Where are the bees?

[eaglesprings]

I wasn't sure if this should be a "current event" dealing with the environment, or a "hobby" dealing with gardening. Anyway,

I stepped out to visit with a neighbor today and she was complaining about the lack of bees and butterflies this year. She had read an article recently that there is a real shortage of bees and butterflies, and scientists can't explain why. She's planted all sorts of plants to attract bees and butterflies, but hasn't seen any.

I commented that some flowers we have around our mailbox haven't bloomed this year, and she told me the reason is because we have a bee shortage. The plants aren't getting pollinated. This is causing major concern for farmers. It could effect our food supply.

Come to think of it, I haven't seen a hummingbird this year, either.

So, where are all our little work horse insects? I guess we don't realize we need them until we miss them.

Is anyone familiar with this topic? It's kind of new ground for me.

[Wilson]

I have a friend who's husband contracted West Nile Virus last year, here in The Woodlands. This year, she has called and called and called about the lack of Mosquito spraying; she was finally told that this area was over sprayed badly and it would be years before it would be effective again. Essentially, like most anything else, the mosquitoes became immune to the spray because it was overused. And I know that I've read information linking the mosquito spraying to the eradication of many beneficial insects.

[eaglesprings]

Sounds kind of like a "can't win for losing" situation. The mosquitos are already vicious this year. Husband has been spraying our own yard, but I'm thinking of asking him to stop.

What is the name of the plant that is a mosquito repellent? Maybe I could plant some of those around the yard. I assume it wouldn't be harmful to bees, butterflies, fireflies, etc?

[natvtxn]

I've got several hummingbirds hanging around in AB. Saw a TON of butterflies and bees in west Texas this past weekend. I did see on the news about the bees dissappearing.

[11Linda11]

I've had hummingbirds recently. Wasps, too. No bumble bees yet. :confused:

Tons of mosquitos though. :p

[eaglesprings]

We've had wasps, too.

I miss my little honey bees around my mailbox. And, I miss my hummingbird that usually comes to see me every year. I haven't put up a hummingbird feeder in years, but the little fellow usually still pays us a visit. He would fly right up to us "just to say hi."

[Wilson]

Citronella or Citrosa, I think? plants are thought to be mosquito repellants, but I understand that they don't do any good just sitting there... you'd have to crush the leaves and rub them onto your skin (testing a small area to make sure there is no reaction, first!).

[eaglesprings]

Hmmmm.....no, I was looking for something that would keep them out of the yard all together.

I guess I could get a bat house. Tough choice: Rabies or West Nile! And, do bats also eat bees and butterflies?

[Wilson]

A bat house, properly installed, would be the best thing.

Bat diet:
http://www.batdetective.com/batseat.htm

Bats and rabies:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies/bats_&_rabies/bats&.htm

I don't worry about rabies from bats any more than the neighbor's dogs. In other words, I don't worry about it ;).

[eaglesprings]

That's a lot of info. I'd want bats that only do the aerial thing (mosquitos) and leave the bees and butterflies alone.

I'll have to take some time to look through those sites, but I think I want a bat house. This will, of course, mean getting husband to agree. And, he'll be the one installing it, I'm sure, since I don't know the difference between a hammer and a screwdriver.

[FamilyGal]

Maybe the spraying for mosquitoes has killed some of them. Come to think of it, I haven't seen many around either. Or lightning bugs. I'm convinced the county spraying killed most of those.

As far as bat houses, I have a few extra in my garage. My husband used to make and sell them. They are VERY nice quality. PM me if you are interested. I'm sure he will be happy to GIVE it to you just to get it out of the garage.

[eaglesprings]

How high up do you need to hang bat houses?

Yes, I would be interested, but I really don't know much about them yet.

[herself]

We have lots of hummingbirds here.

Butterflies do as much pollinating as bees do.


I looked into the bee problem a month or so ago
http://herselfshoustongarden.com/2007/04/bee-colony-collapse-disorder.html


There is a mite from Asia that is attacking our bees. Not a big deal usually and the mites aren't actually killing the bees. It may be that the bees are so stressed the mites put them over the edge. Or that the pesticides the bee keepers use to kill the mites are harming the bees.

The organic bee keepers are claiming they are not yet experiencing CCD. It is hitting lots of bee keepers in North America and the Europeans are starting to see it.

Genetic engineers have been breeding pesticides in to farm crops to eliminate the need for dusting etc. I don't know if these crops are out in common use yet? If so they may be a part of the problem.

This has happened before. It comes around every so often like the flu.

[eaglesprings]

So, herself, you think this is a temporary problem, or a "seasonal" problem? Will I have bees next Summer? Or, hopefully, later this summer?

[eaglesprings]

Husband is not too interested about the bat house idea. Maybe with a little more research. I think he is worried that it will involve work for him, and no guarantee we'd even get any bats to move in.

We also have cats. Our oldest's first kill was a bat. So, I'm not sure if we should try to attract them or not. Seems kind of unfair to invite them in only to have the cats kill them.

[FamilyGal]

The bathouse is so far up I don't think the cats catching them will be a problem.

[herself]

I think this is just as temporary as the last dozen or so times it has happened.

Also I'm not seeing reports of bees in the wild being missing or bees from organic keepers having CCD.

I think the commercial bee keepers may have just been trying to do too much with too little and are paying the price now.

[eaglesprings]

times: I hope that's true. After reading a few articles on the issue, it seems there are as many "experts" on the subject saying this is a normal cycle as there are those sounding a warning. Still, if I can find some natural things to do around the house to replace chemicals that we use, I'm all in favor of it.

FamilyGal: I haven't given up on the bathouse idea, yet. But, it will involve husband hanging it if it's too far up in a tree. I'm not even sure we have a ladder tall enough. Our yard isn't real large, either, so I'm not sure if that will be a problem. I've got a little more research to do so I can approach husband better "armed." LOL!

[herself]

There are serious profits to be made by crying 'the sky is falling'!

Preachers say 'the end is near, the second coming is upon us' and get filthy rich ( see Farwell, Robertson, Baker &c )

Global Warming people saying 'the end is near, we'll cook' and how much do you think Al Gore is making per speech? And the scientist grants do you see any poor global warming scientists? W says the 'end is near the terrorists will kill us all' and wow Haliburton sure made a few pennies off that one.

Now the 'end is near' because again we have CCD. Right.

Remember in the 1970s when the end was near because:
The ice age is coming
The birds will all die from ddt there is nothing we can do to stop it
Over population, we won't have enough food we'll all starve
The US and USSR will nuke each other and kill all life
Everything we ate caused cancer, we're all gonna die
Pollution was going to kill us and all the fish
We would run out of oil in a few years and then what would we do?
&c

Any one screams the end is near, you should assume there is money being made - not science, not religion and there is very little truth involved.

Doomsday is big business and has been for centuries.

[eaglesprings]

Well, I can certainly see that point! LOL! Follow the money trail!

But, suppose some of those dire warnings changed things enough that the "end" didn't happen, after all?

Just a theory, of course.

[herself]

We are still here. The dire warnings never ever come to be.

The last several times CCD struck bee keepers people did not starve, life went on.

As it will this time and through all the future doom and gloom predictions.

[ernie]

I think eaglesprings has a point - if there wasn't all that clamour back in the 70s I think somethings would have happen. The ddt thing was killing birds and pollution was killing off fish and laws were passed to prevent further distruction.

ps: the ice age is coming - herself's reference to cyclical nature of things is a case in point for an ice age - and let's not forget that Yellowstone is 30,000 years overdue! But there is nothing about it.

[herself]

2000's Global Warming
1970s Ice age cometh


Same song and dance only thing that changes is who to make out the check to.

[ernie]

You are correct - there will always be profiteers working the crowd, but then I was very involved in the 70s rule-making processes and many a bird and water way were in fact preserved.

[herself]

And we fixed the ozone hole. And got rid of most the nasty coal plants, and rivers no longer catch fire. We've come a long way and continue to do so despite our climbing population.

If the bad things happening are really a threat we will find a way to fix it and work together to do so as we have done in the past.

If it is just hype, it will fix itself.

Either way there is nothing to panic about.

The Chinese have documented several centuries of Bee Colony Collapse disorder, we've documented at least two in this country. Long before cell phones, mass pesticide use and genetically engineered crops. Amazingly the human race did not starve and is still here.