Huh, last week everyone was sure it was cell phone radiation:

Bees 'killed by mobile phone signals':

<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/04/16/nbees16.xml>

--

paco verde

Interesting,and scary article. I heard on a documentary few days ago that Einstein had opined that without Bees pollinating plants, and the knock on effect on animals etc etc that the Planet would only last 4 years. The scientists have since researched this and found although Einstein correct the time we will last as a Planet is 7 years !.

Does this scare you as much as myself ?. It is true apparently.

Alan

Its something we take for granted. That plant life somehow muddles on with pollination but without these little critters its a whole hell of a lot more difficult. I would be more concerned about this than even AIDS. Because without "food"... well, you can do the math.

Don't worry, the scientists will take care of it, they always do.

No, they won't be able to figure out how to pollinate plants without bees, they've tried and failed, but we'll all get some really cool gadgets with batteries that last 7 years.

So you see, problem sorted.

(Yes old-style cell phones with aerials - that's antennas to the uneducated - can kill bees. So can some walkie talkies. Curiously many insects won't come anywhere near a cell phone, and I've seen demonstrated the death pulse emitted by such if one lands on your hand held and you turn it on).

So, when a bee has a 'not so fresh' feeling, it is fatal, right ?

Alien Abduction... Nuff said.

"Huh, last week everyone was sure it was cell phone radiation"

I looked at that article and it didn't give me that impression at all. In fact, it specifically says:

"may be caused by radiation"

"British beekeepers have called for further research"

and

"Until someone does a large study, it is hard to be sure."

Colony collapse disorder is a term used generally. The strange fact is that the causes are general. Colonies die not because of one single problem, but because the combined effects of our civilization is too much for them. The same effects can be seen on the human population, but since human generations live longer, we can't see the effect now, but within a few generations the same ccd symptoms could be seen amongst humans. Colonies die because of the cumulative effects. The way to save them would be to take away enough damaging factors to let their environment stabilize. This would result in a better environment for humans too.

Biology is probably the science which suffers most from others meddling in it, as if brightness elsewhere has a bearing on the natural world. So stories by Albert on bees and their place in the world are worth as much as the man who told him this. As if you can go into some detail without understanding the basics because, well, I live so it comes natural.

This is the unfortunate thing with inteligent design etc, all the same symptoms. You hear physicists ask `hey that theory about evolution, when will you get the proof finished?' and similar.

>Alien Abduction... Nuff said.

They do say that bee abductions often result in the phenominum of 'Bee Mutilation' - quite often their bodies are strangely squished to make them look like wasps.

Has anyone done a study to check the population of wasps and done a comparison with bee populations?

I'll bet the results would make you as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

Dr Doggie