Waters did you see this re:bees? - cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board

SteelBlue · 05-07-2008, 02:23 PM

Loss of commercial hives even greater this year than last; 36%.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/05/06/d....ap/index.html

MikeWaters · 05-07-2008, 02:32 PM

doesn't surprise me. Half of all beehives in America go to Califonia for the almond crop. That's a toxic situation. It's all about greed, and people bringing new parasites and pests that attack bees into America. Like small hive beetle.

il Padrino Ute · 05-07-2008, 07:58 PM

My Grandpa, who had several hives on his dairy farm, told me that the loss of honeybees would be more devastating to the citizens of this country than accidents at nuclear power plants. (This was after the Three Mile Island situation in '79.)

SteelBlue · 05-07-2008, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by il Padrino Ute

My Grandpa, who had several hives on his dairy farm, told me that the loss of honeybees would be more devastating to the citizens of this country than accidents at nuclear power plants. (This was after the Three Mile Island situation in '79.)

Well, we may be finding out in the next few years if your grandpa knew what he was talking about.

MikeWaters · 05-07-2008, 08:46 PM

get a beehive. it's easy and cool.

Indy Coug · 05-07-2008, 09:00 PM

OK, this probably is an ignorant question, but is there any way to manipulate the production of queen bees to seed new hives and try to stimulate more reproduction to try to offset the huge mortality rates?

MikeWaters · 05-07-2008, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indy Coug

OK, this probably is an ignorant question, but is there any way to manipulate the production of queen bees to seed new hives and try to stimulate more reproduction to try to offset the huge mortality rates?

bees are super-organisms. One bee by itself cannot reproduce. A queen and a drone cannot reproduce. Only a queen, a drone, and a number of worker bees can reproduce, by creating another queen, drones, and worker bees.

So bee "breeders" use different techniques to increase the number of bee colonies. For example, they can split a hive, and often the split without the queen can create a new queen by feeding a new larvae royal jelly. the queen flies out, mates, comes back and lays her own eggs.

You can manipulate hives to create lots of queens, and sell them. So that's how I can buy a queen from producers. That is shipped with a number of worker bees with her to feed her.

Indy Coug · 05-07-2008, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

bees are super-organisms. One bee by itself cannot reproduce. A queen and a drone cannot reproduce. Only a queen, a drone, and a number of worker bees can reproduce, by creating another queen, drones, and worker bees.

So bee "breeders" use different techniques to increase the number of bee colonies. For example, they can split a hive, and often the split without the queen can create a new queen by feeding a new larvae royal jelly. the queen flies out, mates, comes back and lays her own eggs.

You can manipulate hives to create lots of queens, and sell them. So that's how I can buy a queen from producers. That is shipped with a number of worker bees with her to feed her.

Thanks for the info. So do you think they can up the utilization of this technique enough to offset the high bee mortality rate?

MikeWaters · 05-07-2008, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indy Coug

Thanks for the info. So do you think they can up the utilization of this technique enough to offset the high bee mortality rate?

they did last year.

the main thing is that the price of bees has and will increase.

the amount that a beekeeper will charge to send his bees out to pollinate has also increased.

So there are financial incentives in place to increase bee production.

But not all people out there can absorb the sticker-shock. It's like gas prices. Some businesses will not make it.

If you haven't seen the movie "Ulee's Gold" I suggest you watch it. And understand that the perils bees face now compared to the time of the movie are much greater.

il Padrino Ute · 05-07-2008, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteelBlue

Well, we may be finding out in the next few years if your grandpa knew what he was talking about.

Agreed, though I'm biased and tend to believe my Grandpa on matters such as this. Dairy farmers have their crap together on stuff like this.

05-07-2008, 02:23 PM	#1
SteelBlue Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Norcal Posts: 5,821	Waters did you see this re:bees? Loss of commercial hives even greater this year than last; 36%. http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/05/06/d....ap/index.html

05-07-2008, 07:58 PM	#3
il Padrino Ute Board Pinhead Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: In the basement of my house, Murray, Utah. Posts: 15,941	My Grandpa, who had several hives on his dairy farm, told me that the loss of honeybees would be more devastating to the citizens of this country than accidents at nuclear power plants. (This was after the Three Mile Island situation in '79.) __________________ "The beauty of baseball is not having to explain it." - Chuck Shriver "This is now the joke that stupid people laugh at." - Christopher Hitchens on IQ jokes about GWB.

05-07-2008, 09:00 PM	#6
Indy Coug Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Between Iraq and a hard place Posts: 7,569	OK, this probably is an ignorant question, but is there any way to manipulate the production of queen bees to seed new hives and try to stimulate more reproduction to try to offset the huge mortality rates? Last edited by Indy Coug; 05-07-2008 at 09:04 PM.

05-07-2008, 02:32 PM	#2
MikeWaters Demiurge Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 36,365	doesn't surprise me. Half of all beehives in America go to Califonia for the almond crop. That's a toxic situation. It's all about greed, and people bringing new parasites and pests that attack bees into America. Like small hive beetle.

05-07-2008, 08:46 PM	#5
MikeWaters Demiurge Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 36,365	get a beehive. it's easy and cool.