Thread: Scarey - Where Have All the BEES Gone?

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We spent the past weekend at a Track Meet in Vancouver, BC. (Our 12-year-old daughter set a new Provincial Record in Discus, BTW!) Lots of flowers and landscaping in a beautiful facility - I did not see ONE SINGLE Honey Bee all weekend. Not good, people, not good. What's the picture look like in your vicinity?

Don't know much about the area. In general, people are discouraging wild populations of honeybees and other native bees through commercial agricultural practices, both farming and landscaping, and use of pesticides. Then removing hives when they are found, especially in public places like this event would have been.

Lots of flowers doesn't neccessarily mean 'good environment for bees'. They need good environments for hives (which vary widely depending on species). Wind breaks need to be constructed, high nectar plants need to be cultivated, suitable hive material needs to be provided, and they need to be LEFT ALONE, not "oh, bee's KILL!!!".

Colony Collapse Disorder is still around for actual European honeybees (not all bees were effected, despite the 'we're all gonna die' news. There's other species that are less financially productive for the honey industry that are just fine.)

There also may be a correlation to disappearing bees and mosquito abatement programs. (which are actually worsening the mosquito problem due to killing natural predators, effectively quadrupling the mosquito birth rate, but that's a whole other rant.)

My personal local native species of bee hive is doing well after a tough winter/spring, and I've seen some other species of native bees around as well. However, I landscape specifically to encourage bees, and use no pesticides, as does the neighbor across the street.

I have 1 kept hive, and one wild hive in my yard. My kids know not to be idiots...

(entomology, my "other" hobby)

Been seeing plenty of bees in my area. In fact my neighbor's tree was flowering a couple of weeks ago and there were so many bees buzzing around it I could hear them in my yard. I thought I had a beehive in my yard.

NONE of the regular bees. Only a few of the normally dozens of annoying carpenter bees I have every year trying to carve up my back patio roof...

I'm worried because they are the way pumpkin plants get fertilized and I'm actually growing some this year...

In my area, we're having extreme drought and heat, and that usually causes a severe drop in the bee population, but that means the flowers and plants are going to be pretty weak in the coming seasons.

We are having drought conditions to. We actually got a little rain last night but it wasnt much and it didnt last long.

I do not notice any bees here. I only saw one bee and that was days ago.

Originally Posted by Wolfman

We spent the past weekend at a Track Meet in Vancouver, BC. (Our 12-year-old daughter set a new Provincial Record in Discus, BTW!) Lots of flowers and landscaping in a beautiful facility - I did not see ONE SINGLE Honey Bee all weekend. Not good, people, not good. What's the picture look like in your vicinity?

Well that is great news to a guy like me Wolf! I have the absolute worst allergy to bee stings that is medically possible! I always stay away from flowers and gardens for that very reason... It is weird though hearing of not a single bee humming around..

Walking back to the patking lot we passed a jarge cluster of Columbines. Very pungent, full of nectar. Tons of Duskywing caterpillars (those ugly little hairless green guys) chowing down on the leaves, not a single bee.

Congratulations to your daughter, Wolfman!

The drought must be driving away the honeybees from our area too. I don't even remember the last time it rained here. Weeks ago...heck, come to think of it, I believe the last time was when all those tornadoes drove through Georgia a couple of months back. I have seen plenty of red wasps, the little devils...

This does not mean good things.