees in many hives, not even dead ones. Similar colony collapses happened in the past, but those where more locally restricted and could often be traced back to a infestation of colonies with the Varroa mite. What is happening right now is still unclear. Parasites, viruses, environmental stress, insecticides, electromagnetic smog, all where thrown into the debate, but to this point there is still no conclusive answer or even a hint what is currently killing bee colonies. <br><br>The potential problem we are facing is not the lack of honey for our breakfast toast. The big problem is that a lot of essential crop relies on honey bees for pollination. No honey bees could mean no vegetarian food for us and no feed for animals and no steaks for us........<br><br>For those interested: Varroa jacobsoni is a parasitic mite feeding on hemolymph (blood) of the bee’s larval and adult stages. Larvae are weakened or killed, and this results in a reduced reproductive rate and less vital worker bees. Without treatment a infested colony will eventually collapse within short time. The quite unique reproductive cycle of Varroa adds to the problem, since initial infestation with a single mite can be enough to end in disaster.<br><br>Varroa is a known as a threat for honey bees for over 30 years. Back then the mite managed to cross the species barrier from its original host, a Asian bees species, to Apis mellifera our honey bee. The natural host evolved with the mite and can coexist with it due to behavioral and reproductive adaptations. In honey bees only the annual treatment of bee colonies with acaricides keeps the mite population below a critical number and the colony can more or less deal with the remaining infestation and survive. One side effect is that residues of the medication can be found in honey and bees wax, especially if beekeepers overdose to “be on the safe side”. Despite export restrictions, treatment, and all efforts to breed mite resistant bee lines varroatosis seems to be a global problem!<br><br>The catch is that over time mites develop resistance to some of the current “medications” and colonies suddenly collapse without warning. In such cases hives populated in the Fall where empty in Spring, despite treatment.<br><br>Right now the question remains if Varroa is again a player in the current bee crisis and if other stress factors on top of it may have pushed many colonies over the edge. Time may tell......<br><br>Ulli<br><br>P.S. Bumble bees and other bee species are not infected by Varroa, and many other honey bee parasites and pathogenes will not bother them. However, other can but are unlikely to be transmitted.<br>P.P.S. Hummingbirds can not replace bees as pollinators for a number of reasons. Plants are specialized for certain types of pollinators, some are even species specific. They just anatomically don't match, pollen wouldn't be picked up, or deposited in the wrong spot. Nectar of insect plants have different sugar concentrations from those serving hummers, and just like a diesel engine would not run on gasoline for very long a hummer wouldn't get the right fuel on those stations. There is a possibility that hummers visiting apple or other blossoms are picking insects up (source protein and fat for them and their offspring).<br>A honeybee colony has 50000-60000 workerbees, even if only part of them are out foraging (and pollinating) at a given time there wouldn't be enough hummers to do their job. Similar is the number imbalance comparing honey bee and bumble bee colonies ~ 1:100 at best <br><p>  <hr size=1>Never miss an email again!
Yahoo! Toolbar alerts you the instant new Mail arrives.<a href=" http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=49937/*http://tools.search.yahoo.com/toolbar/features/mail/"> Check it out.</a> --0-2013186958-1181102079=:88273--
next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects