Bee colony collapse disorder is a worldwide phenomenon decimating bee colonies worldwide. Bees, you see, are pretty important. Without them much of our food can’t be pollinated. And the true reason why America lost about one third of its bees last year is largely unknown. Some believe it’s because there is lack of pollen as crops producing nectar decline. Some others say conventional pesticides, while more recently European researchers are blaming cellular phone antennas and WiFi connections (which is also now linked to male infertility). But Israeli bee scientists aren’t buying the “radiation” link.
Israel’s Honeybee Council head Herzl Avigdor is skeptical of the link, reports Haaretz covering a honeybee conference in Israel. He says it is climate change, and viruses attacking bees’ weakened immune system. Knowing nature and the delicate balance it maintains, the real cause might be all of the above.
Whatever the reason, colonies are still collapsing. Israel has reportedly lost 30 percent of its bees, and the UK about 50%. Worldwide honey production is down 20%. This is scary stuff -– enough to get every day people starting bee colonies in their backyards and on their roofs.
Israel has ancient roots in beekeeping. Some answers might lie in the Holy Land: Read Miriam’s journey on how Israeli beekeepers are breeding bees back to their ancestral size.
::Haaretz
Read more about the bees:
Renegade Urban Beekeeping
Bee Stings Are Sweet in Israel
Organic Honey or Mass-Produced?
Image via orinrobertjhn
Author: Karin Kloosterman
Karin Kloosterman is an award-winning journalist and publisher that founded Green Prophet to unite a prosperous Middle East. She shows through her work that positive, inspiring dialogue creates action that impacts people, business and planet. She has published in thought-leading newspapers and magazines globally, owns an IoT tech chip patent, and is part of teams that build world-changing products to make agriculture and our planet more sustainable. Reach out directly to [email protected]
I as an insect toxicologist agree with David, according to many research findings Neonicotinoids made by Bayer are most responsible and please remember that bees that are going to be extinct soon, are not only for honey production but their main role is production of %30 of all food products by pollination and so a few years from now we will have one more billion hungry people on the planet! what we are doing to this beautiful planet?
Because it was a good technology?
Why do you think Monsanto bought the company that was researching / finding out why the bees that were dying.
Cell phones , wifi , bluetooth and other electric signals are dangerous to Bee colonies
I think pesticides – especially the neonicotinoids made by Bayer – have a big part to play in this.