The problem is characterized by the sudden widespread disappearance of commercial bees used to pollinate crops, as if they've flown away from the hive and refused to come back, according to U.S. agricultural analysts.
Some 24 U.S. states have reported massive bee losses, far beyond anything considered normal in the winter die-off.
Beekeepers in parts of British Columbia are the latest to report unusually high winter losses, joining those in Ontario's Niagara Region reporting losses up to 90 per cent in some cases. But it's unclear whether these localized incidents are evidence that Canada is suffering from colony collapse disorder.
"I don't know how we can know for sure that we don't have something when we don't know what it is," said Ed Nowek, president of the Canadian Honey Council, the national industry association. "We've got some cases in the Okanagan where people are suspicious there's a link."
Whatever the cause, Nowek says there's good reason to worry.
"For this spring, we could see shortages of spring bees for pollination," Nowek said. That could lead to crops losses, especially for B.C. blueberries, as well as cranberries and canola seeds in the prairie provinces, he said. In Ontario, bees help pollinate cherries and pears. "The loss, over and above the cost to the beekeeper, can be exponential."
Conventional theories about why the bees are disappearing range from stress to poor nutrition.
http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/204247
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Cellular Phone Uses Linked To Bee Deaths
Posted on Wednesday, April 18 at 10:26 by 4CanadaContributed By
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"We are all in this together somehow, some more than others somehow"
Looks to me like the bees got smart and quit working for the man.
Is it possible that GMO's along with RF's from cell phones may hand in hand be leading to the demise of the bee?
This in turn will affect the rate of pollination.....
Also if GMO corn is affecting bee's GI systems whats it doing to us who consume it on a much greater scale.
While I'm concerned for the bees what the hell are we doing letting "them" feed us this crap. Consider GMO's that are made resistant to the "pests" that eat them. these so called pests have been eating them for Jebus only knows how long and all of a sudden they don't wanna eat them anymore? What business do we have munching this crap?
I would like to point out that while I have no solid proof to my theories they remain just that-theories. But roll it 'round that noggin of yours and you'll find maybe logic can tell you more than science sometimes can.
through an artform that grows living cells into masses of flesh. Hugly yucky. <br />
But, it is very thought provoking and is meant to be. It can be viewed on <br />
Youtube and here's the link to Vision TV. The show will repeat on Apr.23. <br />
<br />
I'm devastated that the bees are being destroyed no matter how that is being <br />
accomplished. My first instincts do say GMOs and monocultures. We are <br />
destroying the diversity that contributes to a strong immune system in all living <br />
creatures.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.visiontv.ca/Programs/current_affairs_360.html">http://www.visiontv.ca/Programs/current_affairs_360.html</a><p>---<br>"The most sustainable product is the one you never bought in the first place."<br />
Alex Steffan
The bees come into direct contact with the pollen.
When was the last time you ever saw a bee using a cell phone?
I didn't think so.
Also, has anything similar affected the native bumble bee population?
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The two most common things in the universe are apparently Hydrogen and stupidity.
(...) On a recent conference call, Dr. Carlo laid the blame for the sudden demise (often within 72 hours) of entire bee colonies on the recent proliferation of electromagnetic waves (EMF). He cited the startling statistic that, at present, there are some 2.5 billion cell phone users around the world. <br />
<br />
While this (plus the explosive growth of cell phone towers) used to be the major concern, the problem has been significantly exacerbated by the recent introduction of satellite radio. Imagine being closeted in a confined environment filled with chain smokers; it would be impossible for you to get a breath of clean air. It is becoming equally difficult for you to avoid the now-measurable damage from EMF exposure. <br />
<br />
Dr. Carlo commented that the constant electromagnetic background noise seems to disrupt intercellular communication within individual bees, such that many of them cannot find their way back to the hive. His conclusions are confirmed by a recent study conducted by three departments of Panjab University (India), which has found that cell phone towers - the dominant source of electromagnetic radiation in the city of Chandigarh - could well be the cause behind the mysterious disappearance of butterflies, some insects (like bees), and birds. <br />
<br />
Andrew Weil, M.D., author of "Spontaneous Healing and 8 Weeks to Optimum Health," fully agrees: "Electromagnetic pollution may be the most significant form of pollution human activity has produced in this century, all the more dangerous because it is invisible and insensible." <br />
<br />
In some countries, up to 10 percent of the population suffers from a serious EMF-induced condition that Dr. Carlo and others call membrane sensitivity syndrome. In a recent address to the Health, Social Services and Housing Sub-Panel in the United Kingdom, Carlo explained: "Originally, this type of condition was the result of high chemical exposures; we used to call it chemical sensitivity. Now we have identified the same type of condition in patients who are exposed to various types of electromagnetic radiation. It is a medical problem. People who have membrane sensitivity syndrome have internal bleeding. They can be in a room where somebody puts on a cell phone, and they will end up having an immediate reaction; they will go home and they will bleed and in their stool they will have blood. This condition is very debilitating. It prevents these people from being able to work; they cannot earn a living, they have difficult relationships with their children, their spouses give up on them. .. It is a very, very serious medical problem." <br />
<br />
The bees are the modern-day counterpart of the canaries that miners used to carry with them as they descended into the mine shafts. If the birds died, it was an early warning of a buildup of toxic gases in the mine. When canaries die or bees disappear, we are being cautioned that we too are in immediate danger. It is time to listen to the message nature is telling us. Denial - the favorite ploy of those whose profits are being threatened - is no longer an option. <br />
<br />
As Arthur Schopenhauer said, "All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." I shudder to think of what will become of humankind if we linger too long in stage two: "no more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man." (...) <br />
<br />
There is a huge body of research on bees from Germany that has never been considered in the UK. This research shows that bees carry magnesomes in their underbelly and are thus highly sensitive to magnetic fields. They communicate and navigate via electromagnetic frequencies. The German researchers consider bees to be bio indicators for the biological effects of radiation. They are the canaries in the coal mine. The current environment with microwave radiation levels billions of times higher than the natural background levels is like putting a fish in a poisoned pond. The bees try to escape the radiation and get lost and exhausted.<br />
Sperm whales use sonar, but a powerful blast from a US navy frigate will cause them to become disoriented and end up dying on a beach. Or getting hit by a container ship.
Cellular signals are very powerful, and have only been at extreme frequencies for a few short years. We don't know what effect they can have. It's as good a theory as any, right now.
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