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I am a beekeeper. So, I care about bees. So before people start to throw that idea that we are all going to die from lack of pollinators, let's look at the fact
by mudil 11y ago
I am a beekeeper. So, I care about bees. So before people start to throw that idea that we are all going to die from lack of pollinators, let's look at the facts. Here's a good start:
"What decline? The number of honeybee hives in the world is at a record high. The number in Europe is higher than it was in the early 1990s when neonics were introduced. Hive mortality in Britain was unusually low in the year before the neonic ban. It’s a myth that honeybees are in dire straits." (Ref: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/article4227789.ece http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/article4227789.ece, full article here: http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/bees-and-pesticides.aspx http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/bees-and-pesticides.asp...)
I am not saying we don't have problems. Varroa mites is a serious problem (originally from Russia, where the spread of mites was controlled by long winter/cold temps, it is now a world wide problem). We have other infections, we have CCD, etc. But all in all, bees are just doing fine. Except that they are being trucked all over the country to pollinate almonds, apples, etc etc.
Consider this. If bees were dying in such record numbers, wouldn't you see significant rise in honey prices?
- HillRat 11y agoActually, honey prices have doubled since 2006 (http://www.honey.com/honey-industry/honey-industry-statistics/unit-honey-prices-by-month-wholesale http://www.honey.com/honey-industry/honey-industry-statistic...). That doesn't invalidate your other points, but there's definitely a sustained, long-term rise in prices, though the exact driver is not necessarily CCD.
- click170 11y agoWhich makes me wonder if honey producers are taking advantage of the scare to raise prices or if supply has in fact shrunk enough to raise the price.
- tptacek 11y agoPerhaps the better thing to look at is the cost of pollination services, or of honey bee queens. It's pretty easy to find pollination prices online.
- whyenot 11y agoNeonics may need to go away, but we also need to be a little careful about outlawing the best (safe, effective) group of systemic insecticides currently on the market. I don't keep bees but I do manage some research greenhouses filled with rare plants as part of my job, and sometimes systemic insecticides are the only tool that works.
- sliverstorm 11y agoConsider this. If bees were dying in such record numbers, wouldn't you see significant rise in honey prices? There's enough market control and price fixing going on in the world, that I can simply never put much faith in short term market price dynamics as an indicator.