Ann wrote:
Frank frankdotlogullo@comcastperiodnet expounded:

Latest theory is problem is caused by cell phone towers.

That's been discounted, when we took their cell phones away they still
died off....

Sounds like a plot line for a B-grade movie.

Hettie® wrote:


Hettie® wrote:


That was a first in 30 years.

Oops. A couple years ago I got stung with my yogurt cup method. It
didn't hurt too bad at all. Maybe it depends on where you get stung,
hand vs. inside of my thigh.


What are you doing with a yogurt cup on the inside of your thigh?

Frank wrote:
Jangchub wrote:
On Wed, 14 Nov 2007 07:42:47 -0500, Ann wrote:

wesleyn n.r.wesley@brightonDOTacDOTuk expounded:

Hi, my name is Neil, I'm a product design student in Brighton. I'm
looking into possibly doing a home beehive design, and yourselves as
gardeners have probably encountered the odd bee or two. I have a quick
question for you then, are you;

a/ completely unafraid of bees.
That would be me, I'm a beekeeper.

Any replies will be of great value to me, thankyou for taking the time
to read and respond.

Neil
You're welcome.

Ann, did you hear this new theory that bees are somehow effected by
some chemical which is giving them a form of Alzheimers and they are
literally forgetting where their hive is, and also forgetting how to
alert one another with their dance which points them back in the
direction of this hive? I don't recall where I heard this, but have
you heard it in any of your bee keeping journals?

victoria

Latest theory is problem is caused by cell phone towers.

I thought the latest theory was nicotinic pesticides, or however the
hell you say it.

Stephen Henning expounded:

Scott Hildenbrand wrote:

Think about that statement for a minute.. If bees are not making it back
to the hive, do you really think they're surviving somewhere without a
food source?

Think about this a minute. They are out gathering food. Why should
they come back to a man made hive?

Because it's their home. And it's where the queen is. They don't
have minds of their own, they return to their hive (if they can).

Furthermore, the cause of CCD has not been pinpointed yet. It could be
any number of things. Sure, it could be chemicals but it could also be
viral, bacterial, or maybe even those odd suggestions such as cell phone
towers messing with their navigation.

They have identified chemicals that make the bees loose their sense of
direction and they have found these chemicals in the areas of the CCD.

That isn't the bottom line on the CCD issue. It's a suspect, but it
hasn't been definitively stated.

Now, having a traveling hive for hire to pollinate is swell, but those
bees that they are pollinating in place of aren't just wondering around
asking for directions.. I'd say they're toast.

Bees existed wild for many millenia before man made his first hive.
Keeping bees in hives is relatively new in their history. They will do
just as well as Canada Geese do when they don't fly south.

Stephen, that just isn't true. If they can't find their hive, they
die. They don't all go out enmass to the same place, together, stay
to together, and return together. Nevermind the fact that the queen
never leaves the hive - except when she's a virgin, on her mating
flight.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

Scott Hildenbrand expounded:

They are out gathering pollen. Pollen is not the food source of bees.
It's used in the making of honey, which is their food source.

No, pollen is most definitely a source of food, lipids, vitamins,
sterols, minerals, micronutrients and most importantly protein, some
within the worker bees' bodies in the form of vitellogenin and some
of which is stored as beebread. Honey comes from nectar gathered and
processed in the workers' honey stomaches and is also used as food,
mainly carbohydrates they burn over the winter to keep themselves and
the all-important queen warm until spring. There's more involved, but
books have been written on bee nutrition, I'm not going to bore you
all with the rest of it G
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

doofy wrote:
Hettie® wrote:



Hettie® wrote:



That was a first in 30 years.

Oops. A couple years ago I got stung with my yogurt cup method. It
didn't hurt too bad at all. Maybe it depends on where you get stung,
hand vs. inside of my thigh.


What are you doing with a yogurt cup on the inside of your thigh?

LOL! Taking a sound reading?

The yogurt cup was to trap them inside the house when they landed on the
window glass trying to find a way out. I suppose I could have used a
plastic Solo cup, but the yogurt cup was the handiest I could grab. I
held it in one hand, my right hand to be specific, tried to clap it over
the intruder, then slide the knife under easy like so as not to amputate
their legs, usually they went to the bottom of the cup but sometimes
not, hold the knife over the cup until I got out the door and released
it. It is hard to open an interior and storm door when you have a bee
trapped inside a yogurt cup. My method gives new meaning to catch and
release. Bumblebees though take longer to catch and fly very fast
through the house, zooming through several rooms, until they decide to
seek the light, on a glass window, and some of my panes are small on
top; hence the yogurt cup. That makes them furiously mad. What do they
know?

I didn't have a yogurt cup when I got stung outside on my thigh. The
bee got under my bermuda shorts, and I didn't know it was there until
ouch, and then I felt something wiggley under there!

Stephen Henning wrote in
news
Scott Hildenbrand wrote:

Think about that statement for a minute.. If bees are not
making it back to the hive, do you really think they're
surviving somewhere without a food source?

Think about this a minute. They are out gathering food.
Why should they come back to a man made hive?

duh! because they are *bees* & the man made hive is where
their queen is. bees are social. they work for the hive.
worker bees just do NOT go out one morning, find a nice field
of buckwheat in bloom & say "Wow! this is cool. i'll just stay
out here forever. no more Queenie telling *me* what to do!"
no, they mark the field in their little inborn GPS & head back
to the hive to tell all the other worker bees about it.

Furthermore, the cause of CCD has not been pinpointed yet.
It could be any number of things. Sure, it could be
chemicals but it could also be viral, bacterial, or maybe
even those odd suggestions such as cell phone towers
messing with their navigation.

They have identified chemicals that make the bees loose
their sense of direction and they have found these
chemicals in the areas of the CCD.

yes, and assorted viruses & the lovely verroa mite...
while it may be convenient for the farmers to have the
travelling bee keepers come around, those travelling hives are
spreading viruses & mites & all kinds of unhealthy bee bugs.

Now, having a traveling hive for hire to pollinate is
swell, but those bees that they are pollinating in place
of aren't just wondering around asking for directions..
I'd say they're toast.

Bees existed wild for many millenia before man made his
first hive. Keeping bees in hives is relatively new in
their history. They will do just as well as Canada Geese
do when they don't fly south.

oddly, that's not true. there are very few 'wild' hives of
honeybees.
lee

Ann expounded:

some

Dammit.

read 'some stored in'
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

enigma expounded:

oddly, that's not true. there are very few 'wild' hives of
honeybees.

Thankfully they seem to be on a bit of a comeback. There have been
feral hives located that show resistance to varroa. There may be hope
- that is if humans will leave them alone and let them adapt!
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

Ann wrote:
Scott Hildenbrand expounded:

They are out gathering pollen. Pollen is not the food source of bees.
It's used in the making of honey, which is their food source.

No, pollen is most definitely a source of food, lipids, vitamins,
sterols, minerals, micronutrients and most importantly protein, some
within the worker bees' bodies in the form of vitellogenin and some
of which is stored as beebread. Honey comes from nectar gathered and
processed in the workers' honey stomaches and is also used as food,
mainly carbohydrates they burn over the winter to keep themselves and
the all-important queen warm until spring. There's more involved, but
books have been written on bee nutrition, I'm not going to bore you
all with the rest of it G


Not bored at all, actually..

So they can indeed survive on their own munching on pollen and wondering
around aimlessly?

Knew they did eat pollen but I'd always thought that honey was their
main food source and not just for winter stock.

Ann wrote:
enigma expounded:

oddly, that's not true. there are very few 'wild' hives of
honeybees.

Thankfully they seem to be on a bit of a comeback. There have been
feral hives located that show resistance to varroa. There may be hope
- that is if humans will leave them alone and let them adapt!

As if that will ever happen.. First instinct for people who sees a hive
in a tree is to eradicate them. Especially with all the killer bee fear.

On the bright side there are still pockets in the country that are
sparsely populated.

In article ,
enigma wrote:

Stephen Henning wrote in
news
Scott Hildenbrand wrote:

Think about that statement for a minute.. If bees are not
making it back to the hive, do you really think they're
surviving somewhere without a food source?

Think about this a minute. They are out gathering food.
Why should they come back to a man made hive?

duh! because they are *bees* & the man made hive is where
their queen is. bees are social. they work for the hive.
worker bees just do NOT go out one morning, find a nice field
of buckwheat in bloom & say "Wow! this is cool. i'll just stay
out here forever. no more Queenie telling *me* what to do!"
no, they mark the field in their little inborn GPS & head back
to the hive to tell all the other worker bees about it.

Furthermore, the cause of CCD has not been pinpointed yet.
It could be any number of things. Sure, it could be
chemicals but it could also be viral, bacterial, or maybe
even those odd suggestions such as cell phone towers
messing with their navigation.

They have identified chemicals that make the bees loose
their sense of direction and they have found these
chemicals in the areas of the CCD.

yes, and assorted viruses & the lovely verroa mite...
while it may be convenient for the farmers to have the
travelling bee keepers come around, those travelling hives are
spreading viruses & mites & all kinds of unhealthy bee bugs.

Now, having a traveling hive for hire to pollinate is
swell, but those bees that they are pollinating in place
of aren't just wondering around asking for directions..
I'd say they're toast.

Bees existed wild for many millenia before man made his
first hive. Keeping bees in hives is relatively new in
their history. They will do just as well as Canada Geese
do when they don't fly south.

oddly, that's not true. there are very few 'wild' hives of
honeybees.
lee

Can't help thinking it is "Groundhog Day". We've had this conversation
before, back in the Spring. People must be gettin' bored.
--
Bush Behind Bars

Billy

Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights.
Get up, stand up, Don't give up the fight.
- Bob Marley

Billy wrote:
In article ,
enigma wrote:

Stephen Henning wrote in
news
Scott Hildenbrand wrote:

Think about that statement for a minute.. If bees are not
making it back to the hive, do you really think they're
surviving somewhere without a food source?
Think about this a minute. They are out gathering food.
Why should they come back to a man made hive?
duh! because they are *bees* & the man made hive is where
their queen is. bees are social. they work for the hive.
worker bees just do NOT go out one morning, find a nice field
of buckwheat in bloom & say "Wow! this is cool. i'll just stay
out here forever. no more Queenie telling *me* what to do!"
no, they mark the field in their little inborn GPS & head back
to the hive to tell all the other worker bees about it.

Furthermore, the cause of CCD has not been pinpointed yet.
It could be any number of things. Sure, it could be
chemicals but it could also be viral, bacterial, or maybe
even those odd suggestions such as cell phone towers
messing with their navigation.
They have identified chemicals that make the bees loose
their sense of direction and they have found these
chemicals in the areas of the CCD.
yes, and assorted viruses & the lovely verroa mite...
while it may be convenient for the farmers to have the
travelling bee keepers come around, those travelling hives are
spreading viruses & mites & all kinds of unhealthy bee bugs.

Now, having a traveling hive for hire to pollinate is
swell, but those bees that they are pollinating in place
of aren't just wondering around asking for directions..
I'd say they're toast.
Bees existed wild for many millenia before man made his
first hive. Keeping bees in hives is relatively new in
their history. They will do just as well as Canada Geese
do when they don't fly south.
oddly, that's not true. there are very few 'wild' hives of
honeybees.
lee

Can't help thinking it is "Groundhog Day". We've had this conversation
before, back in the Spring. People must be gettin' bored.


I must have missed that conversation being new to the group..

Ah well, not much to talk about now?

In article , wesleyn
n.r.wesley@brightonDOTacDOTuk wrote:

Hi, my name is Neil, I'm a product design student in Brighton.
I'mlooking into possibly doing a home beehive design, and yourselves
asgardeners have probably encountered the odd bee or two. I have a
quickquestion for you then, are you;

a/ completely unafraid of bees.
b/ very frightened of them - you may even be a confirmed apiphobic(fear
of bees) or cnidophobic (fear of stings).
c/ somewhere in between:
c1/ you are able to keep calm and ignore them, but wont go tooclose
c2/ you'll move away / go indoors until they're gone
c3/ you'll try to get rid of them using bug spray etc.

Any replies will be of great value to me, thankyou for taking the timeto
read and respond.

Neil-- wesleyn

I love bees & as they pollinate the flowers I can even pet them like itty
bitty furry kitties.

-paghat the ratgirl
--
visit my temperate gardening website:
http://www.paghat.com.html
visit my film reviews webiste:
http://www.weirdwildrealm.com

In article ,
n.r.wesley@brightonDOTacDOTuk says...

Hi, my name is Neil, I'm a product design student in Brighton. I'm
looking into possibly doing a home beehive design, and yourselves as
gardeners have probably encountered the odd bee or two. I have a quick
question for you then, are you;

a/ completely unafraid of bees.
b/ very frightened of them - you may even be a confirmed apiphobic
(fear of bees) or cnidophobic (fear of stings).
c/ somewhere in between:
c1/ you are able to keep calm and ignore them, but wont go too
close
c2/ you'll move away / go indoors until they're gone
c3/ you'll try to get rid of them using bug spray etc.


How many bees? One? Two? A hundred?

If it is just one, paying attention to some flowers, it can be
very close, and I don't bother it, and doesn't bother me.

I don't go over and try to touch them or anything, and I wouldn't
mess around with a hive.

But on my normal garden level, there's no problem. I actually
like seeing them getting some pollination going on. Although I
will note that I have never been stung by one.


--
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