Honeybees - more dead hives.

[monkeybird]

http://www.naturalnews.com/029483_be...s_decline.html

I have read about this for about 3 years or so. Seems the problem is getting worse. I found out first hand how important honeybees are for the fertilization of vegetables.

This is a serious matter, and very little has been written about it.

[eeyore]

Yes it is, most people don't even give them a second thought. People might even think it is a good thing because they won't get stung.

If you want an eye opener go on utube and see how much trouble it would be to pollinate by hand and then multiple it by the amount amount of plants need to survive. Even with one person doing it full time you would not have enough time.

[crossbow]

60 minutes and most of the MSM have done sements on the CCD( colony collapse disorder) in the past 4 years. My bees are really thriving this yr, last yr the bears came thru and after they got done, i just couldn't get the bees started again even after feeding them all fall and winter.

[Joangalt]

Our bees are doing well this year but I have a friend who has bees commercially (700+) hives and he is very nervous. We have quite a bit of honey already removed but to show you how technical we are with our bees, the main thing we do to keep them going is pray over them. So far so good. Last year my buddy lost well over 1/2 of his hives. I think everyone should have at least one hive if they are able. Honey is great barter material and the polination factor is without question the best thing you can do when growing your own food.

[Kat]

We've had bee hives for several years now. We couldn't believe how much more our orchards produced after we got them. They are fun to work with as well. After I saw a video of a beekeeper handling them the whole time without gloves I wasn't scared anymore. We have some friends that are not so comfortable around bees and I always tell them that if they can work with electricity, they can work with bees:) The honey's not bad either...

[crossbow]

We've had bee hives for several years now. We couldn't believe how much more our orchards produced after we got them. They are fun to work with as well. After I saw a video of a beekeeper handling them the whole time without gloves I wasn't scared anymore. We have some friends that are not so comfortable around bees and I always tell them that if they can work with electricity, they can work with bees:) The honey's not bad either...

I actually think it's good for me to get stung on the hands and knees a couple times a month, i do wear a veil though, i hate to get stung on the ears,nose,and lips. we love the honey and the smell of candles made from bees wax.

[Klayton]

Well honey bees are not your only pollinators. Unless your trying to harvest honey, you can do just as well by luring in masonry bees. Also, if you have a good water source, make a butterfly patch at both ends of your garden. The buterflies initially attracted to the senses of the selected flowers will also pollinate your veggies. I have done a little research on bees, wanting one day to have my own hive, and from what I can recall, there is a specific mite that is currently wreaking havoc on honey bees, and the "introduced" Japanese Wasp, aka Giant Hornet, can invade and kill an entire hive in less than one day. But its been a few years since I read up on beekeeping.