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Disappearing Bees

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Where have all the bees gone? Hives all over the UK are emptying of bees. One theory is that mobile phone signals are affecting their ability to find their way home. Einstein said that 4 years after the bees die, humans will die. This pod investigates this phenomenon and Einstein's prediction.
peterjwalsh

15 responses // Disappearing Bees

  • Was this pod production inspired by a viewer feedback email? I recall reading several viewers alerting us to this as a stunning and potentially catostrophic trend 6 months ago.
    joannaearl
  • http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6400179.stm
    Why are the bees disappearing?
    Why are the bees disappearing?
    This article suggests a number of different theories... But if it were fungus or mal-nutrition surely there would be dead bodies?
    ecooper
  • People keep saying that the bees are disappearing because of radiation from mobile phone masts... but why would it happen so suddenly? Mobile phones have been around for a while... I have a suspicion that there is a secret bee burglar...
    ecooper
  • http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/0709061408...
    Seems to be a virus
    Seems to be a virus
    The phone radiation theory always had a sensationalist tinge for me. Recently published papers suggest a virus, or a combo virus-parasite double-whammy, is causing the decline in bee populations.
    todicus
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDSf3Kshq1M
    Maybe the disappearance was down to their evil arch enemies - the hornets!

    Quite a cool video of 30 hornets having a good ol' bout of fisticuffs with 30,000 bees...

    I'm not telling you the outcome, you'll have to watch the video.
    mattbrawn
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_Collapse_Disorder
    Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus is the suspected cause of CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder). It causes paralysis in bees which then die when they're out of the hives, accounting for their mysterious disappearance.
    abbym0308
  • It is a very serious issue.

    I wonder about the radiation from nuclear waste such as was integrated into warheads used in Iraq and Afghanistan.

    We're making a mess of this planet.
    VoyagerFilms
  • http://current.com/items/88844280_bee_queen_births



    Scientists now think there's a new virus or parasite causing collapsed hive syndrome.

    But, bees disappearing is like the canary in the mine dying.

    We need to pay attention.

    We share ONE EARTH.
    Think About It/ACT LIKE IT.

    What if each day, each person did ONE thing to heal the earth?

    What if each day, each person stopped doing ONE thing that hurts the earth?

    ONE X Billions - You do the math.

    Consume less, Recycle, Regift, Reuse, Conserve,
    or more simply Try one step at a time to lighten your footprint on the earth.

    Charleen Touchette
    TouchArt in Santa Fe, New Mexico
    TouchArt
  • Saw a similar piece on disappearing bees in the United States on 60 minutes didn't realize this was a worldwide problem.
    cwood
  • My goodness what a mess!

    Great pod, I honestly did not know either that this was so big; I heard about this briefly from the science professor but she didn't delve too much into the topic.

    Like touchart said "We share ONE EARTH.
    Think About It/ACT LIKE IT. "
    naty_forty
  • http://flickr.com/photos/touchart/sets/7215760405129589...
    Honor the Bees and Call them Home.

    Bees in ancient times were honored for their role in fertilization. In pre-Greece western religion, they were connected with the Mother Goddess.

    The answers to global warming are in indigenous teachings worldwide.

    There's lots of things every one can do.

    Plant flowers, bushes and trees with bright yellow, purple, crimson and orange flowers where ever you live whether on the rez, in the suburbs, in the country, in the wildersness, or the city, whether in window boxes in high rises or patches or dirt in empty lots in the ghetto, or in an empty coffee can by your double-wide. (All places me and my family have lived so I know it's possible anywhere).

    Leave a dish or some fresh water source for the bees and the birds and watch what happens.
    TouchArt
  • Interesting piece. John, the beekeeper featured, has been looking after our bees in the Royal Festival Hive. We've got a hive on the roof of the Royal Festival Hall in London and i'm glad to report that they're doing very well. We're treating them to an exclusive program of cultural entertainment with visiting musicians, writers and poets coming to read and perform to them. Watch them here:

    http://royalfestivalhive.typepad.com/
    pilgrimfilms
  • ummm, we can pollinate our own plants... not that big of a deal... Hibiscus and other plants with large flowers for instance; all you have to do it touch the pollen and then touch the receiver part (don't remember specific names maybe its the stemata or something.)
    ViciousXVisuals
  • like alot of people i am concerned about the bees,
    but just recently i have noticed dozens of them on a yellow plant just outside our front window, i don't know the name of it, but it seems to be the only one that they bother with, could this mean something
    olibongo
  • Viral epidemic is the suspected problem, but I wonder if Bee immune systems are compromised by the proliferation of electromagnetic energy sources, such as microwave and 3G cell towers?

    To find out, it would be interesting to know if the problem exists in geographies where radio astronomy telescopes exist as they usually require a radio-silent region surrounding them, where, except for sources coming from the sky, like GPS, satellite, TV, etc., the area is relatively free of radio energy.
    Riverrun

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