The world's population of honeybees is dwindling, and for years scientists have been trying to discover the cause. Bee researcher Dr. Daniel Favre thinks he may have found the problem, and you, dear reader, might be part of it. The doctor believes that mobile phones may be a major factor in bee colony decline, leading to massive population issues within the species.

Full story here.

Interesting. My dad is a beekeeper. He neve has any trouble with his bees. He says it's all about good bee keeping. Making sure they are ready for the winter and survive till spring.

He lives in a place where (outside tourist season) not many cell phone activity is going on. It's interesting finding. Because when the bees die, humans will also die. Therefore, it is interesting to see if we can find a solution, refrain from our cells, or just die with the bees..........

dJJ said:

Interesting. My dad is a beekeeper. He neve has any trouble with his bees. He says it's all about good bee keeping. Making sure they are ready for the winter and survive till spring.

He lives in a place where (outside tourist season) not many cell phone activity is going on. It's interesting finding. Because when the bees die, humans will also die. Therefore, it is interesting to see if we can find a solution, refrain from our cells, or just die with the bees..........

djj, is your father also in Amsterdam?

No, he lives at a beautiful countryside, only a mile from the sea.

There are beehives in Amsterdam that are actually doing pretty good.

dJJ said:

No, he lives at a beautiful countryside, only a mile from the sea.

There are beehives in Amsterdam that are actually doing pretty good.

Cool.

Sad if modern technology is yet again posting a threat.

Just saw the movie about bees with Queen Latifah and Dakota Fanning and the scenes with the two of them and the bees I just loved. I loved bugs a bunch as a kid and would let bees walk on my forearms in the fields near our house! Bugs are fascinating.

Well, I hate bugs.

Lammastide said:

By Mike Wehner – Fri May 13, 8:23 pm ET

The world's population of honeybees is dwindling, and for years scientists have been trying to discover the cause. Bee researcher Dr. Daniel Favre thinks he may have found the problem, and you, dear reader, might be part of it. The doctor believes that mobile phones may be a major factor in bee colony decline, leading to massive population issues within the species.

Full story here.

so when they put in their flightpaths to oneanother,

i guess cellphone activity is like an electromagnetic charge to them messin up their message and causin them to get the wrong info thereby forcin starvation

in the crew...

'scuse me, i gotta take this call...

i'm back. BEES CAUSE MORE DROPPED CALLS IN YOUR CELLPHONES THAN SUNSPOTS!!!

it's really a bit frightening. no bees means no pollination. no pollunation means a lot less plant life. if i remember my grade school science correctly, the less plant life, the less breathable air

[Edited 5/14/11 15:48pm]

I love bees, my mom keeps a small beehive under her porch.... they are bumble bees. So I planted mint, coneflowers and tickseed for them. They are fun to watch in the summer, and they never bother us, I noticed that the bees have a route they take daily depending on what's blooming.

I caught one recently and it smelled of lilac, I let it go to fly back under the porch. Love those bees, it makes me sad that so many beneficial insects are dying off.

We no longer see any lighting bugs were I live and the praying mantis have been wiped out in my area.

Cellphones killing honeybees? Interesting.

cborgman said:

it's really a bit frightening. no bees means no pollination. no pollunation means a lot less plant life. if i remember my grade school science correctly, the less plant life, the less breathable air

[Edited 5/14/11 15:48pm]

Well, the bees are not extinct yet. However, humans won't survive long after the bees are extinct, only a couple of months (depending on the season the bees extinct).

It's something I would have never thought or known about, if not for my father the beekeeper! I don't think it will come to that, no government is to let that happen.

dJJ said:

cborgman said:

it's really a bit frightening. no bees means no pollination. no pollunation means a lot less plant life. if i remember my grade school science correctly, the less plant life, the less breathable air

[Edited 5/14/11 15:48pm]

Well, the bees are not extinct yet. However, humans won't survive long after the bees are extinct, only a couple of months (depending on the season the bees extinct).

It's something I would have never thought or known about, if not for my father the beekeeper! I don't think it will come to that, no government is to let that happen.

yeah, but how do they not let it happen? we have nothing designed for artificially polinating in that amount do we?

No, there's no quiqk fix for the bees.

But don't worry. First there is May 21st. Then there's probably some meteorite that will hit the earth.

If not, we will get a new ocean soon due to the current accelerating Arctic ice melting, and get flooded (at least Amsterdam will be).

I mean, don't waist your time on worrying about problems you can't fix.

And enjoy the honey now it still available

Even if it's true, there's nothing we can do.

Sadly, mobile phones (I hate 'em and I barely use mine) are here to stay. I mean, for the big corporations, the bees can go to hell...

This is, of course, a lie.

If you want to know what is killing the honey bees, you just need to google.

http://en.wikipedia.org/w...othianidin

There's a start.

You can also google the EPA documents about this insecticide which detail how destructive it is. The manufacturer, Bayer, probably paid for the study to blame it on cell phones.

Yeah, it's not just the pesticides. Read an article about it last week, there are uneffected areas where there is spraying of the pesticides and there are areas affected and spraying is regular.

Furthermore, there is a recent Japanes invented crops protection, that goes in the soil, therefore in the plants and can't be erradicated easily anymore. However, if that's the cause; either still is debatable.

There's also spraying of pesticides near the heeves of my dad, and still he has no troubled bees at all.

The pesticides do play a role, however, there's also the idea that when you keep the bees healthy and make sure the queenbees are strong enough for the winter, they don't get infected.

Well, I know that he never had infected bees, at least.

paintedlady said:

I love bees, my mom keeps a small beehive under her porch.... they are bumble bees. So I planted mint, coneflowers and tickseed for them. They are fun to watch in the summer, and they never bother us, I noticed that the bees have a route they take daily depending on what's blooming.

I caught one recently and it smelled of lilac, I let it go to fly back under the porch. Love those bees, it makes me sad that so many beneficial insects are dying off.

We no longer see any lighting bugs were I live and the praying mantis have been wiped out in my area.

Cellphones killing honeybees? Interesting.

Oh that's so cute. Weren't you afraid it would sting you after you caught it? We've got yellow jackets and they are all over our place.

It is believed that there are several factors causing the Bee population to decline.

not just Mobile phones.

Here is an actual research Document from german scientists ref the Mobile Phone scenarion:

http://www.hese-project.o...ke_bbm.pdf

No-one knows for sure what is causing bee losses.

Explanations include: bad weather, pesticides, importing of non native bee species, viruses and a mite called Varroa. Neonicontinoids are a group of pesticides that have been linked to bee declines elsewhere in Europe as well.

In the US, Bee's are "Trucked" around to pollinate different area's. Something I didn't really know of until recently.

This is an interesting read:

http://news.nationalgeogr...ees_2.html

Sadly I think it could be down to Man messing with Nature for his own need in my opinion.

There are also not that many young beekeepers. The area my dad keeps them, there are a few, and they are all like me dad, in their 60's or older. When they die, I don't think there are younger people who will take over. It's a lot of work, and it takes a while before you get the ins and outs. Furthermore, it's not something you do for the money, it's okay, however not enough to provide for a whole family.

paintedlady said:

I love bees, my mom keeps a small beehive under her porch.... they are bumble bees. So I planted mint, coneflowers and tickseed for them. They are fun to watch in the summer, and they never bother us, I noticed that the bees have a route they take daily depending on what's blooming.

I caught one recently and it smelled of lilac, I let it go to fly back under the porch. Love those bees, it makes me sad that so many beneficial insects are dying off.

We no longer see any lighting bugs were I live and the praying mantis have been wiped out in my area.

Cellphones killing honeybees? Interesting.

Well, you sound like a natural beekeeper. Why don't you start you'r own hive and extract honey. It is really nice work, and you will have the best honey there is, all natural and from the flowers that you planted yourself!

If your interested, you could find a beekeeper in your area who could teach you about the queen, the honeyrates and all. You can just have one or two hyves as a hobby. My dad really enjoys it, and I understand why.

dJJ said:

paintedlady said:

I love bees, my mom keeps a small beehive under her porch.... they are bumble bees. So I planted mint, coneflowers and tickseed for them. They are fun to watch in the summer, and they never bother us, I noticed that the bees have a route they take daily depending on what's blooming.

I caught one recently and it smelled of lilac, I let it go to fly back under the porch. Love those bees, it makes me sad that so many beneficial insects are dying off.

We no longer see any lighting bugs were I live and the praying mantis have been wiped out in my area.

Cellphones killing honeybees? Interesting.

Well, you sound like a natural beekeeper. Why don't you start you'r own hive and extract honey. It is really nice work, and you will have the best honey there is, all natural and from the flowers that you planted yourself!

If your interested, you could find a beekeeper in your area who could teach you about the queen, the honeyrates and all. You can just have one or two hyves as a hobby. My dad really enjoys it, and I understand why.

I planted two apple trees yesterday and will be adding a hazelnut tree soon in a space that is in the heart of a city.

My mom raised us in a crummy apartment in the city, as a kid she had a beehive happen in the window and and she would collect a small chunk of the hive every fall, she was never stung, she taught me about bees.

Now I plan to add beehives and re-introduce species like parying mantis, lighting bugs back into the city were I live.

I live in south Boston, its all brick and cement here were I live, there's only 9% tree cover and the only insects that have taken over are the hornets which can flourish under cemeneted walkways. They kill bees.

So I got involved with some good people, I am a renter and own no land so I have to do what my mom did and plant small hives in good protected city gardens. I will be supported by a coalition of some good folks at the historical society of Massachusetts and Tech Boston. Their mission is to plant historic fruit trees that are un-hybridized (original strains) so their is more food, especially for the poor. So I am joining their mission and they are sticking me in a group with some eager tree huggers like me to do tree mapping and start re-planting and preserving the mature trees of South Boston.

I hope this works, I have three small gardens I will be revitalizing that are in public spaces, so I want to introduce a beehive centralized in the circumference of the gardens somewhere where the bees will have access and be allowed to re-populate.

I watch lots of PBS. It got me thinking... so finally with a new construction project of two huge housing developments, now I can finally make a difference and get these assholes where I live to put some money in the trees and get more bees in here. Pray for me ya'll.... I hope my little mission to get things more green works.

sorry about the long post.... but in Roxbury (where I used to live) a large honeybee nest was discovered (years ago in 2002 -sh ?) when it got too heavy and broke apart one wall an abandoned 6 story brick building in Dudley Square. They set a controlled fire to the remaining chunk of the 6 story hive. Then torn down the building. They killed hundreds of thousands of honey bees. It was the main bee nest of Boston and they devastated the bee population here when they killed those bees. We need more bees, and they need a home were people won't see them as a nuisance.

paintedlady said:

dJJ said:

Well, you sound like a natural beekeeper.

I planted two apple trees yesterday and will be adding a hazelnut tree soon in a space that is in the heart of a city.

My mom raised us in a crummy apartment in the city, as a kid she had a beehive happen in the window and and she would collect a small chunk of the hive every fall, she was never stung, she taught me about bees.

Now I plan to add beehives and re-introduce species like parying mantis, lighting bugs back into the city were I live.

I live in south Boston, its all brick and cement here were I live, there's only 9% tree cover and the only insects that have taken over are the hornets which can flourish under cemeneted walkways. They kill bees.

So I got involved with some good people, I am a renter and own no land so I have to do what my mom did and plant small hives in good protected city gardens. I will be supported by a coalition of some good folks at the historical society of Massachusetts and Tech Boston. Their mission is to plant historic fruit trees that are un-hybridized (original strains) so their is more food, especially for the poor. So I am joining their mission and they are sticking me in a group with some eager tree huggers like me to do tree mapping and start re-planting and preserving the mature trees of South Boston.

I hope this works, I have three small gardens I will be revitalizing that are in public spaces, so I want to introduce a beehive centralized in the circumference of the gardens somewhere where the bees will have access and be allowed to re-populate.

I watch lots of PBS. It got me thinking... so finally with a new construction project of two huge housing developments, now I can finally make a difference and get these assholes where I live to put some money in the trees and get more bees in here. Pray for me ya'll.... I hope my little mission to get things more green works.

sorry about the long post.... but in Roxbury (where I used to live) a large honeybee nest was discovered (years ago in 2002 -sh ?) when it got too heavy and broke apart one wall an abandoned 6 story brick building in Dudley Square. They set a controlled fire to the remaining chunk of the 6 story hive. Then torn down the building. They killed hundreds of thousands of honey bees. It was the main bee nest of Boston and they devastated the bee population here when they killed those bees. We need more bees, and they need a home were people won't see them as a nuisance.

You are great! People like you make the world a better place! You got my heart all warm and fuzzy now.

That is just such a great and good intervention plan. My dad has his hivesboxes on his own garden in winter. However, most of his hyves are on other's land. Farmers and in the dunes. He know these people, and they know that bees are pivotal for their crops and/or flowers.

Just to say, that you don't need to own land for beekeeping. You can have your hyves at land of others. I really respect your hard work to get South of Boston. In Amsterdam there a few beekeepers active, and are doing well. Your plan with keeping the hyves in your three gardens sounds like a good plan to me. Will you cooperate with a beekeeper who can donate a hyve to you?

I'm excited about your plan! Will you keep us posted on your hyves?

dJJ said:

paintedlady said:

I planted two apple trees yesterday and will be adding a hazelnut tree soon in a space that is in the heart of a city.

My mom raised us in a crummy apartment in the city, as a kid she had a beehive happen in the window and and she would collect a small chunk of the hive every fall, she was never stung, she taught me about bees.

Now I plan to add beehives and re-introduce species like parying mantis, lighting bugs back into the city were I live.

I live in south Boston, its all brick and cement here were I live, there's only 9% tree cover and the only insects that have taken over are the hornets which can flourish under cemeneted walkways. They kill bees.

So I got involved with some good people, I am a renter and own no land so I have to do what my mom did and plant small hives in good protected city gardens. I will be supported by a coalition of some good folks at the historical society of Massachusetts and Tech Boston. Their mission is to plant historic fruit trees that are un-hybridized (original strains) so their is more food, especially for the poor. So I am joining their mission and they are sticking me in a group with some eager tree huggers like me to do tree mapping and start re-planting and preserving the mature trees of South Boston.

I hope this works, I have three small gardens I will be revitalizing that are in public spaces, so I want to introduce a beehive centralized in the circumference of the gardens somewhere where the bees will have access and be allowed to re-populate.

I watch lots of PBS. It got me thinking... so finally with a new construction project of two huge housing developments, now I can finally make a difference and get these assholes where I live to put some money in the trees and get more bees in here. Pray for me ya'll.... I hope my little mission to get things more green works.

sorry about the long post.... but in Roxbury (where I used to live) a large honeybee nest was discovered (years ago in 2002 -sh ?) when it got too heavy and broke apart one wall an abandoned 6 story brick building in Dudley Square. They set a controlled fire to the remaining chunk of the 6 story hive. Then torn down the building. They killed hundreds of thousands of honey bees. It was the main bee nest of Boston and they devastated the bee population here when they killed those bees. We need more bees, and they need a home were people won't see them as a nuisance.

You are great! People like you make the world a better place! You got my heart all warm and fuzzy now.

That is just such a great and good intervention plan. My dad has his hivesboxes on his own garden in winter. However, most of his hyves are on other's land. Farmers and in the dunes. He know these people, and they know that bees are pivotal for their crops and/or flowers.

Just to say, that you don't need to own land for beekeeping. You can have your hyves at land of others. I really respect your hard work to get South of Boston. In Amsterdam there a few beekeepers active, and are doing well. Your plan with keeping the hyves in your three gardens sounds like a good plan to me. Will you cooperate with a beekeeper who can donate a hyve to you?

I'm excited about your plan! Will you keep us posted on your hyves?

OMG!! Yes, but I need to educate myself because I have limited knowledge and I don't want to put the bees I get in marm's way. I just want the bees to flourish and do what I can to keep the bees healthy and protected. Honey will be a plus ... if the honey the bees make will keep them protected then I need to make sure were they are housed will be a proteced place. The bees NEED to be in the city though, I pray I can keep bees along the shore line... the saltly air burns leaves and blooms... the garden spaces are walking distance from the shore lines.

More bees, more flowers.

Keeping a hyve near the dunes would be great! My dad's honey from the dunes is really good

And nothing more healthy than propolis! You even might quit your dayjob, and sell your honey. My dad sells his honey in jars from his house. A lot of people know this and go by. His house also is on a touristy route, so they buy his dune honey as well.

He also participated in a study after the effect of bee stings on ms. He still treats a lady with ms by having bees sting her in her leg. She improved significantly and can even walk a little!

Well, if you ever have a question, orgnote me, so I can ask my dad. He is very knowledgable about it. He has kept bees on and of for about 35 years. Last decade it's been his mail occupation and his bees do well.

and all the beekeepers I've met through my dad, just have been very nice and friendly people. So, if I were you, go out and search for a beekeeper for support. I'm sure he/she will love to teach you all about it. Only people who love bees do that, never met a beekeeper who was in it for the money.

They all do it for the love of it.

dJJ said:

and all the beekeepers I've met through my dad, just have been very nice and friendly people. So, if I were you, go out and search for a beekeeper for support. I'm sure he/she will love to teach you all about it. Only people who love bees do that, never met a beekeeper who was in it for the money.

They all do it for the love of it.

Those are the type of people who are filled with joy... those type of people are what I strive to become. Those people make the difference and add quality to life for all those around them.

I will take you up on your offer, I spoke to the director of South Boston Grows program and she knows a guy who can help me.

Its good to know about dune bees... my friend's boss also owns a few beehives. That woman owns her own school and has chickens and the kids eat the food they grow on the school grounds.

No bees, no fruit so the bees are crucial to the project I am working on.

thanks DJJ .... this is why I love the org. Its a great place to learn and network.

paintedlady said:

dJJ said:

and all the beekeepers I've met through my dad, just have been very nice and friendly people. So, if I were you, go out and search for a beekeeper for support. I'm sure he/she will love to teach you all about it. Only people who love bees do that, never met a beekeeper who was in it for the money.

They all do it for the love of it.

Those are the type of people who are filled with joy... those type of people are what I strive to become. Those people make the difference and add quality to life for all those around them.

I will take you up on your offer, I spoke to the director of South Boston Grows program and she knows a guy who can help me.

Its good to know about dune bees... my friend's boss also owns a few beehives. That woman owns her own school and has chickens and the kids eat the food they grow on the school grounds.

No bees, no fruit so the bees are crucial to the project I am working on.

thanks DJJ .... this is why I love the org. Its a great place to learn and network.

That's great news!

I just love your plan and the way you are going to make it work!

Breed your own hyves in your designated gardens in Boston and near the sea. Go for it!

My dad has contacts with farmers and fruit farmers, however also with the local government nature protection representatives. They foster a few nature park (Dutch size=very small to US standard ). Maybe there are similar opportunities in Boston. I've been there once when attending a congress, and I do remember wandering through a beautiful park. A perfect place for a beehyve. The hyves can be in a box in an enclosed area in a park like that. Make sure the city pays for the boxes and a small enclosed area. In return, you do the beekeeping and extract (and keep) the honey

Will you preserve your first spoons of honey forever in a special jar? Just as a remembrence of your aim in life: to be filled with joy and add quality to life for all those around you.

You really made my day! The idea that you will be out there, and in a few years even rotate the honeycombs to get the honey, I don't know it just excites me. Also because how the queenbee and the workers do their duty with dedication and such a clear task division and cooperation. It's just amazing. And the way they communicate and investigate. And than, the way they build these honeycombs, it's just so mindblowing perfect!

And for me it just associated with my dad whom I love dearly. As a kid I already was used to the always sticky honey everywhere; my dad in his white astronaut outfit and pipe, the honeycombs, the candles I made from these honeycombs (!), the combs dripping with honey that he wanted me to eat because he believes everything can be cured with honey.

True! No matter what complaint I have, he comes up with the solution to take a swim in the sea or put honey on it.

You made me realize what a great man my dad is, and how perfect bees are. And how great you are for having a heart for your city and realizing it needs bees to survive

Wish you well, and ask anything, I know my dad will be thrilled hearing about your story!

dJJ said:

paintedlady said:

Those are the type of people who are filled with joy... those type of people are what I strive to become. Those people make the difference and add quality to life for all those around them.

I will take you up on your offer, I spoke to the director of South Boston Grows program and she knows a guy who can help me.

Its good to know about dune bees... my friend's boss also owns a few beehives. That woman owns her own school and has chickens and the kids eat the food they grow on the school grounds.

No bees, no fruit so the bees are crucial to the project I am working on.

thanks DJJ .... this is why I love the org. Its a great place to learn and network.

That's great news!

I just love your plan and the way you are going to make it work!

Breed your own hyves in your designated gardens in Boston and near the sea. Go for it!

My dad has contacts with farmers and fruit farmers, however also with the local government nature protection representatives. They foster a few nature park (Dutch size=very small to US standard ). Maybe there are similar opportunities in Boston. I've been there once when attending a congress, and I do remember wandering through a beautiful park. A perfect place for a beehyve. The hyves can be in a box in an enclosed area in a park like that. Make sure the city pays for the boxes and a small enclosed area. In return, you do the beekeeping and extract (and keep) the honey

Will you preserve your first spoons of honey forever in a special jar? Just as a remembrence of your aim in life: to be filled with joy and add quality to life for all those around you.

You really made my day! The idea that you will be out there, and in a few years even rotate the honeycombs to get the honey, I don't know it just excites me. Also because how the queenbee and the workers do their duty with dedication and such a clear task division and cooperation. It's just amazing. And the way they communicate and investigate. And than, the way they build these honeycombs, it's just so mindblowing perfect!

And for me it just associated with my dad whom I love dearly. As a kid I already was used to the always sticky honey everywhere; my dad in his white astronaut outfit and pipe, the honeycombs, the candles I made from these honeycombs (!), the combs dripping with honey that he wanted me to eat because he believes everything can be cured with honey.

True! No matter what complaint I have, he comes up with the solution to take a swim in the sea or put honey on it.

You made me realize what a great man my dad is, and how perfect bees are. And how great you are for having a heart for your city and realizing it needs bees to survive

Wish you well, and ask anything, I know my dad will be thrilled hearing about your story!

There is going to be a meeting with the president of the architecual firm and the nuns I am working with in my son's school program (the Catholic Church has pull here and are connected) to begin a program for the kids that includes jarring fruits and honey. There are two known hives in two community vegetable gardens .... one is in this place on their land (Divinity Way) and they told me they need more hives and keepers. The nuns want the honey to be part of a teaching program for children... I think its a great idea so new generations can be educated. They want to expand the program to include more kids. Sister Ann told me they would like to have a least a few more hives.

They invited me to a fund raiser... golf tournament to be introduced to some folks that can help.

That's next month... I hope I can pull this off.

That is great news!

Ofcourse you can pull this off! Just make sure you post in advance, so all the orgers know when to burn a candle for you and send you all the positive thoughts in order to strenghten you in your pursue!

Do you have enough material and arguments for the fundraiser?

Bees are truly pivotal for humans to survive. Can you get in touch with a biologist from Harvard that specialises in this material? Someone like that can back you up with info for the fundraising. And might even want to hire your help as a beekeeper for a research project. Because it is an urgent matter, there will be research and therefore funding. Do you know anybody who could contact you at these institutions? Maybe you can work together with the architect, the school and a researcher. Make a project out of it, so you earn enough money for income and become a beekeeper with the support and materials you need. That would be soooo perfect.

I have an academic network, however, it's all psychology. And I don't know if it's even neccesary to have a network. You might also just e-mail a researcher, and tell about your ambitions as a beekeeper. And maybe there is a project that you could participate in, or you can inspire a researcher to initiate a beehyve research project. And will get funding for some money for you and the costs for the boxes, the jars, and other beekeeper gear you need (a little van to be able to drive around with the boxes). You never know, just go out there and get people involved and have them help and support you with your ideals and needs!

And try to get somebody from the city involved. That's always good to have them back you up. Not even necessary to participate, but as long as you have a contactperson that knows about your initiative is already a good thing. Keep them posted, because it is important for a city to have beehyves. They should be thankful for your enthousiasm and when you can infect them with it, and have the suport of the city, that will benefit the school, the architect, a possible researcher...

I do think you can pull this off. Because it is not just some personal hobby, it is actually really important for the community in the city. Allthough few people realize how important it is. I hope you can convey your enthousiasm and your message. Maybe you will have your first jar of honey sooner than we both ever would have guessed!

And it's great to involve your son. I loved it when my dad took me with him to his hyves and when I assisted him with rotating in order to get the honey.......

My dad gets a lot of hyves because people will call him when they have a hyve in their garden or land. Some people are afraid for the bees or just want to get rid of them, and my dad will come over and catches the hyves. I've been on these trips with him several times. It's always exciting, especially when he tells me to back of, because then I know it's an agressive hyve, and catching those hyves is a true adrenaline job.