Millions of Honeybees go missing

[Toliver]

The New York Times article - "Honeybees Vanish, Leaving Keepers in Peril "

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In 24 states throughout the country, beekeepers have gone through similar shocks as their bees have been disappearing inexplicably at an alarming rate, threatening not only their livelihoods but also the production of numerous crops, including California almonds, one of the nation’s most profitable.

“I have never seen anything like it,” Mr. Bradshaw, 50, said from an almond orchard here beginning to bloom. “Box after box after box are just empty. There’s nobody home.”

The sudden mysterious losses are highlighting the critical link that honeybees play in the long chain that gets fruit and vegetables to supermarkets and dinner tables across the country.

Is this just a natural cycle or has something gone terribly wrong with the bees?

“Every third bite we consume in our diet is dependent on a honeybee to pollinate that food,” said Zac Browning, vice president of the American Beekeeping Federation.

And if this trend continues, it will impact food prices in the marketplace.

[Chris Amirault]

This fantastic Daily Gullet article (click) provides some additional context.

Yikes.

[srhcb]

This fantastic Daily Gullet article (click) provides some additional context.

Yikes.

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From (click):

"Bees get ready for winter by storing food, kicking out male bees, and sealing the hive. (Male bees don't do any work, and so they are a drain on resources.)"

Maybe those "lazy" male bees weren't so expendable afterall?

SB (gotta get back to work! Hate to get home and find my "hive sealed" )

[chappie]

Am I wrong, or isn't it true that honeybees still haven't rebounded from the parasite epidemic that decimated them in the early 1990s or so?

When I was a kid running barefoot all summer, I'd get at least three stings a week from stepping on them as they foraged on clover. Then they all but disappeared entirely.

A few springs ago I was sitting at an outdoor cafe and noticed a bush covered in honeybees, noting how it was the first time I'd seen such a sight in years.

[KarenSherwood]

I think they've all come to AZ to visit my hummingbird feeders. Crazy but true, the poor hummers can't get a sip because the ends are COVERED with bees for most of every afternoon. It started a few days ago, when we hit 80 again. Happens every spring and fall.

We also have a very confused sparrow (I think it's a sparrow) who keeps trying to feed from one feeder but can't hover long enough for anything more than a hit & run. I've seen the hummers come up and chirp at the sparrow. "Dude, who do you think you are???" LOL