Pesticides + high fructose corn syrup = bee deaths + colony collapse disorder?

From Jason Louv, on Ultraculture:

Picture via Jason Louv’s Ultraculture blog. Click image to go there.

“Colony collapse disorder, or the widescale death of bees, has been a troubling marker of environmental degradation. Its cause has also remained a mystery, despite being blamed on everything from industrial pollution to cell phone tower radiation. (It’s likely a complex set of factors—Europe, for instance, is banning neonicotinoids, pesticides that have been linked to bee deaths.) However, a just-released study from the University of Illinois names a clear factor: beekeepers have been feeding bees high fructose corn syrup instead of honey (as they sell the honey).

Cell phones blamed for the bee deaths

From the Inhabitat website:

Bees seem to get confused by cellphone transmissions. Photo via Inhabitat website.

“Scientists may have found the cause of the world’s sudden dwindling population of bees – and cell phones may be to blame. Research conducted in Lausanne, Switzerland has shown that the signal from cell phones not only confuses bees, but also may lead to their death. Over 83 experiments have yielded the same results. With virtually most of the population of the United States (and the rest of the world) owning cell phones, the impact has been greatly noticeable.

Bees “entombing” pesticide-laden pollen in sealed cells, scientists say

From Fiona Harvey at The Guardian, a UK newspaper:

Entombed' pollen is identified as having sunken, wax-covered cells amid 'normal', uncapped cells. Photograph: Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, via The Guardian UK

“Honeybees are taking emergency measures to protect their hives from pesticides, in an extraordinary example of the natural world adapting swiftly to our depredations, according to a prominent bee expert.

Scientists have found numerous examples of a new phenomenon –bees “entombing” or sealing up hive cells full of pollen to put them out of use, and protect the rest of the hive from their contents. The pollen stored in the sealed-up cells has been found to contain dramatically higher levels of pesticides and other potentially harmful chemicals than the pollen stored in neighbouring cells, which is used to feed growing young bees.

Colony Collapse Disorder and pesticides — British government investigates link between bee deaths and farm chemicals

From Beyond Pesticides.org

(Beyond Pesticides, April 1, 2011) A British government scientist on Wednesday announced that he has ordered a review of a class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids, to determine what effects they may have on bee and pollinator health. Neonicotinoids, such as clothianidin and imidacloprid, have come under intense scrutiny recently due to concerns regarding their toxicity to honeybees, which are essential for a secure food supply in their role as crop pollinators. This has led some to suggest that chemicals such as these could be contributors to honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).

How YOU can help the bees

From PBS.org:

Backyard gardens can offer a welcome supply of nectar and pollen for honeybees. Photo via PBS.org

While researchers probe deeper into understanding CCD, or colony collapse disorder, and beekeepers work harder to improve bee health, ordinary citizens can help the honeybee too.

Go Retro — Become a Backyard Beekeeper

Over the years, our diets have increased the demand for a constant stream of all-season fruits and veggies. Such demand hasn’t bypassed the bees.

It’s turned bee pollination into a year-round service and beekeeping into a commercial industry.

Today, there are half as many beekeepers as there were two decades ago, and the remaining beekeepers are mostly large-scale pollination services with thousands of hives and millions of bees.