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nafex - [NAFEX] A bad year for bees?

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  • From: "William C. Garthright" <billg@inebraska.com>
  • To: NAFEX List <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [NAFEX] A bad year for bees?
  • Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2010 08:48:20 -0500

FYI, here's an article in the /San Diego News/ with the title, "Bees in more trouble than ever after bad winter":

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/mar/24/bees-in-more-trouble-than-ever-after-bad-winter/

or

http://tinyurl.com/yakrnrf

The first two paragraphs:


The mysterious 4-year-old crisis of disappearing honeybees is deepening. A quick federal survey indicates a heavy bee die-off this winter, while a new study shows honeybees' pollen and hives laden with pesticides.

Two federal agencies along with regulators in California and Canada are scrambling to figure out what is behind this relatively recent threat, ordering new research on pesticides used in fields and orchards. Federal courts are even weighing in this month, ruling that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency overlooked a requirement when allowing a pesticide on the market.



Luckily, I had lots of honey bees around last year, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed this year. I've been trying to establish a population of blue orchard (or mason) bees in my yard, but I haven't had any luck. Instead, I've been breeding tons of leaf-cutter bees, it seems.

Well, I'm glad to have leaf-cutter bees around, but they don't emerge as early as the blue orchard bees - or even as honey bees, apparently (at least, I usually see a few honey bees - only a few - around on my earliest-blooming fruit trees).

Bill
Lincoln, NE (zone 5)

http://garthright.blogspot.com/

--
Science has given us spaceflight, agriculture, computers, medicine, telescopes, and a deeper and quantitative understanding of the Universe from the quantum level out to its observable edge. Psychics have given us, well... y'know... um... oh! They make it easier for non-critical people to carry their now much-lighter wallets around. - Phil Plait




  • [NAFEX] A bad year for bees?, William C. Garthright, 03/26/2010

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