K_Y_L_E Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 get it bee careful.....whatever Heard this last night on AM radio, interesting. Apparently over 50% of californias honeybee population has died in the last 6 months. This is due to some asian mite that is killing them. The mite is resistant to pesticides. The effects of this would be severly diminished seeded fruit crops (berries, watermellons, citrus, etc) to the point where the would just not be available anymore. But one of the biggest worries is for the almond growers of california, who produce 80% of the WORLDS almond crop. I guess this is not isolated to California either (worldwide problem). It has gotten so bad that California is asking that anyone who has hives heed that call. Anyone hear about this? Wacky I tell ya!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunglehead Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 Same thing is happening in Orygun. Too bad, I like fruit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 Varroa Mite infestations are not new The price of honey doubled in 1997, the last time there was a big infestation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EWolfe Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 get it bee careful.....whatever anyone who has hives heed that call. I get hives just thinking about it! Get it?.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterMo Posted March 29, 2005 Share Posted March 29, 2005 That or something similar struck here a while back. Pretty much did in the local beekeepers. Besides honeybees I notice that mud dauber Wasps are in short supply. I'm curious why Yellow Jacket and bald faced Hornet populations seem unaffected. I wouldn't be suprised if pesticides and all that other junk are a big part of the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbw1966 Posted March 29, 2005 Share Posted March 29, 2005 I have a small hive in my backyard that has only seem a small amount of activity since we bought this house. Any bee afficianodos in the Portland area wanna provide some beta for helping these guys out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catbirdseat Posted March 29, 2005 Share Posted March 29, 2005 In the Seattle area there are almost no honey bees. We rely on mason bees, bumble bees and bee flies for pollination of our fruit trees. The latter are not even bees, but they seem to be getting the job done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbw1966 Posted March 29, 2005 Share Posted March 29, 2005 I'm pretty sure the bees that use my little hive are mason bees. But I am not by any means knowledgable about bees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catbirdseat Posted March 29, 2005 Share Posted March 29, 2005 I thought that mason bees were a solitary species that reproduce by boring a hole in rotten wood and laying a single egg in each. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra_Commander Posted March 29, 2005 Share Posted March 29, 2005 don't forget your beekeeper suit cbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catbirdseat Posted March 29, 2005 Share Posted March 29, 2005 That would definitely do the trick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbw1966 Posted March 29, 2005 Share Posted March 29, 2005 I thought that mason bees were a solitary species that reproduce by boring a hole in rotten wood and laying a single egg in each. Not according to the research I came across last night. I happened across a website for a hive designed for mason bees that is similar to the one that was on my house when we bought it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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