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A True Worldwide Disaster
in the Making?
Colony Collapse Disorder
California:
David Bradshaw has endured countless stings during his life as a
beekeeper, but he got the shock of his career when he opened his boxes
last month and found half of his 100 million bees missing.
From: Honeybees Vanish, Leaving Keepers in Peril - New York Times
In
the United States, about 30% of all food we consume requires
pollination by honey bees. But now honey bee collonies are
mysteriously emptying out without a trace. Fortunately,
wheat and corn are pollinated by the wind - or we might be in really
serious trouble. Here is a chart of bee pollination
percentages for some selected crops:
Europe:
The alarm was first sounded last autumn, but has now hit half of all
American states. The West Coast is thought to have lost 60 per cent
of its commercial bee population, with 70 per cent missing on the
East Coast. CCD has since spread to Germany,
Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece. And last week John
Chapple, one of London's biggest bee-keepers, announced that 23 of his
40 hives have been abruptly abandoned.
From: Are mobile phones wiping out our bees - Independent Online Edition Wildlife
Europe:
Five million honey bee colonies died in northern Croatia last
month. All within 48 hours. According to the (UK) Telegraph, Spain
has lost hundreds of thousands of bee colonies and losses have been
reported in Switzerland, Portugal, Greece, Turkey and Italy. Last fall
Poland lost 40 per cent of its bees.
From: Farm Focus CCD hits Europe
Continental
US: U.S. beekeepers in the past few months have lost
one-quarter of their colonies — or about five times the normal
winter losses — because of what scientists have dubbed Colony
Collapse Disorder. The problem started in November and seems
to have spread to 27 states, with similar collapses reported in
Brazil, Canada and parts of Europe.
From: FOXNews.com - Bee Colony Collapses Could Threaten U.S. Food Supply
Taipei, Taiwan:
Over the past two months, farmers in three parts of Taiwan have
reported most of their bees gone, the Chinese-language United Daily
News reported. Taiwan's TVBS television station said about 10
million bees had vanished in Taiwan.
From: Taiwan stung by millions of missing bees Tech&Sci Science Reuters.com
Honolulu, Hawaii: A
tiny mite that has devastated mainland honeybee populations showed up
in Honolulu hives for the first time this month and has now been
confirmed in bee colonies across Oahu.
From: Destructive mite threatens Hawaii bees - Science - MSNBC.com
Continental US In
some cases, beekeepers are losing 50 percent of their bees to the
disorder, with some suffering even higher losses. One beekeeper
alone lost 40,000,000 bees, Pettis said. Nationally, some 27 states have
reported the disorder, with billions of bees simply gone.
From: Vanishing honeybees mystify scientists - Science - MSNBC.com
Continental
US A Cornell University study has estimated that honeybees
annually pollinate more than $14 billion worth of seeds and crops in
the United States. These include such diverse food sources as
almond blossoms, pumpkins, cucumbers, raspberries, avocados, and
alfalfa. Unless something is done to protect the honeybee population
soon, many fruits and vegetables may disappear from the food chain.
From: Mysterious collapse of honeybee populations threatens national food supply
California:
Louise Rossberg's yard is littered with dead and empty hives. The bees
in more than 700 of her 800 hives have perished. Beekeepers in 35
states have been hit by the die-off.
From: Flight Of The Honeybee, Scientists Scramble To Find Out Why
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