For the Beekeepers on here.

Any of you seen this? Is about the Vanishing of the honeybees and possible causes of CCD. Looks like Systemic Pesticide may be the main contributor.

https://youtu.be/n4ddWBEHlpo

Silent Spring anyone?

I haven’t watched the video yet but pesticides have been shown to be the issue for the last few years. It’s getting every farmer, Gardner and lawn warrior to stop spraying that’s the challenge. Bees are not the only insects/animals that are being harmed.

I didn't watch the video but I remember some program years ago about someplace that was having to pollinate the fruit trees or something similar by hand due to the lack of bees.

3rd year beekeeper here. And they are amazing insects and you would be surprised at the amount of parasites and diseases there is that kills them.

Wife and I planted a butterfly garden last year. Saw a bunch of honey bees this year on stuff. And it is amazing at how much caterpillars can eat in a day

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Originally Posted by RoadrashPaul

I haven’t watched the video yet but pesticides have been shown to be the issue for the last few years. It’s getting every farmer, Gardner and lawn warrior to stop spraying that’s the challenge. Bees are not the only insects/animals that are being harmed.

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No but they are the main pollinators for most crops and they are sort of like the canary's in mines, early warning systems to pending danger.

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Originally Posted by Dixie-Raven

No but they are the main pollinators for most crops and they are sort of like the canary's in mines, early warning systems to pending danger.

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I agree fully. I am on my second year with hives.

I have 2 hives of Australian Native bees. in the process of duplicating one of them to make that 3.

Tetragonula Hokingsii is the scientific name if you want to look them up.

Really cool little bees, much smaller than honey bees, and very safe because they don’t have stings.

The attached photo is of the brood section, the large blob is a honey pot. So far I havent raided mine for honey but may do so this coming summer. Being so small, you only get maybe 2 lbs of honey per year from each hive. But it is delicious and unique flavour.

And yes all bees are badly affected by pesticides, and are vital pollinators for many food crops. More farmers here are contracting with native bee hive owners to bring hives into their orchards etc at flowering time to pollinate them.

Excessive use of extremely cheap neonicotinoid insecticides are the primary culprit. Most other insecticides used today are far less toxic to pollinators than what was used 30 years ago. Pretty much impossible to register a bee toxic insecticide today.

Part time beekeeper here. Our biggest issue is mites. Literally all the treatments we do are for them. While pesticides may kill them while out in the fields. Mites chew holes in them and lay eggs on their larva. Every time a new batch of bees hatch, the mites do too. The mite bites leave them vulnerable to diseases that kill them. Lowering population until the hive freezes to death in the colder months.