The Bees Are Dropping Like Flies...

[sandyRoe]

Loads of dead bees in the garden and on footpaths around here. Is it insecticides, a virus, or a combination of both killing them?

[dannyk13]

A virus on top of a lack of flowers producing nectar.

[EcclesCake]

Do you have any Beekeepers around you? Could be varroa mite.

Could be insecticides if it is an excessive number and unusual.

Could be old age.

[sandyRoe]

It's not great numbers of them. But to see 20 or more during a short walk seems unusual.

[viv38]

Poor bees, this seems to be happening every year now. I have loads of flowers to attract them, but there's a distinct lack of them around, so depressing.

[sandyRoe]

I notice I asked a similar question last year. So whatever is killing some hasn't wiped them all out.

[EcclesCake]

I'm inclined to think it is probably an insecticide issue. It is the time of year when gardeners become profligate with their bug sprays and ant powder.

[dannyk13]

Yesterday I saw two bees indoors crawling on the carpet.Seen advice somewhere that a spoon of sugar and water would help but I tried that and although did feed it later died.

[viv38]

I'm hoping when my buddleia finally blooms (not long now), the bees will zoom in !

[viv38]

danny that does work, or honey will as well, or you could pick the bee up and place it on a flower with the necessary nectar. Maybe this poor bee was too far gone.

[SeaJayPea]

A friend of mine who lives in France posted this on facebook this very morning. If it's true, this is very worrying.

http://24matin.ch/monde/la-cause-de-la-mortalite-des-abeilles-enfin-resolue/

Then she translated it:

Here is a quick translation of the article on bees. It appears Monsanto have been infiltrating beekeeper's association in 60 so they could set up bait hives to poison bees!! So they could come to the rescue by introducing their new chemical pollinator to save the day!! A@@holes.....

Agroscope brings the proof that colony collapse disorder in bees reported since 1998 is not due to pesticides.

Contrary to the suspicions of the majority of beekeepers, phytosanitary products are not the cause. It was a voluntary act (chance find) by an American company specializing in agricultural biotechnologies set up in Morges since 2004.

The investigation which started in 2002, following a formal complaint by beekeepers associations, reached its final conclusions. Monsanto had deliberately organised the removal and then the extermination of honey bees (apis mellifera) in Europe.

Internal documents uncovered at the company, as well as videos taken by the scientific publication, demonstrated the Machiavellian strategy of the organisation. A large number of its 19,000 employees, spread over more than 60 countries, methodically infiltrated all the beekeeper's associations, in order to set up baited hives. These actions should see a pollinating agent on the shelves for sale from 2015, called Popo 265.

Monsanto, contacted by the production crew, refused to make any comment at this time.