Hundreds Show Up At How-To Workshop On Beekeeping In Suburban St. Louis - SLPD

[hatrack]

About 15 months ago, beekeepers around the country started to notice something strange. Bees were abandoning their hives, buzzing off to die somewhere, and no one could figure out where they went and why they were leaving.

The problem, dubbed colony collapse disorder, claimed at least a quarter of the country's honeybees last year, ravaging honey supplies and threatening the $15 billion in crops that rely on bees for pollination. "We ran close to 1,000 colonies of bees, and we lost about 40 percent," said Sharon Gibbons, a commercial beekeeper from Ballwin. "We have yet to find out what's going on. It's having a huge impact financially."

The cause of the disorder, which primarily affects commercial beekeepers, is complicated and has stumped scientists. But one part of the solution may be pretty simple: get more hobbyists to keep bees in their backyards. "The reservoir of bees in the backyard may prove to be where the better bees are, and the solution to this," said Dewey Caron, a leading bee expert, with the University of Delaware.

Area beekeepers want to be part of the fix. On Saturday, the Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association hosted a sold-out workshop in Clayton that they hope will lure more amateur beekeepers to the hobby. If the level of interest is any gauge, then the budding beekeepers are off to a good start. More than 170 people signed up, and 50 more were turned away. "We've had a tremendous response," said Robert Sears, president of the association, backyard beekeeper and corporate attorney.

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http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/F0F7D3682AA2FC63862573F8002043A0?OpenDocument

[DS1]

1. that would be neat

[CountAllVotes]

2. 60 mins. last night had a whole story on this

it was really scary I thought. I had no idea the problem was this severe and serious.

Where I live there are still quite a few bees to be seen in the springtime and summer months. Blackberries grow wild here and if the colonies had collapsed here there'd likely be no more blackberries to be found in the late summer/early fall months.

I wish they could identify what the problem is. Some think it is a virus or just plain "sick bees" due to all of the environmental contamination and I wouldn't rule out global warming either.

The bottom line is this: Soon many foods (produce primarily) will became insanely expensive and only the very rich will be able to afford to buy them.

I commend these folks that are taking interest in becoming beekeepers. I wish them well!

Kick & recommend!

:kick:

[eilen]

3. Are the bees dying or simply moving?

If they are moving, could it be due to the change in polarity?-- magnetic forces and all....