The bees are dying.
Simple as that!
No-one knows why - exactly...
But scientists suspect pesticides and insecticides have something to do with it!
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/honey-bees-dying-scientists-suspect-pesticides-disease-worry/story?id=10191391
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Give me golf clubs, fresh air and a beautiful partner, and you can keep the clubs and the fresh air.
(Jack Benny)

Good morning,
The bee's dying concerns me a little, for a number of reasons and way too long to go into here.

Going back to the poll; can we have a 'well if it is going to happen can I just fall asleep with my girls' instead option? .

I don't own a deckchair, don't think I would laugh, (nervous giggle an exception)and do care really

Bee's. Whilst I understand the importance of what they do, And them dying off is something I think deserves investigation, I am allergic to the sods, so when they get me, they get me good, then the nurse gets me too, so mixed emotions about them

That said my girls love the Bee movie,

It's not just the bees - we're all dying!!

Interesting idea about the shoemakers/repairers killing off the bees, not quite sure how though

Wow... great new business idea from all of this: tiny bio-degradable coffins for dead bees, with an existing target-market of industrial Apiarists, using the leverage of bulk purchase 'green' discounting as an incentive. Why didn't I think if this years ago... could have retired by now.

Hmmmm where are the bees, Handsel??? I think him and his artist hoodlums know full well
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"The tighter you grasp Lord Vader, the more it will slip through your fingers."

OK, look... I've got my hands up!

We did put some dead bees in a glass case...
We did put a real honeycomb (on it's frame) in with them...
But all of them dead bees was dead long before we ever saw 'em! Honest, Guv!
(We had to put them in the freezer, to keep them 'fresh'!)
And they all died naturally, after a long, happy and productive life!
They worked, they danced their little loopy dance, they soldiered, they protected their queen and then they died - content in the knowledge they'd lived a useful life.
They were the happy few... The lucky ones!
Even in death - they worked on!

It was to bring the plight of the bees to the notice of the MPs.
(But I don't think they even noticed them really! )
I wrote a poem about the bees...

The Plight of the Humble Bee

We’ll miss the honey for tea,
When the bees have all gone.
The drone and buzz, as trustee,
Of this world in our care,
We’ll miss…
While drowsing in the sun
But we’ll miss the crops, mostly,
Pollinated – it seems – for fun
And – Oh! – another care!
The millions we will miss…
When the starving has begun.
You may well groan at the pun,
But I’m sure you will agree,
We all share, in the long run,
The plight of the humble bee.

The exhibition itself wasn't a success...
No bees, bears or dolphins were saved!
No paintings sold!
No commissioned received!
No galleries wanted to show the work!
They 'passed' on the snails and compost!
Can you believe it?
'How would we keep it clean?' they asked.
'How do people normally keep their snails and compost clean?'
'It looks a bit fragile,' they said, 'How long will it last?'
'How far have you got to travel?'
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Give me golf clubs, fresh air and a beautiful partner, and you can keep the clubs and the fresh air.
(Jack Benny)

Has anyone tried dyeing bees blue...?

I did a project on this a while back and had the pleasure of meeting a couple of beekeepers. Beekeepers are the best of people and come from all walks of life. Each of them had a different view on why the bees were disappearing but a common theme started to come up the more research I did. There are 4 main reasons for their disappearance:

1) Pesticides: chemicals such as neonicotinoid which has been banned in many European countries - as well as the co-op banning the use of it on English farms. The growing use of pesticides in gardens is also a problem.

2) Climate change: the changes in temperature mean that the bees have more problems surviving the harsh winters or early frosts. Also the plants they feed off cannot flower as easily as they used to so food is starting to get shorter.

3) Lack of wildflowers: there is a sever lack of wildflowers for the bees to feed off. Countrysides simply don't have the variety they used to to sustain the population.

4) Lack of nesting sites: whilst honeybees have been the focus of media attention, they are actually not the biggest problem. Honeybee hives can be (with a little skill and patience) reproduced fairly easily. I believe the main worry is wild bees or 'solitary bees'. These bees need nesting sites, not necessarily the hives we usually think of, but a nest can be as simple as a hole a few cms wide and 10cms deep drilled into a block of wood. Solitary bees don't necessarily nest in large hives, often a female lays a few eggs and thats her nest. The plus side is that these bees have hardly any sting as they are not protecting a honey source unlike honeybees.

These points are just what I believe are the key points to the ENGLISH bee decline. I am fully aware that other countries, America for example, have completely different problems. They keep bees as a product... its insane. (watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4WLFNkse3I)

And yes. When the bees die its the start of us being screwed.

Wow! A super first post, plumdaisy.

Go over to the Introduction thread and say what you are looking for.
(Don't forget it'll be around for a while! )
Also set flirtbox.net on one of your photos, so we can see you here.

Drag up a hive and sit a spell...
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Give me golf clubs, fresh air and a beautiful partner, and you can keep the clubs and the fresh air.
(Jack Benny)

the only thread with a reall buzz in it! I know, I know.......
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http://arisingmoon.deviantart.com/gallery/#-Fantasy-Art-
http://myriad28.spaces.live.com/

Some beekeepers in the UK fear that the CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder) has already reached our shores.

I'm quite surprised there are a number of urban beekeepers popping up all over London. One hotel's got a few hives on their roof.