Disappearing bees

[Coley]

There's no reason why mobile phone signals won't effect bees, after all we all know how much submarine sonars can have a bad effect on whales, porpoises and dolphins.

[Paul mabbott]

Interestingly, I've seen quite a lot of honey-bees over the last couple of days, especially today. Have been very poor all year although we never actually get huge numbers.

As a general point, I think when people are talking about bees, they should specify which sort - honey, bumble or other - so that we're all talking about the same thing!

Originally Posted by Rich

I have been keeping a look out for bees, and haven't seen one honey bee in my garden, and it is packed with flowers. Lots of bumble bees.

I saw bees during the mild spell we had in February and wonder if they woke up early and were killed off by the frosts that followed.

[snapdragon]

There has been a significant increase in the number of bees (big fat ones) in our garden over the last 2 weeks - I'd simply put this down to them making the most of the improved weather, and trying to stock up for winter....

[guineapig]

Bringing this thread up to the top again because this year I have had one solitary bee on my cotoneaster bush. It's normally got dozens of them when it's in flower, so where have they gone? There are still a few bumble bees around, but honey bees - no

[Meta menardi]

When I was a youth (some 50 summers past), in the bedroom was a shelf of old bound copies of "Wireless Weekly" that my Grandfather had subscribed to. I will read the serial number off a toothbrush if there is nothing else around, so I read the "Wireless Weekly", skipping some bits on Heterodyne circuits and so on.

There were quite a few letters about birds being killed when the flew into the path of someones aerial
(patently ridiculous, as an aerial receives and the wave it receives is not in the form of a narrow band).

I see in the linked article the effect of CCD is spreading to this country. Is this as the bees become informed that the phone signals are a problem?

I would not in any way say that we should all laugh and say that there is no problem. Bees as pollinators are massively important, and the CCD seems to be something we have to deal with.

Before I get endlessly PM'd about the "Wireless Weeklies", I no longer own them.

[Susie]

I guess it makes sense for those of us who are able to do a daily or weekly transect of our gardens to list which bees and there and in what numbers so that we will have a record of whether there is a decrease in the number of bees overall in time.

[Bumblebeebob]

I noticed on Countryfile yesterday that they do not think CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder) Has (yet!) reached the UK. Hives tested here do not show the same signs that have devastated hives in North America. Our Honey Bees are however suffering quite badly from the Varroa mite.

[punk entomologist]

there is a study being carried out at the moment that im helping with at plymouth uni looking at been crops and other mast flowering crops and the effect on bumble bees as well as the planting of red clover too,

[Ukwildlifeo]

The queen bee was killed in the bedfords park display colony and the number of bees is declining rapidly - I just hope one of the larvae is a royal larva.

Talkiing of te bees dissapeaing the new film 'THE HAPPENING' from the man that made sixth sense and 'the (dull and predictable) village' apparently 'explains' what is happening to the bees along with lots of people dying etc lol

[ellen h]

Today I watched a lady beekeeper come to the rescue of a swarm of bees that had settled on a wheel of a van in a car lot opposite where I work.She managed to encourage them into her box and seemed well pleased.
I am no expert but when I saw the swarm earlier I am sure they were honey bees.On talking with the owner of the car lot he told me that he had had 3 seperate swarms in the area at one time.Is that possible ?
ellen