The economic effect of a declining bee population is enormous. At best the price of food will skyrocket and there will be famine across the globe. At worst the entire human race is at risk of extinction. Albert Einstein once said that if the bees were gone the human race will be done in four years. The devastation to bee colony populations may be a result of cell phone towers emitting frequencies that disorient the bees. Dead bees are said to be found all around cell phone towers. This is serious stuff folks and it is not being widely reported
Fears for crops as shock figures from America show scale of bee catastrophe
By Lou Scatigna
Fears for crops as shock figures from America show scale of bee catastrophe
The world may be on the brink of biological disaster after news that a third of US bee colonies did not survive the winter
Disturbing evidence that honeybees are in terminal decline has emerged from the United States where, for the fourth year in a row, more than a third of colonies have failed to survive the winter.
The decline of the country’s estimated 2.4 million beehives began in 2006, when a phenomenon dubbed colony collapse disorder (CCD) led to the disappearance of hundreds of thousands of colonies. Since then more than three million colonies in the US and billions of honeybees worldwide have died and scientists are no nearer to knowing what is causing the catastrophic fall in numbers.
The number of managed honeybee colonies in the US fell by 33.8% last winter, according to the annual survey by the Apiary Inspectors of America and the US government’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS).
The collapse in the global honeybee population is a major threat to crops. It is estimated that a third of everything we eat depends upon honeybee pollination, which means that bees contribute some £26bn to the global economy.
Potential causes range from parasites, such as the bloodsucking varroa mite, to viral and bacterial infections, pesticides and poor nutrition stemming from intensive farming methods. The disappearance of so many colonies has also been dubbed “Mary Celeste syndrome” due to the absence of dead bees in many of the empty hives.
US scientists have found 121 different pesticides in samples of bees, wax and pollen, lending credence to the notion that pesticides are a key problem. “We believe that some subtle interactions between nutrition, pesticide exposure and other stressors are converging to kill colonies,” said Jeffery Pettis, of the ARS’s bee research laboratory.
A global review of honeybee deaths by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) reported last week that there was no one single cause, but pointed the finger at the “irresponsible use” of pesticides that may damage bee health and make them more susceptible to diseases. Bernard Vallat, the OIE’s director-general, warned: “Bees contribute to global food security, and their extinction would represent a terrible biological disaster.”
Dave Hackenberg of Hackenberg Apiaries, the Pennsylvania-based commercial beekeeper who first raised the alarm about CCD, said that last year had been the worst yet for bee losses, with 62% of his 2,600 hives dying between May 2009 and April 2010. “It’s getting worse,” he said. “The AIA survey doesn’t give you the full picture because it is only measuring losses through the winter. In the summer the bees are exposed to lots of pesticides. Farmers mix them together and no one has any idea what the effects might be.”
Pettis agreed that losses in some commercial operations are running at 50% or greater. “Continued losses of this magnitude are not economically sustainable for commercial beekeepers,” he said, adding that a solution may be years away. “Look at Aids, they have billions in research dollars and a causative agent and still no cure. Research takes time and beehives are complex organisms.”
In the UK it is still too early to judge how Britain’s estimated 250,000 honeybee colonies have fared during the long winter. Tim Lovett, president of the British Beekeepers’ Association, said: “Anecdotally, it is hugely variable. There are reports of some beekeepers losing almost a third of their hives and others losing none.” Results from a survey of the association’s 15,000 members are expected this month.
John Chapple, chairman of the London Beekeepers’ Association, put losses among his 150 members at between a fifth and a quarter. Eight of his 36 hives across the capital did not survive. “There are still a lot of mysterious disappearances,” he said. “We are no nearer to knowing what is causing them.”
Bee farmers in Scotland have reported losses on the American scale for the past three years. Andrew Scarlett, a Perthshire-based bee farmer and honey packer, lost 80% of his 1,200 hives this winter. But he attributed the massive decline to a virulent bacterial infection that quickly spread because of a lack of bee inspectors, coupled with sustained poor weather that prevented honeybees from building up sufficient pollen and nectar stores.
WHY BEES MATTER
Flowering plants require insects for pollination. The most effective is the honeybee, which pollinates 90 commercial crops worldwide. As well as most fruits and vegetables – including apples, oranges, strawberries, onions and carrots – they pollinate nuts, sunflowers and oil-seed rape. Coffee, soya beans, clovers – like alfafa, which is used for cattle feed – and even cotton are all dependent on honeybee pollination to increase yields.
Saverio Manzo
www.saveriomanzo.com
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
Eco-friendly, ethical and green ways to shop for food
Tips for more sustainable, eco friendly, ethical and green ways to shop for food rather than using supermarkets
In an ideal world, we would be totally self sufficient within a community set up. The next best thing would be to buy everything we could not grow or rear ourselves locally, seasonally, organic and therefore, fair trade. This would be a more sustainable way of life, more ethical, eco friendly and the perfect green option!
Unfortunately, this utopian vision does not exist for most of us and many of us rely on supermarkets to bridge the gap.
There are small, positive steps we can all take to shift the balance from supermarket shopping to more sustainable and ethical choices.
We still use supermarkets. Let’s face it, self sufficient changes don’t happen over night and old habits die hard, but we have probably quartered the amount we used to buy from them. We’ve recently switched to home delivery which has made a huge difference to the way I shop (and spend money). In addition one can join a food Co-Op, support local shops and use an organic farm shop. The aim is to gradually increase the amount of vegetables we grow ourselves and more importantly, learn how to preserve them better.
In reducing supermarket shopping, I have found that I spend less money. The convenience side of finding everything under one roof has been easily overcome when I’ve recognized the benefits.
How many of us come out of a supermarket with far more than we intended? Clever marketing encourages us to buy more than we need or want. Three for Two offers tempt us and more often than not we do not use everything and it gets thrown away.
Many “super”markets make you walk past books, cds, clothes and electrical goods before you even get to the vegetable aisle!
Changing shopping habits can feel very daunting but there are an increasing number of eco friendly and more ethical alternatives.
Local, independent shops.
Shopping in local grocery shops, butchers and bakers helps to keep your money in the local economy. Small retailers know they rely on your for their livelihood so you will feel more valued as a customer. Independent stores are often surprisingly willing to try new lines if you ask them and will often support local growers with a seasonal range of products. In some local village stores, around 80% of the fresh fruit and vegetables comes from nearby farms. At the local butcher, all lines are traceable; they know each farmer personally and packaging is kept to a minimum.
Box schemes
Sign up for a local fruit and vegetable box scheme where you will benefit from fresh, quality, seasonal and local produce delivered to your door. One great side effect of this is that you get to try new things. There is a while world of foods that you’ve probably never experimented with. Using a box scheme pushes you to be creative and explore new tastes. There are more and more schemes arriving almost daily on the net – look for a future post for some great options once I have had a chance to review them.
Food Co-op
Set up or join a Collective buying co-op. You will be able to buy bulk quantities of whole foods at around 25% less than health food shop prices. Ethical policies are usually top priority with food co-ops, so you can be sure you are making sustainable choices.
Farmer’s market
You can find some great things are farmer’s markets such as local, seasonal vegetables and fruit, organic lines, bread and preserves. They truly still a great option!
Grow your own!
The first step to self sufficiency! Even the most brown thumbed of us can manage a few crops. Herbs can be grown indoors in the kitchen windowsill, tomatoes can be planted in hanging baskets and sprouted seeds can be grown indoors. If you fancy having a go at growing your own but don’t have the space, look to rent an allotment through your local authority. This is a great way to meet people from your area and share tips.
As more and more people are interested in green living and embrace a sustainable lifestyle, our buying choices will influence the market. Prices for ethical, fair trade and organic produce will gradually decrease if we keep up the demand.
Source: lil'greenblog
Saverio Manzo
www.saveriomanzo.com
In an ideal world, we would be totally self sufficient within a community set up. The next best thing would be to buy everything we could not grow or rear ourselves locally, seasonally, organic and therefore, fair trade. This would be a more sustainable way of life, more ethical, eco friendly and the perfect green option!
Unfortunately, this utopian vision does not exist for most of us and many of us rely on supermarkets to bridge the gap.
There are small, positive steps we can all take to shift the balance from supermarket shopping to more sustainable and ethical choices.
We still use supermarkets. Let’s face it, self sufficient changes don’t happen over night and old habits die hard, but we have probably quartered the amount we used to buy from them. We’ve recently switched to home delivery which has made a huge difference to the way I shop (and spend money). In addition one can join a food Co-Op, support local shops and use an organic farm shop. The aim is to gradually increase the amount of vegetables we grow ourselves and more importantly, learn how to preserve them better.
In reducing supermarket shopping, I have found that I spend less money. The convenience side of finding everything under one roof has been easily overcome when I’ve recognized the benefits.
How many of us come out of a supermarket with far more than we intended? Clever marketing encourages us to buy more than we need or want. Three for Two offers tempt us and more often than not we do not use everything and it gets thrown away.
Many “super”markets make you walk past books, cds, clothes and electrical goods before you even get to the vegetable aisle!
Changing shopping habits can feel very daunting but there are an increasing number of eco friendly and more ethical alternatives.
Local, independent shops.
Shopping in local grocery shops, butchers and bakers helps to keep your money in the local economy. Small retailers know they rely on your for their livelihood so you will feel more valued as a customer. Independent stores are often surprisingly willing to try new lines if you ask them and will often support local growers with a seasonal range of products. In some local village stores, around 80% of the fresh fruit and vegetables comes from nearby farms. At the local butcher, all lines are traceable; they know each farmer personally and packaging is kept to a minimum.
Box schemes
Sign up for a local fruit and vegetable box scheme where you will benefit from fresh, quality, seasonal and local produce delivered to your door. One great side effect of this is that you get to try new things. There is a while world of foods that you’ve probably never experimented with. Using a box scheme pushes you to be creative and explore new tastes. There are more and more schemes arriving almost daily on the net – look for a future post for some great options once I have had a chance to review them.
Food Co-op
Set up or join a Collective buying co-op. You will be able to buy bulk quantities of whole foods at around 25% less than health food shop prices. Ethical policies are usually top priority with food co-ops, so you can be sure you are making sustainable choices.
Farmer’s market
You can find some great things are farmer’s markets such as local, seasonal vegetables and fruit, organic lines, bread and preserves. They truly still a great option!
Grow your own!
The first step to self sufficiency! Even the most brown thumbed of us can manage a few crops. Herbs can be grown indoors in the kitchen windowsill, tomatoes can be planted in hanging baskets and sprouted seeds can be grown indoors. If you fancy having a go at growing your own but don’t have the space, look to rent an allotment through your local authority. This is a great way to meet people from your area and share tips.
As more and more people are interested in green living and embrace a sustainable lifestyle, our buying choices will influence the market. Prices for ethical, fair trade and organic produce will gradually decrease if we keep up the demand.
Source: lil'greenblog
Saverio Manzo
www.saveriomanzo.com
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