Humans are killing off honey bees, especially wild ones.

[Bullitt]

Humans are killing off honey bees, including wild bees. This has been named the "beepocalypse."

It is serious because bees pollinate many of the nuts, fruits, and vegetables that people eat.

http://science.time.com/2013/08/09/the-trouble-with-beekeeping-in-the-anthropocene/

 

[Peaches Lee]

So, because I'm lazy and I don't feel like reading that entire article, why are people killing bees (pesticides/herbicides, randomly destroying hives on purpose)?

 

[Bullitt]

So, because I'm lazy and I don't feel like reading that entire article, why are people killing bees (pesticides/herbicides, randomly destroying hives on purpose)?

Ha Ha! OK.

Yes, it is pesticides and other chemicals harming bees. It is also monoculture crops like corn that take away food sources for bees. It's better for bees when there is diversity.

There is also a problem with mites. It is theorized that the pesticides and starvation cause bees to be weak and more easily attacked by mites.

This is not in the article. The simple answer is that humans are taking over the planet. There are way too many people on planet Earth. It is estimated that there were 1.6 billion people on Earth in 1900, and now there are more than 7 billion people on Earth. That's a problem, and it is not sustainable.

 

[Peaches Lee]

Thank you for summarizing.

A man wanted to put some hives here on my farm and I think he said his colonies were destroyed by mites if I'm remembering this correctly. It's very disturbing news, and it makes me so glad that I don't use pesticides or chemicals on my garden. If I won the lottery I would buy up all the surrounding land so I could make a little chemical-free refuge for bees (and other animals). Human population though--ugh, that's a whole other ball park.

 

[Bullitt]

Thank you for summarizing.

A man wanted to put some hives here on my farm and I think he said his colonies were destroyed by mites if I'm remembering this correctly. It's very disturbing news, and it makes me so glad that I don't use pesticides or chemicals on my garden. If I won the lottery I would buy up all the surrounding land so I could make a little chemical-free refuge for bees (and other animals). Human population though--ugh, that's a whole other ball park.

No, human population is not a whole other ballpark. Human population has increased dramatically, so farming practices have changed to provide food for the world's population. It is the human population increase that has resulted in the declining bee population. (Also the extinction of many animals and other outcomes.)

The title of the article is "The Trouble with Beekeeping in the Anthropocene." The Anthropocene is the era of human domination.

There are too many people on this planet.

 

[Peaches Lee]

Right, what I meant was try to tell humans they aren't special enough to breed LOL! How on Earth are we going to decrease the human population in this era of entitlement?

 

[appps]

There was another thread on this. Lot of interesting info.

 

[Bullitt]

Right, what I meant was try to tell humans they aren't special enough to breed LOL! How on Earth are we going to decrease the human population in this era of entitlement?

Oh, I see.

Well, what is going to happen within the next 100 years (probably less) is that there will not be enough food for all the people on Earth, so people will begin starving.

Nature has a way of balancing itself. It's not conscious. It's like a balance scale that rights itself.

 

[Peaches Lee]

Oh, I see.

Well, what is going to happen within the next 100 years (probably less) is that there will not be enough food for all the people on Earth, so people will begin starving.

Nature has a way of balancing itself. It's not conscious. It's like a balance scale that rights itself.

And you know, the sad thing is, is that humans are never interested in prevention, they are interested in a cure.

 

[hemet dennis]

Quote: The cure is soylent green.