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Bees Wiped Out

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/are-mobile-phones-wiping-out-our-bees-444768.html

A report in the Independent about the posssibility of mobile radiation killing bees. Apparently "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".

So that's it. My mobile is off (and the battery removed), and until I need to get numbers off it's staying that way.
Chez

I think this is old news. Colony Collapse Disorder is a variant of the thing that causes 'spring decline' - Nosema. The CCD-variant is more vicious because it is a mutated form that originates in African Bees and which the honey bee doesn't have resistance too.

Add that to the not-great bee-keeping practices of our commercial American cousins and you have the disaster there.

The mobile phone thing is pure Daily Mail-ism Smile.
tahir

Chez wrote:
Add that to the not-great bee-keeping practices of our commercial American cousins and you have the disaster there.


That's the biggest problem as I understand it.
Mrs Fiddlesticks

Chez wrote:
I think this is old news. Colony Collapse Disorder is a variant of the thing that causes 'spring decline' - Nosema. The CCD-variant is more vicious because it is a mutated form that originates in African Bees and which the honey bee doesn't have resistance too.

Add that to the not-great bee-keeping practices of our commercial American cousins and you have the disaster there.

The mobile phone thing is pure Daily Mail-ism Smile.


agreed! Its known that bees don't like being under masts or overhead power cables but its not responsible for CCD
jocorless

You only have to search for pictures of bees on frames in Google and the american ones are obvious because the frames are very dark almost black - like this



Which means that the wax has not been changed regularly as it should look like this or just a little bit darker



Dark dirty brood combs can cause disease and its well known that many American beekeepers are using comb that well over 10 years old even 50 in some cases - Here in the UK its recommended you change comb atleast every 2 or 3 years
Yarrow

Well I'll be. Still, I knew the Independent had a new Iraq-War-supporting editor- I guess it's no surprise they should sink to 'DailyMail-isms'.

You don't think the phone thing is probable, then?
Jamanda

Yuk! Shocked

I found a potential new home for my potential bees last week - the vicarage community garden Very Happy
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