Topic: Are mobile phones wiping out our bees?

[The Gulleysucker]

Interesting. I think I've read similar rumblings about this in the past somewhere on a beekeepers forum.

This part does seem a plausible connection ..  "Bees can be exposed in two primary ways: through nectar from plants and through high-fructose corn syrup beekeepers use to feed their bees. Since most U.S.-grown corn has been treated with imidacloprid, it’s also found in corn syrup."

You really do have to ensure that any food you give the bees is absolutely pure and unprocessed.

I'm not sure the resurrecting of the old Nazi associations in the article was needed to make the point though.

[Corkboy]

I'm not sure the resurrecting of the old Nazi associations in the article was needed to make the point though.

Yeah, that was a bit excessive.

[The Gulleysucker]

Baited up one of my empty hives the other day and just picked up a swarm 20 minutes ago...perfect.

A swarm in May is worth a load of hay..

<a href="http://v6.tinypic.com/player.swf?file=2pocs5e&amp;s=6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://v6.tinypic.com/player.swf?file=2pocs5e&amp;s=6</a>

For those terrified of bees, as you can see, I walked into the middle of the swarm while filming, no beekeeping suit, and they are totally harmless and just ignore me.

[Crosby Nick]

Baited up one of my empty hives the other day and just picked up a swarm 20 minutes ago...perfect.

A swarm in May is worth a load of hay..

For those terrified of bees, as you can see, I walked into the middle of the swarm while filming, no beekeeping suit, and they are totally harmless and just ignore me.

I can't see that footage at work but will watch it later.

How does baiting a hive work? Interesting topic that i know very little about. Did there happen to be a swarm coimiung past looking for a new gaff? How does that work? Or does one bee stumble across it and then fly back for the rest of them? Sorry if these sound like stupid questions!

I get quite a few bees in my garden in the summer. We have a few shrubby plants that when they flower attract loads (well 10+) bees at a time. Fascinating to watch them and as you say, never feel like a threat.

[The Gulleysucker]

Not stupid questions at all.

How does baiting a hive work?

You can buy commercial attractant, but I just get a jam jar, put in a few tablespoons of pure honey and then fill 3/4 full with with pure icing sugar, add a few drops of lemon juice and then fill up with hot water and give it a good stir. Using a pastry brush I then paint the inside bits, the wax foundation in the frames to give them their technical term, with this solution.

Did there happen to be a swarm coimiung past looking for a new gaff? How does that work?

Sort of.

The theory is that when the worker bees are out foraging for pollen and nectar, if they discover somewhere that looks suitable for a hive they remember it and it's then probably communicated to the rest of the hive within their dance. (yes bees dance! It's a complex language that people are still trying to fully decode to understand)

Then at around this time of the year, depending on lots of other things like if the hive is becoming cramped, the colony may decide to split and while part remains in the old hive, the other part ie the swarm, stock up on stores and then head off to wherever they decide is the best location, hopefully the empty hive that you have baited up.

Of course they don't always get it right, and so end up on trees in peoples gardens or in chimneys and such.

[Corkboy]

Commonly used pesticide turns honey bees into 'picky eaters'.

[Lawnmowerman]

For those terrified of bees, as you can see, I walked into the middle of the swarm while filming, no beekeeping suit, and they are totally harmless and just ignore me.

I look after the grounds of a convent and they've started keeping bees since last year. I have to mow right beside their hives, cutting across their 'flightpath' (think its called that) into the hives, and they dont seem too pushed by me presence, or having to avoid me when they're flying in, or the noise of the mowers

[The Gulleysucker]

I look after the grounds of a convent and they've started keeping bees since last year. I have to mow right beside their hives, cutting across their 'flightpath' (think its called that) into the hives, and they dont seem too pushed by me presence, or having to avoid me when they're flying in, or the noise of the mowers

Yes, they're usually fine with that sort of thing.
It's only if the hive is disturbed or has been recently disturbed thay tend to get a bit twitchy but even then, unless you are poking around in it, the ones flying in and out are usually too busy to start trouble. It's the specialised guard bees for hive protection lurking on the porch that will attack first.
Watch out with neat petrol though, the fumes kill them. It's actually a way of killing off diseased colonies, a saucer of neat petrol below the bottom chamber.

[lachesis]

Gulley as the resident expert on bees - I'm doing the garden up at the moment and we're getting a lot of bees or wasps. I can't tell the difference. I'm convinced they are wasps, she reckons bees. Anyway, their behaviour patterns have been to largely ignore the flowers and hover round the mud and sod I'm tilling. They arse about then drift away. As soon as I turn over more sod, they return - don't know if it's the moisture or smell (no smell registers to my nose). They're not aggressive, but when there's 8/9 of them I tend to shit a bit and go inside. They are active in the same area most of the day. They stop occasionally on the flowers but not frequently. That's about as much insect information as I can give you - they're not round like bumblebees though. What do you think?

Anyway, onto point two I was thinking of constructing a bee hotel if they are indeed bees. Are they likely to be used? Also what's the law on housing bees with regards to neighbours etc? Also I don't want a swarm nesting there obviously, but wouldn't mind helping out 10-15 passing travellers - possible or will a colony think fuck this, new gaff and we're in?

[Lawnmowerman]

Yes, they're usually fine with that sort of thing.
It's only if the hive is disturbed or has been recently disturbed thay tend to get a bit twitchy but even then, unless you are poking around in it, the ones flying in and out are usually too busy to start trouble. It's the specialised guard bees for hive protection lurking on the porch that will attack first.
Watch out with neat petrol though, the fumes kill them. It's actually a way of killing off diseased colonies, a saucer of neat petrol below the bottom chamber.

Cheers, had no idea

[The Gulleysucker]

The order is huge and has many varieties that specialise, but this is what a typical wasp as far as most people are concerned looks like....



but this is a honey bee..



Without positive identification from you to go on I'm not sure what the ones you are seeing might be but honey bees do collect water for the hive and I have seen small groups of them, say about 8 or so, go to moist soil, or even places where the dog has pissed on our gravel path.

Worker bees during their lives tend go through quite specific phases of jobs, one of which will be collecting water, so quite possibly these water carriers may be turning up mob handed if one of them locates a source such as your recently overturned soil.

As for the bee hotel idea, I wouldn't worry too much about honey bee swarms as these hotel things are just not designed for honey bees, the internal dimensions are all wrong and honey bees tend to be very picky over such details so it's highly unlikely you would get a swarm attracted to one.

The hotels are largely designed for the different types of bumble bees of which there are many. See here...http://bumblebeeconservation.org/

All these different types tend to specialise in different flowers/crops, bumbles generally have much longer tongues than honey bees so actually contribute a bit more to pollination diversity.

But I will say these hotels are well worth it for conservation and ensuring variety.

[Corkboy]

For a literary take on what the world might be like if the bees fuck off, try Generation A, Douglas Coupland.

[lachesis]

The order is huge and has many varieties that specialise, but this is what a typical wasp as far as most people are concerned looks like....

Cheers mate, think they are honey bees going off what I've seen of them now the past couple of days. Think I might just adopt a beehive or something instead now. Still looking round to see options

[MHLC]

EU imposes 2 year ban on the use of neonicotinoids in crops attractive to bees.

Anyone at all surprised to see a Tory minister line up behind the chemical industry lobby in opposing a ban on a pesticide known to act as a nerve-agent on bees?

[richiedouglas]

EU imposes 2 year ban on the use of neonicotinoids in crops attractive to bees.

Anyone at all surprised to see a Tory minister line up behind the chemical industry lobby in opposing a ban on a pesticide known to act as a nerve-agent on bees?

Really disappointed in our government and really impressed with the EU. My only hope is they're not replaced by something equally as bad.

[MHLC]

My only hope is they're not replaced by something equally as bad.

Pesticides? Or Tories?

[richiedouglas]

Pesticides? Or Tories?

Haha both

[CheshireDave]

What's the difference between a honey bee (like pictured above) and a bumble bee (as in the massive round fat guys)?

Do they both produce honey? Are they just a different breed?

Because I have seen a few bee hives and there never seems to be loads of the big round guys in a hive.

[The Gulleysucker]

What's the difference ....

Very simply, the clue's in the name.

Honey Bees are the only type of Bees that also produce honey from nectar as a food for themselves during hard times and also as a supplement to feed their young, hence their name.

All the rest (there's 30 or so different types of Bee in the UK) such as Bumbles only produce what is called Bee Bread, a much simpler pollen/nectar mix with which to feed their young.

By late summer, after they've raised their young, Bumble colonies are finished and the surviving Queens, just like Queen Wasps and Hornets, find a place to hibernate in solitude for the winter to then, if they survive, wake up and start all over again the following spring.

Honey bees don't hibernate, hence their need to make provision of a  food that will last them through winter.

[Crosby Nick]

Seeing a lot of bumble bees in our garden at the moment (unless it's the same one over and over again!). Good to see as I keep reading how their numbers have dropped massively.

[CheshireDave]

Informative. Thanks. I now know where to come if I have any bee related questions.

[Ziltoid]

Seeing a lot of bumble bees in our garden at the moment (unless it's the same one over and over again!). Good to see as I keep reading how their numbers have dropped massively.

There's one (maybe two) down the narrow path to the kids school.  Big fuckers.  Always fly out of the wall as you're wandering down and scare the bejeezus out of us.

[Lucas DuoFlush]

Gulleysucker, I was wondering if you could tell me whether bumbles are more peaceful than other bees that people encounter?

For some reason, i have absolutely no fear of bumblebees at all, yet have a serious fear of bees and wasps due to being stung as a child.

Is it true that bumbles are less aggressive or is that a myth?

[Crosby Nick]

Gulleysucker, I was wondering if you could tell me whether bumbles are more peaceful than other bees that people encounter?

For some reason, i have absolutely no fear of bumblebees at all, yet have a serious fear of bees and wasps due to being stung as a child.

Is it true that bumbles are less aggressive or is that a myth?

My amateur answer is that you tend to only see one bumblebee at a time, yet with other bees and wasps there's the fear of them attacking you as a swarm.

[The Gulleysucker]

...Is it true that bumbles are less aggressive or is that a myth?

Like humans, Honey Bees have evolved in a complex way as a society and have quite specific jobs as they grow older.

One of their jobs, a sort of a career progression, is a specific hive guard job and these Bees can be quite openly aggressive if you go too near the hive entrance and start being a nuisance, just like doormen at some night clubs can be.

But I think what distinguishes Honey Bees from other bees like Bumbles is that when one stings something or someone, a pheromone is released that signals to any other Honey Bees in the vicinity from the colony that there is a threat, so you can subsequently get stung by quite a few is you're careless or in the wrong place ie dicking about near a hive.

They can also be single mindedly persistent in chasing after you when they're really angry, sometimes for a considerable distance, a few hundred metres, and you can rarely outrun them.

Generally though, like almost all critters under normal circumstances, Bees of all types here in the UK, Honey or Bumbles, are not inately very aggressive unless you are seen by them as threatening their life or home.

[Quaid]

The more I read about Bees, the more fascinating I find them. They form incredibly complex colonies with strict social hierarchies. Was studying social behaviour the other day and came across how behaviour contributes to homoeostasis, in particular body temperature. They increase heat production and huddle together in cold weather, and subsequently maintain a constant temperature by changing how densely they huddle. Amazing behaviour for such small organisms.

Thanks to the c*unts that form our government, who yesterday voted against a ban on nicotine based pesticides, it now falls on us to help stimulate an increase in bee numbers by planting more flowering plants. There was a big call for it a few years ago, and by increasing the amount of food available to bee populations numbers will in turn increase over time. The cold spring this year hasn't helped certain species as well, but unfortunately that's out of human control.

Interesting comments in this article though from a bee keeper http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/10025474/The-bee-or-not-the-bee-has-it-really-come-to-that.html

[Corkboy]

Researchers find high-fructose corn syrup may be tied to worldwide collapse of bee colonies

http://phys.org/news/2013-04-high-fructose-corn-syrup-tied-worldwide.html#jCp

[kennedy81]

Anyone at all surprised to see a Tory minister line up behind the chemical industry lobby in opposing a ban on a pesticide known to act as a nerve-agent on bees?

no.

[kennedy81]

Researchers find high-fructose corn syrup may be tied to worldwide collapse of bee colonies

http://phys.org/news/2013-04-high-fructose-corn-syrup-tied-worldwide.html#jCp

heard a fella on the radio talking about this yesterday.
then last night, was watching a docu called Connected, which had a part about the bees too.

there was also a bit about how the Chinese, during the cultural revolution, decided to get rid of sparrows as they were damaging crops or something.
pretty soon they were hit with numerous locust plagues as there were no sparrows to eat them.
they wiped out the crops and caused a famine resulting in 30 million deaths.
it's odd how humans so often think they know better than nature.

[Trada]

I think 111 is to blame.

[Corkboy]

Israeli Scientist Discovers Treatment to Save Sick Bee Colonies

[Jake]

So am I still ok to kill wasps? I hate those fuckers with a passion.

[Corkboy]

So am I still ok to kill wasps? I hate those fuckers with a passion.

Yeah. Wasps are c*nts.

[Jake]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0klsNsP1-jY this is crazy, bees seem like nice dudes

[planet-terror]

http://action.sumofus.org/a/bayer-bees-lawsuit/13/2/

[Brian Blessed]

Yeah. Wasps are c*nts.

Specist.

[The Lash]

Researchers find high-fructose corn syrup may be tied to worldwide collapse of bee colonies

http://phys.org/news/2013-04-high-fructose-corn-syrup-tied-worldwide.html#jCp

Hmmmm....not only bees are suffering, research has also shown the HFCS is playing a significant role in the worldwide obesity epidemic. Corn, it a toxin and it is hidden in so many food ( I use the term loosely) products.

[kesey]

Interesting piece here on GMO's.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/death-of-the-bees-genetically-modified-crops-and-the-decline-of-bee-colonies-in-north-america

[kesey]

Bayer are suing the EC.

http://now.motherearthnews.com/story/featured/bayer-is-suing-a-whole-continent-for-sav/4a47504c73737a772b764b4a7634546c6b476d6546413d3d

[The Gulleysucker]

Both my colonies survived the winter well and have been very active the last few weeks of nice weather.
And today, in mid April(!) one of the hives produced a swarm, most unusual, normally May is when they start to swarm, if at all.
I bagged them up in a pillow case and re-homed them into an empty hive.