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Bees are dying off
RedwoodSap
Member Posts: 1,235
New clue found to disappearing honey bees
Researchers have a new clue to the collapse of honey bee colonies across the country — damage to the bees' internal "factories" that produce proteins. Theories about the cause of bee colony collapse have included viruses, mites, pesticides and fungi.
The new study of sick bees disclosed fragments of ribosomal RNA in their gut, an indication of damage to the ribosomes, which make proteins necessary for life, according to a study in Tuesday's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
RNA, which is made from DNA, is central to protein production.
The sick bees suffered an unusually high number of infections with viruses that attack the ribosome, the researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported.
"If your ribosome is compromised, then you can't respond to pesticides, you can't respond to fungal infections or bacteria or inadequate nutrition because the ribosome is central to the survival of any organism. You need proteins to survive," May R. Berenbaum, head of the department of entomology at Illinois, said in a statement.
The researchers said the varroa mite, which was accidentally introduced to the U.S. in 1986, is a carrier of picorna-like viruses that damage the ribosomes.
The mite may act as a tipping factor leading to ribosome breakdown, the researchers said.
The study was funded by the Department of Agriculture.
Comments
I saw the movie version with my kids. Much more entertaining.
"Black and Yellow! They get behind a fellow!"
"TO MICHAEL!"
Animals have been going extinct since way before we were here so let them die off it's only natural.
Bees are a very important part of the ecosystem, specifically in regards to pollination.
There would be a domino effect if bees die off.
The big question here is, wherever the varroa mite comes from, are there any bees? If so, then the bees within our own population that are resistant to this mite will be the ones who survive, and then the population will likely increase again, this time with a new population that can handle the mite.
Do you know of any research about where this mite came from?
fishermage.blogspot.com
I imagine it will take awhile for the bee's to adapt to having so many foreign contaminants introduces into there environment. The biggest issue with the modern diseases is transportation. With the introduction of high speed transportation of viruses, fungi and mites the impacts exponentially worse then what nature could manage on its on. Like someone else said, without the bees were jolly well fucked. Most of our crops rely on the bee's.
Fortunately there does appear to be some resistant strains of wild bees. In my area we had a massive die off but a small colony of bees in downtown hung on and there kind seems to be spreading. Cant say the same for the domestics though.
Bees are scary
Its kinda funny. Honey Bees introduced into the US in the 19th century are dying off to a species of mites introduced in the US in 1986, yet it hasn't really affected our native insectoids that we would love to get rid of like termites and fire ants. I think it just goes to prove once more that American made stuff are just stronger.
I guess this means the environmentalists who said it was because of a shift of 0.5 degrees were wrong and it really wasn't global warming.
Wait what, I thought bees were just going to their home planet.
I find it amazing that by 2020 first world countries will be competing to get immigrants.
The big question here is, wherever the varroa mite comes from, are there any bees? If so, then the bees within our own population that are resistant to this mite will be the ones who survive, and then the population will likely increase again, this time with a new population that can handle the mite.
Do you know of any research about where this mite came from?
Australia I think.
This mite wiped out my hive a few years ago.
They have since re-established themselves.
Globalisation in action.
The big question here is, wherever the varroa mite comes from, are there any bees? If so, then the bees within our own population that are resistant to this mite will be the ones who survive, and then the population will likely increase again, this time with a new population that can handle the mite.
Do you know of any research about where this mite came from?
Australia I think.
This mite wiped out my hive a few years ago.
They have since re-established themselves.
Globalisation in action.
Thanks for the info. It seems that it is something we need to be concerned with, but that's about it.
fishermage.blogspot.com
Just throwing this out there... but wasps, hornets, flies, and many other insects also pollinate.
Not that we shouldn't be concerned about bees, as they are still the primary pollinators, but if they died off, the results would be noticeable, but not cataclysmic. Just saying.
Bees are very very important to the eco system, and this finding is a disturbing trend, one that scientists have been noticing for quite awhile.
EQ1-AC1-DAOC-FFXI-L2-EQ2-WoW-DDO-GW-LoTR-VG-WAR-GW2-ESO
This has been in the news for a couple years now. And unless a way is found to keep the honey bee alive, it could lead to the most widespread famine the world has ever seen.
Is that from Doctor Who?
And that is why...
Conservatives' pessimism is conducive to their happiness in three ways. First, they are rarely surprised -- they are right more often than not about the course of events. Second, when they are wrong they are happy to be so. Third, because pessimistic conservatives put not their faith in princes -- government -- they accept that happiness is a function of fending for oneself. They believe that happiness is an activity -- it is inseparable from the pursuit of happiness.
I haven't found out if these studies with the bees also include the invading African Killer Bees. Anyone know?
And that is why...
Conservatives' pessimism is conducive to their happiness in three ways. First, they are rarely surprised -- they are right more often than not about the course of events. Second, when they are wrong they are happy to be so. Third, because pessimistic conservatives put not their faith in princes -- government -- they accept that happiness is a function of fending for oneself. They believe that happiness is an activity -- it is inseparable from the pursuit of happiness.
Really and how do you know this?
Bees polinating is responsable for a Third of the worlds food supply. And thats just the captive bee hives and not the wild ones.
Another great example of Moore's Law. Give people access to that much space (developers and users alike) and they'll find uses for it that you can never imagine. "640K ought to be enough for anybody" - Bill Gates 1981
How did American flowers get pollinated before European honey bees were imported?
Bumblebees, and lots of other native bees. I'll find a link in a jiffy.
attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/nativebee.html#native
fishermage.blogspot.com
Another reason to stop Iran from getting Nukes....
Could resistant bees be the solution?
If bee death cannot be halted, this would result in significant economic losses – and not only for beekeepers. More than 90 different crop species are pollinated by bees worldwide. The annual economic value of bee pollination in the US is estimated to be 14.6 billion dollars. Wild plants also rely on bees for pollination.
One possible solution comes from Israel. A third of the bees studied there are resistant to IAPV. The insects carry the virus genome in their DNA, which gives them immunity. "These naturally ‘transgenic’ bees could be used to breed virus-resistant insects," says Ian Lipkin, co-author of the study and Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia University.
Source:
www.gmo-safety.eu/en/news/587.docu.html
fishermage.blogspot.com
Not really we have farms now.
In the world of asphalt, concrete,and gasoline - the world of man. We have no use for such things that came before. They should all die and get out of the way. Death to all things natural.
/Sarcasim off
Hope they are able to sort it out, I love my honey. =D Once a animal population gets really small man rarely makes room for it to have a chance at regrowing in the wild.
Really and how do you know this?
Bees polinating is responsable for a Third of the worlds food supply. And thats just the captive bee hives and not the wild ones.
Maybe because I have a more realistic definition of a cataclysm?
* Main Entry: cat·a·clysm
* Pronunciation: ?ka-t?-?kli-z?m
* Function: noun
* Etymology: French cataclysme, from Latin cataclysmos, from Greek kataklysmos, from kataklyzein to inundate, from kata- + klyzein to wash — more at clyster
* Date: 1599
1 : flood, deluge
2 : catastrophe 3a
3 : a momentous and violent event marked by overwhelming upheaval and demolition; broadly : an event that brings great changes
As I said, the results would be noticeable. Money would be lost. People would die. Beekeepers would go out of business. But the world would keep on spinning. Pollination would still be carried out, just at a much slower rate. I'm not saying that we shouldn't care if the bees go. I'm just saying that it's not an "end of the world" situation.