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permaculture - Re: [permaculture] Sampling of bee and other pollinator sightings this year by list subscribers wherever you are.

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: "John & Maia O'Brien" <johnandmaia@gmail.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Sampling of bee and other pollinator sightings this year by list subscribers wherever you are.
  • Date: Sat, 5 May 2012 15:15:13 -0700

I am located in Olympia, Wa. Over the last 6 years, members of the Olympia
Beekeepers Association have experienced average hive losses similar to
other areas: 30-37%.

Over this last winter, this leaped up to an alarming 75-85% of hives. It's
not just amateurs making in beginner mistakes (we've had a huge influx of
new students to our apprentice program), but includes experienced
professionals with 40-50 years of experience managing bees. In addition
bumblebees and other pollinators are way down. Some of the 12 native
species of bumblebees in Washington have seen decreases of 97%.

Just within the past few weeks this was published by xerces.org, Xerces
Society for Invertebrate Preservation

http://www.xerces.org/neonicotinoids-and-bees/

Ya think maybe they're related? Duh. Xerces thinks so. If you don't read
the entire 44 page pdf report, at least read the executive summary.

John O'Brien


On Sat, May 5, 2012 at 9:40 AM, Lawrence F. London, Jr. <
venaurafarm@bellsouth.net> wrote:

>
> A friend suggested I take a poll in the list to see what bees and other
> pollinators everyone has seen this year around the world. He lives in
> mid eastern NC and is alarmed at the lack of honeybees he has seen since
> early spring. He is on the edge of a vast truck farming region in the
> state but may of the crops grown are heavily dependent on pollinators
> and commercial beekeepers bring many thousands of hives to these farms
> each year, attempting to time their arrival and departure between
> pesticide applications.
>
> What pollinators have you seen where you are this year? more, less,
> bumper crop, none?
>
> I have plenty on my 6+ acres because I encourage them and have three
> small wet weather ponds. I have huge crops of wildflowers for them to
> gather pollen from and I leave them where they are and hope the stands
> will get bigger (daisies, goldenrod, tulip poplar, blackberries, wild
> roses, ragweed, eleagnus, wild cherry, wild plum and many more).
>
> LL
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