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| News:
04/15/2009
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Where have all the honeybees gone?
 Photo by Katie Perkins A honeybee collects pollen from Calendulas on the Pagani ranch. Bees are disappearing for reasons that cannot be fully explained. Scientists and beekeepers noticed the beginning of this trend in the United States in 2007 when honeybees started disappearing from their hives. They have named the strange disappearance “Colony Collapse Disorder” — the sudden loss of adult bees that seem to vanish without a trace. “CCD is the newest bee crisis. It is a signal that things are not going well in our environment. People are destroying it,” said local beekeeper Serge Labesque. Labesque has been a beekeeper for about 13 years. He has over 40 hives that he keeps at Oak Hill Farm in Glen Ellen. Pesticides, stress and new parasites are factors that may be leading to the disappearance of honeybees. Apistan and clothianidin are chemicals that are used to rid hives of diseases and pests, especially an external parasite mite called Varroa. These mites spread throughout the colony, sucking blood from adult bees. The problem is that the mites are becoming immune to the poisons and there is evidence that they are harmful to the bee’s central nervous system. Pesticides that the common gardener uses, like Round Up, can also be detrimental to pollinators. If bees are pollinating chemically treated plants they are also ingesting the poison. Kenwood beekeeper Randy Sue Collins does not use any pesticides on her bees. She believes that nature should take its course. Collins picked up her first hive one year ago at a Vacaville almond farm and now has five healthy colonies in her backyard. California produces 80 percent of the world’s almonds, and it takes nearly a million hives to pollinate all of California’s almond acreage. These hives are shipped or brought to the orchards from all over the United States. Nosema, another parasite that mainly affects honeybees, was first discovered in Japan and is thought to have come here with Australian bees. Collins said, “Living on the road is not a good life, for a person or an insect. Aspects of the overall problem are that we are not living in harmony with nature and we are interfering with the natural process of life.” This can cause migratory stress in a bee’s life. Stress can weaken the immune system of honeybees and other social insects and animals. As Labesque points out, “Pollinators are a very important element of our ecosystem.” About one in three mouthfuls of food we eat comes from plants pollinated by honeybees. Plants cannot produce fruit without pollination. If we lost the pollinators, the ecosystem would collapse. The honeybee is a very efficient pollinator because it eats nectar and pollen exclusively and visits many of the same plant species in one trip. Thus honeybees insure that the there will always be food for humans, and animals.  Photo by Katie Perkins Serge Labesque stands near two of his honeybee hives at Oak Hill Farm. Labesque and Collins have similar views on CCD. Collins said, “CCD is a big wakeup call to the planet. The bees aren’t dying; they are disappearing.” Collins believes without pesticides, a natural order will take over and the strongest and most fit will survive. She is critical of commercial beekeepers who try to control the hive. “They pluck the queen bee out and replace her with a younger queen. But hives will create a new queen if the old one dies.” When a colony of bees becomes overpopulated they will naturally split up. The bees will appoint a new queen and half of the colony will leave with the new queen, looking for a new nesting site. This is called a swarm. The worker bees will cluster around the queen wherever she goes. Bees are very vulnerable when they are homeless. This is where the beekeepers come in, providing the new colony of bees with a safe, new home. In 1923, spiritual scientist Rudolf Steiner predicted that if humanity continued to disrupt the organic life of bees, we would witness a mass disappearance of honeybees in 80 years. Collins wants to save the bees in order to save the human race. She thinks that the most important thing you can do to do to save honeybees is to teach your children that honeybees are not dangerous. Bees only sting when they feel stressed or threatened, and stinging is not something they want to do because after they sting, they die. She said, “their job is to protect their home.” So, if you see a swarm, do not swat at it or spray it. Instead call your local beekeeper. The Sonoma County Beekeepers Association has a list of beekeepers who will come to your property and remove a swarm at no cost. Visit www.sonomabees.com. Randy Sue Collins can be reached at 365-4330. If you’re interested in trying some local honey products, Labesque sells his honey at Oak Hill Farm, and Collins sells her beeswax candles at the Kenwood Farmhouse and The Candlestick located on West Spain St. in Sonoma. You can also visit her website at www.thanknature.com. You can also help by planting flowers and vegetation that are native to California such as mustard, lupine, poppies, rosemary, lavender and strawberries. All of these are pollinated by honeybees, and all grow well in Sonoma County. Email: katie@kenwoodpress.com |
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