Did you know that the colony collapse disorder is not affecting organic bee hives?
March 7th, 2009 | by beekeeper |
Here is a quote and a link http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_5194.cfm
Sharon Labchuk is a longtime environmental activist and part-time organic beekeeper from Prince Edward Island. She has twice run for a seat in Ottawa’s House of Commons, making strong showings around 5% for Canada’s fledgling Green Party. She is also leader of the provincial wing of her party. In a widely circulated email, she wrote:
“I’m on an organic beekeeping list of about 1,000 people, mostly Americans, and no one in the organic beekeeping world, including commercial beekeepers, is reporting colony collapse on this list. The problem with the big commercial guys is that they put pesticides in their hives to fumigate for varroa mites, and they feed antibiotics to the bees. They also haul the hives by truck all over the place to make more money with pollination services, which stresses the colonies.”
beekeeper
2 Responses to “Did you know that the colony collapse disorder is not affecting organic bee hives?”
By morris on Mar 9, 2009 | Reply
The colonies are not collapsing here in Mi . The beekeepers move the hives to orchards and blueberry fields to pollinate the crop. They report that they have not lost any more colonies than normal. Keep in mind that it is not natural for bees to live in hives like this. Some orchards and farmers do not pay for the keepers to bring hives. Then the farm is truely natural and serviced by wild colonies of bees, and they are doing fine also around here.
By Advisorpro06 on Mar 9, 2009 | Reply
I’m an organic beekeeper who has not used “apistan” strips of any other pesticide (actually, miticide) to control varroa mites. So far (knock on my wooden beehives…), I have not lost any bees to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).
Perhaps there is something to the notion that organic beekeepers will not be as broadly impacted by CCD as those who use miticides. So far, the report by Sharon Labchuk is getting most of the press on this story at the moment. Having said that, while I can’t say that ALL organic beekeepers are not being affected, I would cautiously say at this point (and I believe this is the best anyone can say for now…) that it certainly appears organic beekeepers are being impacted less than those who DO use apistan or other miticides.
Regardless, honey bees all over North America HAVE been disappering lately. In Pennsylvania alone, it is estimated that 75% of the honeybees have died in recent months.
- While the exact mechanisms of CCD remain unknown, malnutrition, pesticides, pathogens, immunodeficiencies, mites, fungus, genetically modified (GM) crops, stress from being moved all over the country, and electromagnetic radiation have all been proposed as causative agents.
But what we DO know is that if CCD wipes out all the honeybees - we’re in a HEAP of trouble.
- It seems that a very high percentage (25-90%) of the bees are simply disappearing and not returning to the hive. No one is sure at this time what the cause is, but, we do have the following clues, effects, and speculations:
- CCD was first reported in America in mid-November 2006
- The effect of CCD is that millions of bees have simply vanished, leaving unborn bees beehind. In most cases, all that’s left in the hives are the doomed offspring (not enough bees stay to keep the hive flourishing). Dead bees are typically nowhere to be found - they just vanish.
- Nearly all surviving bees afflicted by CCD carry multiple fungal infections, indicating that the bees are being immunosuppressed.
- in many instances, neighboring bees and other critters are not even raiding the collapsed hives (ie, going after the honey) as would be expected. This suggests the presence of a deterrent chemical or toxin in affected hives.
- beekeepers who frequently moved their hives (ie, to orchards for pollination) appear more likely to be afflicted.
- The genome of the honeybee is yielding some clues. Researchers have compared it with that of other insects, including the fruit fly and the mosquito. They have found that bees cannot make an enzyme that other insects use to help eliminate toxins from the body. This could leave bees at risk of poisoning.
- genetically modified plants are suspected to be the culprit, and may be creating what I would call a “cascading effect” in a complex cycle that causes bees to become infected by other diseases. Some hive survivors (scant few) have been found with multiple infections. Because of this, some researchers are working on the idea that the insects’ immune systems have failed.
- During the week of April 23rd, the US Department of Agriculture convened a workshop of apiarists and federal and university scientists to suggest some answers.
- some experts like Dee Lusby claim that the size of the honey bee might be a factor in CCD - but I respectfully disagree. I don’t think size has anything to do with it - besides - Dee is prejudiced in this view since she has been working to produce smaller bees for years now. While the technique for producing smaller bees may help reduce the risk of mite infections, I think it’s way too early to tell if it’s also a preventative factor of CCD. My bees are larger than Dee’s, and they’re doing just fine.
Some crops are completely dependent on honeybees, and since most honeybees are owned by beekeepers, this loss will have a serious impact on food production.
And all of this follows close on the heels of the crises that seemed to be only worsening in recent years because of the varroa and tracheal mites:…